Should You Hire a Professional or DIY
Importance of Properly Installing and Maintaining Insulation
Should you hire a professional or install insulation yourself is a common question most of us have asked ourselves at least once. Namely, once we make that crucial decision on installing insulation and upgrading our home energy efficiency and comfort, this question arises. There are two basic reasons for this. Firstly, we are worried whether the available installation and maintenance instructions will be too complicated for us to follow which may lead to potential mistakes and serious problems later on. And secondly, we are very interested in lowering our overall insulation costs, whereas hiring professional help will increase these, whether we like it or not. Well, what is important is that none of these reasoning should prevail, but you should carefully analyze all potential risks and benefits and make the final decision accordingly. We will here try to point out some things that you should pay attention to.
The answer to your dilemma will depend on a number of factors. The most important one and number one on our list is previous relevant experience. If this is a case with you then some useful guidelines that can be easily found online (try browsing our website pages) and a pair of skilful hands should be sufficient. On the other hand, if you had no previous experience with DIY insulation installation projects, then you should probably move onto the next few criteria.
Another important thing to keep in mind is the insulation material you are using. You will notice that some materials are easier to install and require no special installation techniques, equipment or precautions, while others require more care and expertise. For example, mineral and glass wool insulation is practically packed in slabs, batts or rolls and can be easily installed in almost any area whereas basic safety equipment (long sleeves, face mask and gloves) should be sufficient. Also, these materials require no special adhesives that can be tricky to work with, but can be simply stapled with some basic home tools. At the same time, some foam based insulation materials do require specialized equipment and should be handled with care if you want to do the job right. Finally, some rigid insulation materials can be installed both by a professional and as a DIY job since these boards should be carefully transported and handled before and during installation.
Apart from the insulation material, another thing worth mentioning is the area under insulation. Some areas are potentially more dangerous than others, so it is usually safer to add insulation yourself to a wall for example than it is to install it into basement or loft space. This is where you should be extremely careful, since there are many potentials of jeopardizing your safety, but also the stability and structure of your home not to mention endanger its occupants. If you are dealing with an old, unused basement or loft, you risk of injuring yourself during DIY insulation installation, so it is always smart to secure the space and what is even more important to make sure that all the electric wiring is taken care of. Namely, it is not uncommon for electrical wires to go through loft spaces, often unprotected or uncovered which can even have fatal outcome. There is another tricky thing when you are dealing with electrical wires, plumbing, downlight covers etc, since if you want to maintain an airtight construction and avoid thermal bridges, there should be no holes and gaps in the insulation material. At the same time, electrical wires may not react well with certain insulation materials and should never be fully covered, since this can cause fire and jeopardize the entire construction. This is why it is important, if you have opted not to hire a professional to install insulation, to get all relevant information on how electrical wires, water tanks and recessed lights are best insulated and take all the prescribed precautions.
Finally, there is another important aspect to keep in mind and it refers to applicable regulation. With professional help you can count on all relevant information regarding the requirements imposed by relevant building codes including recommended materials, R values, installation methods, but also relevant permits and licenses that you might be obliged to obtain. On the other hand, if you are opting for a DIY project, this is something that you will have to manage yourself.
To summarize everything up, although hiring professional help to install insulation might be somewhat costly, its necessity will depend on all the aforementioned factors that you should take into account if you want to do the job right. Thus, if you are dealing with a common insulation materials that can be easily installed, then you can try to do the hob yourself. On the other hand, know that with professional help, you get proper insurance, warranties and expertise on all relevant matters including applicable regulation, necessary inspection, required equipment and what is most important expertise and knowledge that you can use later on.
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