"These ratings are of course on insulation blown in to warm our home in cold weather / perhaps help with air conditioning. This is June 21rst, a week after the work. Time will tell the answers to many of these categories. However, from today's vantage point Mike and his crew came on time, worked tirelessly, cleaned up, were very pleasant to have here working. If the insulation (which appears to have been thorough) keeps the drafts out in winter, the price was well worth it. Jim B"
At Mavrix Construction, we believe hiring a contractor should be stress-free. We specialize in professional spray foam insulation across Pennsylvania, managing every detail of your project from first call to final walkthrough.\n\nWe answer our phones. We show up when we say we will. We communicate every step of the way. And we don't consider a job finished until you're satisfied.\n\nOur commitment is simple — competitive pricing, quality work, and the kind of customer service that's rare in the trades industry.\n\nWhen you choose Mavrix, you're choosing a team that treats your property like our own.
Did you know that Orkin does Insulation? Our more than 100 years of pest control experience began in 1901 by then fourteen-year-old Otto Orkin. In that , we've become a leader Pest Control as well as an expert Home Insulation. Orkin - We can help energize your home. \n\n
"Matt went above and beyond his duty. I just moved into this house and hired Matt to insulate it.. He found a couple other small things that needed attention and if he could he fixed them and if he couldn't he gave me a contractors name to call.. Would HIGHLY recommend this company!!!"
"They worked long days to make sure the roof was finished before weather changed for the worst. Very impressed with quality of finished job. We then asked them to quote on 2nd house that required rebuilding a large porch roof, cladding a rear addition with vinyl (to hide insul-brick), and removing box gutters & rotted supports from a rear porch to make the porch function & look better. This project on Chislett St was so successful and improved the usual appearance of the house that people walking by the property would comment how beautiful the "new" porch was in the front. It was amazing transformation! Both houses date back to the 1920's so there was a good deal of rotted wood that had to be removed and replaced. These jobs were not for amateurs to tackle!"
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It can be a daunting task looking for not only the right contractor for your job, but also the right contractor for you. We completely understand what you are going through. We know every customer has different desires, different needs, and different schedules. We are not only here to turn your ideas into reality, but to make it a memorable experience every step of the way. Call us right now, no matter where you are in the planning process. \n
"We inherited a property with lots of problems stemming from an inability of my husband's parents to maintain the home. As a final renovation to the small home (1100 sq. feet), we decided to convert an enclosed sun porch (500 sq ft) into a full addition. The addition added four rooms: A large bedroom, a full bath, an office and a pantry.
Please watch the video that I made of photos from the beginning to the end, along with a walk through:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V34TlqAypWQ
The sun porch, built in the 50's, was glass and aluminum frame, supporting a good roof. The structure would rattle when the wind blew. Windows fell out frequently, it was an eyesore. The aluminum structure was deteriorating to the point where the wrought iron supports were rusted out at the floor. It was unsafe.
We interviewed five builders. Three gave us quotes. One offered to draw plans for a fee, but did not quote us a price or give any documentation.
Commonwealth Construction ( http://pittsburghremodelingpro.com/ ) was the best of the lot by far. Les Dukehart came to the house within a day of my initial contact with their office. He was kind and helpful. NO pressure from Les. He made suggestions and told us, after our walk through and talk, that he would get a plan together with a quote.
The quote was written within three days -- none of the other contractors offered a written quote - only verbal. One of the other bidders yelled at me and said that he wanted us to "pull the trigger" and accept his bid. I never got that kind of treatment from Commonwealth Construction and Les Dukehart.
We felt confident that Les would get the job done right, removing the walls without dropping the roof was my primary fear. There was simply no pressure. And they did NOT drop the roof.
Day one there were at least five guys here working. They started demolition and had the ceiling down and rafters exposed in two hours. Wall one came down within a couple of hours and was replaced by 2x6 constructed walls, they were supporting the walls as they were removing them. Then they started on wall two. By the end of the day, two sides of our structure was framed and this was in the beginning of February, 2013 -- the winter to end all winters!
Day two all three walls were down and re-framed and sheeting was two-thirds done. By the end of day five the structure was framed in and sheeted.
Ceiling, flooring joists and interior partitions went up during the second week, we soon had plumbing and electrical roughed in. I was amazed at the flow of the work. It was orchestrated wonderfully. Les was on site every single day. We always had a great crew here. Carpenters, plumbers, heating professionals and electricians were very skilled and very nice people. I miss seeing their faces in the house.
I had questions from time to time. I had to call Les many times. He answered his phone each time and was able to talk me through my questions and give me advice. I never felt alone or left to dangle or worry.
Commonwealth passed each inspection required by our community code office and followed the code every step of the way. There was no question, Commonwealth knew the code. Several of the bidders we interviewed did not know the code and it varies from township to township.
At one point, we made a decision to move the main dividing partition a foot or so to make the bathroom larger. This resulted in them having to move and re-frame two windows. They did this without complaint and Les did not charge us for the change. Les Dukehart met with me at Home Depot and helped me pick out fixtures for the bath. We opted for a 60 inch long standing shower with shower doors. The bath is so beautiful and is completely handicap accessible. This was a primary issue for us, since we have family visitors who use wheelchairs and walkers. We wanted them to be able to use our home without encountering barriers to their accessibility.
