Are you shopping for a Austin insulation installer? Be ware! It is easy to get the “wool pulled over your eyes” and fall of their tricks. Here are 3 scams commonly pulled by installers in Austin TX.
1. Their Austin Insulation price is TOO cheap
Everyone loves a discount, but when something sounds too good to be true, it often is. Some insulation Austin TX companies advertise their deep discounted prices as misleading advertising. Their offer to you is incredibly inexpensive, and once they enter your home, they pressure you into paying hidden fees in order to really fix the insulation problem. It is comparable to buying a car and having the salesman say that it cost extra for seats and a steering wheel.
A common scheme is quoting low prices per board foot. They say $1.00 per board foot for 1-inch of closed cell. However, when they apply it, they only install 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch. This is common practice and often happens on accident with companies who don’t have stellar insulation quality control processes. You pay for insulation you never get, and you will never know because their work is cover up.
Selecting the correct insulation solution and installing it properly takes time and the right resources. Expect to pay a reasonable price for quality work. If a deal seems too good to be true, call another company. Otherwise you may end up paying much more to get the job re-done the right way.
2. “Our materials have the best R-values”
This statement is made on many websites and in home estimates with installers. Remember: The best insulation materials for you are the ones that achieve your goal!
For example, the common comparison measurement for insulation is R-value. The problem is that the US Department of Energy says that sealing a building can save up to 40% on HVAC bills.
Popular high R-Value insulation materials like fiberglass and cellulose are poor air sealers. If the insulation material doesn’t air seal your building, thousands of dollars will fly out your roof and walls.
Plus, if the insulation is not perfectly installed, air leaks will occur. Air leaks significantly reduce the R-value effectiveness of most insulators. Then the air leaks bring moisture into the space and further reduce effectiveness and increase mold growth.
So before you hire a Austin insulation contractor, identify your objectives and then select the materials and installer who best reaches your goals.
Technology in the insulation business evolves constantly, so materials or systems they were trained on a few years ago might have been improved upon by in today’s world. It is beneficial to work with a insulation contractor that always keeps themselves on the cutting edge of technology and doesn’t simply make broad claims about having the “best” insulation and technology in Central Texas.
3. Bait and Switch on Insulation in Austin
This is a huge problem. The scam usually works in a few ways depending on what material is being installed.
First let’s talk about fluffing with attic blown-in cellulose or fiberglass insulation around Austin. The technician uses an excessive air setting on the machine to fluff the insulation. This results in 12 inches of insulation settling down to 6 inches in a few months time.
Avoid any installer who is trying to sell you a certain number of inches of blown insulation or a certain R-value. Find a contractor who will perform the install based on the number of bags to be installed.
When you find a “Bag Count” installer, here is how to keep them honest. Don’t let them sell you 60 bags and only install 40. Count the number of bags on the truck before and after the install. If they could not use all the bags you ordered, make sure your bill is reduced.
On the other hand, many spray foam installers claim to add the required fire-retardant layers when doing the project. But often times they skip the fire-retardant step in an effort to save time and money. Their contract with unsuspecting clients say fire-retardant installed, but they cut corners to save $0.05 per board foot. They put you in a safety and legal risk and building inspectors often do not catch the problem.
What does it all mean?
When you are dealing with any contractor, you will have the guys who try to give you the “lowest price” to earn your business. But, you must remember that they will cut corners somewhere in order to deliver that price. So make a good decision by getting education on insulation Austin today.
HERE IS WHAT TO DO NEXT!
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