Ice Dam Prevention Systems

With the first real snow I noticed the melt patterns on the roof were the same as before.  Inspection of the attic revealed the amount of insulation is only about 10 inches.  Furthermore, no new gutter was added to the upper roof.  Additional work including adding expanding foam into difficult to access areas which I cannot access. I have called Mark regarding the insulation and I am awaiting his reply.

His crew arrived on the day when the work was supposed to be done, without Mark. One of the guys smelled like he was drunk. Work was done quicker than expected, twice quicker. Nothing suspected at this time.
Ice dam season came, not only ice dams were not prevented, even their numbers or sizes have not changed. Got up into attic, entire section of the house was not covered with new fiberglass as it was supposed to, right in front of the house where the worst ice dams were.
I have contacted Mark several times since then. He made an appointment, but never showed up. Did not even care enough to cancel appointments. This has caused major disruptions in my schedule, and emptying enire walk in closet for preparation for nothing.
Mark has been sick since then, it is one thing or another, which I understand can come up, but one can pick up the phone and say I am not showing up. Did not send his team to fix the problem either.
I have requsted part of my money back, have not seen yet. Will have to go to small claims court to get money back.
I regret the day I contracted Mark, while he may or may not know what he is doing, his team who showed up were sloppy. MArk himself did not care enough to do the right thing and fix the mess.
Hope you can lear from my experience. If his team had done work for you, recommend you get up in attic and check the quality. 

unknown

They were respective, professional, and thorough. They had originally allowed two days for doing the work, but because they were so effecient and worked hard, they were able to get it done in one day. They also made sure everything was cleaned up before they left. They did a great job! They will be back this spring to do some minor roof repairs which was included in the cost.

prompt, professional, good value for the money.My neighbor hired this service after use

unknown

Mark was very prompt with the inspection and bid, and was able to get right to work.  He sized up my situation expertly and suggested details that I would have overlooked.  His crew of two were very efficient and finished the job in five hours.  Mark was present for the start and finish of the job.  He had excellent advice for a future phase of my project, and was open to doing those parts of it that are beyond my expertise.  (In other words, he can work small and not insist on taking the whole job).  Affable guy too, with an enthusiasm for insulation.  Recommended.

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I called Mark and we scheduled an appointment.  He arrived on time and performed an inspection of our home and made recommendations on how to solve our ice dam problem.  He gave me an estimate and we agreed on a day & time the work would be performed.  He arrived on time and performed the work in a timely manner and we are very satisfied with the work they did.  They were very professional and everything went just as he said it would.  They cleaned up the entire area where any work was performed.  Since it is summer I won't know if the heat cables will solve my problem until winter but I'm confident it will based on Mark's recommendations.

Mark and his crew showed up on time (Friday morning) to perform the work.  They initially laid down pads and painters sheets since blowing in cellulose insulation can get quite dusty/messy.  They performed the work exactly as described in the bid.  Insulating my attic to R60 (up from what it was of R12-15) and filled in all the joists, etc.  They even build a wooden platform around an air handler in the attic so it can still be maintained with ease.  One of Mark's co-worker spent most of the time in the basement fixing the frozen pipe issue.  He applied insulation and sealant in a crawl space near the main water line and reseated an air vent behind the wall, while applying more insulation.  He even went to a local hardware store and procured a vent to cover up a hole in the wall we wanted to leave exposed so warm air can flow through (didn't even ask or think to charge me for the vent).  The job lasted about 6 hours (which was exactly what Mark quoted).  They cleaned up with a shop vac so the house looked very clean when they left.
All in all, was very pleased with the professionalism, knowledge and service provided by Mark and his crew.  I proudly displayed a sign in my front yard advertising his services to others and would recommend him to family/friends.

They did a very good job for me.  He also replaced a few windows that were broken in the basement.  He went out of his way to make sure the basement was as best insulated as possible.  Overall an excellent experience!

I called the next day and set up an appointment for the following Thursday. He and two other workmen (one of whom is his grandson) arrived thirty minutes late for the agreed 7:30 start, but once they arrived they worked hard and steadily until 2:30 except for a couple of smoke breaks and a short lunch break.

Before they began they laid down runners to protect the floors and stairs and covered furniture with plastic tarps. We reviewed the agreed-upon work and they began. In addition to the items we had scheduled, they also installed insulating wrap for the hot water heater which I had purchased earlier and trimmed tree branches that were touching the roof.  No extra charge.

They did a very good job of cleaning up, but with the large amount of cellulose insulation, there was residual dust to clean after they left.  This didn't bother me at all.

|All three men were cordial and responsive to questions. This company was originally recommended to me five years ago by a technician performing an energy system audit of my home. I'm hopeful that ice dams will be a thing of the past and that our home will be more comfortable and energy efficient because of this work.

Mark is a very knowledgeable insulator. He went the extra mile to make sure the attic was properly insulated. Showed up on time and also built some walkway platforms for easy access. I have used him in the past for dampness issues in my prior home. He solved the problem other insulators could not figure out. I would absolutely recommend his services to anyone who needs a pro.