The workers were nice, friendly, they cleaned up after themselves every single day. They vacuumed away all of the dust and wood shavings. They organized their work tools every day. Although it was freezing most days that February, they were here every day. They were courteous, even once rescuing my cat, after I had inadvertently forgotten to put him in the bedroom for the day.
The addition was beautifully sided and the construction is so square and plumb. Not a wrinkle or a mess anywhere. The walls were beautifully dry walled, mudded and primed. We never expected the result would be so wonderful. The wiring was superb, they even added supports for us to mount a flat screen TV on the wall and helped me show them my plan to run the wiring so that all of the power and cables would be in the walls. They added improvements to my idea and reinforced the walls in two areas with 2x6 horizontal bracing in two areas so that we can hang the TV on either wall. If we ever want to add Ethernet or other cabling, they added conduit so that we simply have to put the wires through without fishing around in the walls.
The addition is insulated with R-19 in the walls and floors and R-38 (code for our area) in the ceiling. It is a warm, tight building. The windows are sealed and are so pretty!
What really tied it all together was the finish carpentry. The fellows sure can trim a room. They made archways, they matched the molding in the old part of the house and the trim in the new area is gorgeous. They created a beautiful walk in closet with a great rack system. I am just overwhelmed.
They seamlessly used sheet vinyl (at our request) through the bath and office, and it looks so rich. They did not piece it, it is continuous in both rooms, creating flow in the areas. The feel is so good under foot.
Commonwealth created beautiful lighting. I am so pleased. The bathroom has a sensor which turns on the lights when the door is opened and then the lights shut off after a while. This is wonderful, because our children leave lights on all the time. There is also a switch within easy reach to keep the lights on until a person wants to turn them off. We built this room so that our family could have more living space. Our home is now 1600 sq. feet. Each of our children have their own bedrooms and we no longer have a computer desk in our dining room. We now have an addition with a full bath, an office, a pantry to augment our small kitchen and a huge bedroom. That brings us to a bath on each level, including the basement.
I know we will have more projects and we will call on Les and Commonwealth Construction when our roof needs replaced and other work needs to be done. He is fast, efficient, and worth every penny. I can't say enough about their work ethic and level of expertise.
During our ownership of this home, we have had to have a lot of work done prior to the addition. Being new in the area, we tried a couple of different contractors (see my other reviews). We had a previous contractor do shoddy interior work. We were nervous about doing a project on this scale. We made the right decision with Les and Commonwealth. We will continue to use them as we need work done."
"Roberto was the technician and he was very professional, polite, and personable. He inspected the rest of our system and told us things that needed to be changed or repaired. He showed me pictures of everything. Everything he told me about was accurate. He quoted me a price for R38 insulation , Some of our ducts were plastic and he recommended them to be changed. I agreed completely and didn't know they were plastic. I would have had them done the work but I had no price comparisons to make and besides I didn't have the money right then. So he just finished the vent cleaning and left his card. He did a great job on the vent cleaning and was happy with the work."
Yes, brick houses are better insulated, because the bricks slow down the passage of air from the outside to the inside and vice-versa. This helps to stabilize the internal temperature of the home. When combined with proper residential insulation, brick houses are more efficient and better insulated than other types.
Also known as sound-dampening blankets, acoustic blankets reduce echo in a room. They come in different thicknesses and materials, and they can be nailed or glued to walls.
Three signs that you need crawl space insulation are drafts, high energy bills, and mold. Drafts can start in crawl spaces and cause hot or cold air to spread to the rest of your home through holes in the floors and walls. And even if your entire home is well-insulated, you can still feel an unchecked draft from your crawl space and in your utility bill. Uninsulated crawl spaces can let in air and moisture, and because they’re built directly on the ground and difficult to dry out, they are hotspots for mold and mildew.
The primary reason that insulation saves you money over time is that it reduces your energy bills by making your home more energy efficient. A crucial part of an insulation system is a properly installed vapor barrier. Local building codes dictate whether your insulation requires a vapor barrier based on the type installed. While some high-quality wool insulation may not technically need a vapor barrier, most municipalities still require one to meet code.
Insulating an unheated garage can still be worth it. For instance, insulating an attached garage can help with heat loss from your house in general, and it can also make it easier to store electronics in your garage without worrying about them being exposed to extreme temperatures.
If you use your detached garage as a workspace, insulation can still make a difference. Plus, you can use space heaters and a window unit AC to help condition the space while you work without installing heating.
The Seward, PA homeowners’ guide to insulation services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Learn how to decide if your home needs dryer vent insulation to protect your vent from drafts and moisture that can make your energy usage less efficient. Poorly ventilated dryer vents also increase mold risks!
Removing old insulation may be necessary for upgrading your insulation. Keep reading to see if you should remove old insulation before adding new insulation.
Learning how to insulate plaster walls can help improve your home's energy efficiency. However, there are crucial cautions to consider before attempting.
