Your Expert Basement Finishing & Insulation Company in Amherst, MA

This homeowner in Amherst, MA called us hoping to get more information on basement waterproofing. His basement got a lot of water when it rained. Half of his basement was finished, and the other half was not. Unfortunately for the homeowner, the flooding happened where the finished part is. He was concerned about the water and wanted a waterproofing system installed as soon as possible. When our Basement Systems Specialist came out to the home, he noted that even outside of times that the basement had water, the home had a high humidity level. High humidity in a basement is caused by a number of important conditions. High humidity causes many problems in a home such as mold (which grows at Relative Humidities [RH] above 75%), rot (which happens above 90% RH) odors, airborne mold spores that aggravate allergies and asthma, increased pests and insects such as termites, and higher air conditioning and heating costs. Result - cold floors above, condensation, mold, rot, odors, drafty, uncomfortable home, higher fuel and electric bills.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. The SaniDry™ Sedona air system is a powerful but energy efficient dehumidification and air filtration system in one unit. Able to remove an incredible 100 pints of water per day and using only 5.9 amps of electricity, the SaniDry™ Sedona drains automatically to a sump or the outside with a condensate pump. It has a powerful 310 cfm blower to circulate the dry air completely around to dry building materials and contents. Mold doesn’t have a chance! An automatic control is easy - set it to 55% RH and forget it - the SaniDry™ Sedona does the rest! And there’s no buckets to empty! Results - Low Relative Humidity, mold stops growing, odors are reduced, basement is suitable for storage, lower air conditioning cost, upstairs is dryer.

This homeowner in Amherst, MA called us hoping we would be able to help her with her home. She had done a 7-day radon test and had an average radon level of 6.81 pCi/L. This is over the EPA's radon action level of 4 pCi/L. She wanted to get the radon in her home mitigated, especially as she has children in the home.

We were able to help this customer. We installed a radon mitigation system in her home. We began with finding the ideal spot for the mitigation system. After that, we drilled holes -- one in the concrete slab in the basement and one where the pipe will penetrate into the wall and up to the attic. We then installed the pipe, followed by a manometer. The manometer measures the pressure of the radon gas in the mitigation system, indicating whether or not it is functioning correctly. We then installed the fan in the attic. After that, we sealed the cracks, gaps, and holes in the basement. We tested the system before we left to ensure that it was functioning. Now, this homeowner has a brand new mitigation system to keep her levels as low as possible! 

This homeowner in Amherst, MA reached out to us looking to insulate her basement. She had a rodent problem and was concerned that the mice were coming in through a hole in the rim joist. She had fiberglass insulation in the ceiling that was covered by plastic, and it needed to be removed. In a basement, the “rim joist” is the perimeter of the floor framing system along the exterior of the house. The joints and gaps between all the framing members allow for a lot of air leakage into the house. The rim joist is seldom insulated and never air sealed. Basement ceiling insulation, especially fiberglass batts, doesn’t stop the flow of cold air into the home. Results - cold floors, drafty, uncomfortable rooms, cold basement/lower level, higher heating and cooling bills and more condensation in the basement or crawl space in the summer.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. In this solution, we spray foam the rim joist in the basement in order to seal and insulate it. Two part expanding spray foam is installed on the rim joist and over the sill plate to seal all air leaks from the outside and insulate this important area of the home. Our spray foam has a high insulation value per inch of R7, and because it expands, it seals all cracks and gaps and joints where air from the outside enters the home. Results - warmer floors, less drafts, more comfortable rooms, the house is easier to heat and costs less to heat, less summertime condensation on cold basement surfaces.

This homeowner in Pelham, MA reached out to us hoping that we would be able to help her insulate her attic. Some homes are constructed with rooms that have walls exposed to the hostile attic temperatures. It’s part of why rooms are too hot in the summer and too cold in winter. If the fiberglass insulation in the wall between the room and attic is exposed (open faced to the attic) it will not give much insulation value at all because air and heat go through the fluffy open matrix of the insulation easily. Results - Uncomfortable rooms that are hard to heat and cool, higher fuel and electric bills.

We were able to help this customer. We used our SilverGlo™ foam board to insulate the interior walls. SilverGlo™ is an expanded polystyrene foam insulation board with graphite infused into the foam. This gives it a 24% higher insulation value per inch than standard EPS foam. It also has a shiny radiant barrier to reflect heat as well, so the insulation isn’t doing all the work itself. The SilverGlo™ is applied and sealed to the attic side of the interior walls to stop heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. Result - More comfortable rooms that are easier to cool and heat, lower fuel and electric bills.

This homeowner in Pelham, MA called us hoping we would be able to help him with her attic insulation. She stated that the attic insulation was wet and dripping, and she needed it checked out. Since it was wet, it needed to be replaced.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. We removed the old insulation. The batt insulation was bagged and then the attic was vacuumed to remove pieces, parts and dust. Result - Now the attic is clean!

This customer in Pelham, MA called us hoping that we would be able to help him insulate a building he managed for a nonprofit. This building was an old home that had been converted into a business. In the attic, they had old insulation that had a lot of rodent droppings in it. They wanted to remove it all and start fresh. 

We were able to help this nonprofit with the attic in their building. The fiberglass batt insulation was bagged. Then, the attic was vacuumed to remove pieces, parts and dust. Result - Now the attic is clean! It’s ready for proper air sealing and installation of clean, new, fresh TruSoft™ cellulose insulation or one of our other strategies to make the building comfortable and energy efficient.