The Breathable Home

through, also did energy audit

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They were a great company and they provided great service.

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It could not have gone better. They accommodated our schedule, they took extra measures to assure clean air during the job (my wife has COPD and insulation can be a dusty business) and they did everything in accordance with the contract with no extra charges. The crew was competent, respectful, friendly and clean. They cleaned the work areas every night, even it it meant laying out tools and materials again in the same spot the next day. When the work was done they handled all the paperwork to get my $1500 rebate from Efficiency Maine, which I received from the State within 3 weeks of the job's completion. Every employee I met was focused on doing the job well and keeping the customer happy. I watched the production employees when they were working unsupervised and they stayed on the job and up to speed at all times. The work was first class in every respect and I would not hesitate to use them again or recommend them to anyone. In my opinion they are that rarest of creatures....contractors that I liked even more after the work was done than I did when the deal was being struck. They are not the cheapest option; However, I certainly got what I paid for (I do believe that you never get what you don't pay for) and the work was priced fairly. I share the owners philosophy that good work comes from good workers and to keep good workers they need to be paid reasonably.

Lets begin with the fact Bo Jespersen, President of TBH is well qualified, articulate and passionate about his work and the happiness of his customers. Absolutely every competitor, vendor or financial entity I spoke with had nothing but good things to say about Bo and his company. We did have a few misunderstandings, however, that is why you must always insure you have written documentation with plenty of details. Bo resolved all my issues to my satisfaction. TBH is a busy company and Bo sometimes is slow in responding. Most communication was by email (my choice) and I was not expecting immediate replies, however, sometimes the replies took several days. Bo called when necessary and was good about making sure the project went smoothly. The employees who worked in my home were courteous and considerate while doing their job. They knew their job well and appear to have done it well too. They allowed me to photograph at various points to document the progress and we worked around each other well. Unlike the government, I did not need to hire the lowest bidder. TBH was not the lowest bidder. I chose them because of customer reviews, gut feeling and documentation. Honestly, I would like to have gone with a higher bidder because of the way they would have done the job. I simply could not afford them. If my home were built better it may have warranted doing the project differently. I feel that I got the best value for the dollar with TBH in this home. Bo made great suggestions for work I could perform myself and provided guidance along the way deciding upon materials and processes. His and quot;sidewalk counciland quot; was a value added benefit and greatly appreciated. His recommendation of the Great Stuff Pro spray foam system over the regular cans turned out to be one of the most valuable nuggets. We are discussing the next project now which I hope to have done next spring or summer.

Initially, it took a lot of time to get everything set up. A lot of back-and-forth emails and voicemails. I was probably as much at fault as the contractor on that one. I was taking advantage of the Efficiently Maine grant that was available at the time. After having the initial energy audit done, I sat down with Bo Jespersen to discuss what work my house needed and what the anticipated energy savings would be from each one. There was a lot of pressure to install a new hot water tank to replace the on-demand system I had in place. This was supposed to amount to significant energy savings. After looking at all of the options, I agreed to the new hot water tank and the final weatherization contract had anticipated energy savings of close to 40%. Now, I am not naive and did not expect to realize a 40% saving, but I did expect the savings to be noticeable. After 2.5 years, the savings are minimal to nonexistent. What little savings I do see can probably be attributed to the programmable thermostats. On the plus side, the crew working on my house were always on time and pleasant. At the end of the work day, they were excellent about cleaning up their materials and supplies. At the completion of the job however, there was some caulking that had gotten on the floors and walls that I needed to clean up. The work in the attic also led a small crack in the ceiling in one of the closets. The clothes in that closet were covered in plaster and quot;dust.and quot;

I had a shed dorm put on my cape two winters ago. I had never had pipes freeze but I did after the dormer. The wall to eve junction was not sealed and cold air rushed in. After an energy audit that showed the airleak the length of the house, I knew what needed to be done. Bo's crew sealed the leak and did more insulating work. The heat pipes now run above the floor except in one place that is now well insulated and sealed from the outside. They were the cleanest workers I have ever had work on this house! They were on time and kept me updated on all they did and all they found. I recommend them to anyone!