It seemed to go well.  They were able to work on Fridays and Saturdays while we were around.  We hope the work will solve some ice dam issues we've had in the past, though we won't know until we get some significant snow.
My one complaint is with their mess and lack of clean-up.  Both Matt and his helper smoke and I'm still finding cigarette butts on my property.  They also were very sloppy with their spray foam and we've had to scrape it off of various parts of our house, including areas where they did no work - must have been spilled when moving from basement to attic.  Had to clean up labels, wrappers, fasteners, etc. from my yard when they worked outside.

Absloutely terrific. Mark responded quickly to our request (he was the only one of 4 who did). He came to the house, inspected the insulation and made recommendations. Very personable and professional. Great sense of humor. On the day of service, his team showed up on time and was extremely professional. They got the job don in short order and left absolutely no mess in the house. We can detect a clear difference in the comfort level of the house. Remarkable. I recommend them highly with no reservations whatsoever.

They came in when expected, worked like bees, finished earlier than expected, and cleaned up thoroughly.

The house seems/feels "tighter", but it hasn't snowed yet, so I can't comment on ice dams.

Good guys, worked hard, I feel I got my money's worth. I'd give them thumbs up.

I had been meaning to find someone to install electric-heat cables after last winter's ice dam disaster at my home and hadn't gotten around to it yet.  I saw a Ice Dam Prevention System company truck at the gas station and asked for a business card.  I called the next day and scheduled a time for them to come out and provide an estimate.  After checking out their limited reviews on Angie's list, I didn't call anyone else for estimate...

Mark1 (owner) came out and inspected my attic, evaluated current insulation situation, and recommended the combination of both additional insulation and cables to control my ice dams.  (Since I plan to do major attic renovation in somewhat-near future, I opted-out of the insulation work because it would just have to be redone.)  Mark1 gave me (what I felt) was a  reasonable quote.  He provided the name of an electrician I could call if I didn't have my own to install the exterior GFI outlets needed for the cables (but revealed he was a bit spendy and encouraged me to use my own electrician if I had a favorite).  Mark1 called and confirmed our installation appointment time the day before the actual appointment.  On the day of the appointment, Mark1 AND Mark2 (his assistant) showed up 20 minutes late  - grrr! -  I got up early for the 7:15 appointment!  Mark1 left the premises and  Mark2 actually did all of the work.  He started working promptly and had the cables installed on both sides of my house within  2 hours.  (Mark2 even removed a defunct antennae from the roof of my house for me while he was up there - at no additional charge!) 

Interesting note: They installed 2 120-foot " EASYHEAT Roof and Gutter De-Icing Kits" (like a "kit" you'd buy at Home Depot that includes "everything you need") instead of having large rolls of wiring, bulk boxes of clamps, etc, like I sort of expected from someone that specializes in heat cables...  (Don't know if this is common, or even an issue - just thought I'd mention it.)

Mark1 is just a bit quirky (bouncy, speaks loudly), which could be interpreted by some as unprofessional - but I found him knowledgeable and likable.  I always ask contractors a lot of questions, and in just a couple of cases I felt he didn't answer my questions as thoroughly as I would have liked - so I ended-up asking for the Owner's Manual for the kits he installed so I could read up on my own... (For example:  Q: When should the cables be turned on and off?  A" "You'll just have to eyeball it - depends on weather."  Q:  How are you going to attach the cables to the roof - will you have to drill holes?  "I'll show you when I get there.") 

Overall, I am happy with the work that was done for the price I was charged.  The cables appear to be installed properly, and Mark1 said he WILL come out if I have ANY problems with ice over the the winter. 

I'll post an update on Angie's List in the Spring about how effective the cables turn out to be and/or if I end-up needing any follow-up work.

UPDATE:  Unfortunately, we have had LITTLE SNOW so far this winter, so I have been able to test the effectiveness of my cables!  :-)

I will never hire them again. They sent one person out by himself and he was very slow. He took a break and left the premises and billed me for it. He was smoking and throwing cigarettes on the ground. He dropped ice chunks on my downspouts and flattened the extenders on two of them. He also dented the top grille on the air conditioner. When I called and complained they did refund me one hour's worth. It was for the inconvenience and charging me for when he took a break. He did get the ice off the roof. They did get back to me right away when I filed a complaint. They were on time. The guy they sent out had only been on the job for two weeks and they normally send two guys out for that type of work.

I think the person that came was very knowledgeable and had all the information I needed. I did not find him particularly professional.

Very knowledgeable, worked quickly but a little sloppy.

He did a very nice job. His team showed up when they said they would. He explained what he would and why he would do it. He talked very fast. His price was considerable less. He provided more at a lower price than the other companies. They cleaned up after themselves. Now it is much comfortable!

Went so well, Clean quick and thorough. I had other quotes in the same price range but what I liked about Mark was that he was willing to get into my crawl space and REALLY check it out. He had 3 other employees/friends who were professional.

Did a great job. He spotted many additional small issues with the walls, roof and windows that needed some maintenance and took care of the issues at a minimal additional cost.

MARK IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT BY-PASSES & INSULATION. HE IS SOMEWHAT CASUAL IN HIS PROFESSIONALISM.