Comments on: Man Abandons Man-Cave Because of Hidden Building Enclosure Problems

By: Catherine and Jack

Catherine and Jack — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 01:40:45 +0000

Allison, thanks for looking
Allison, thanks for looking into the cooling issues we've been having. We thought it was due to poor insulation and this confirms our insulation is a problem. We completely trust you and have faith in your evaluation of our home and we totally trust your recommendations to be accurate as to how we can make our home better.

We are a bit skittish in thinking about hiring another contractor, but it certainly helps in finding and hiring the right person for the job when you know exactly what needs to be done.

Thanks again and it was so good to see you and Elaine! I guess it's our turn to come to Atlanta next.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:14:36 +0000

Skye D,

Skye D,

Sadly your trust/respect relationship is so very true. I have stopped offering friends information on energy efficiency/home comfort. Building science is too complex for the average homeowner. Not that it's hard but...

By: Graham Stuckey

Graham Stuckey — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:49:10 +0000
That is a great article, but
That is a great article, but you missed mentioning something very important, that is very obvious (You can see it in your Photos). Can you find it?

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:24:38 +0000
Charles:
Charles: Good point. I added a qualifying statement after the sentence where I stated the walls have R-11 insulation.

Skye D.: Sadly, your analysis of the trust/respect relationship is accurate. In this case, I'll help my sister and Jack get this done right, even if I have to go down and help them do it. They just went through a little interior remodeling job that turned sour on the day it started, so they're really gun-shy about hiring any contractors now.

By: Skye Dunning

Skye Dunning — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:09:30 +0000
Unfortunately you are square
Unfortunately you are square in the middle of the trust zone of the trust/respect relationship. People trust those they know closely, but do not respect them. They respect people they don't know, but do not trust them.

Usually what happens is that you look at it (for free - first mistake) and tell them all about these self-evident truths. I mean once you point it out, it's obvious right? I'm sure you've already been through this Allison but for those newby's out there, the response is something like, "Oh, you really think so? I'll talk to Jack about it." That's the last you hear until the next visit when they tell you that there is now mold growing in the room. You explain that it's all those same things and why haven't they fixed it? They respond, "Oh you really think it's the same things causing this?" After that either nothing continues to happen, or someone tells them about a "really good" company/person, hopefully from out of town. Maybe Tallahassee in this case. The "expert from afar" comes in and puts a 2 ton system up there to fix the problem. You find out about this after the work has been completed of course.

Or they fix it right and your family tells you about this expert that came in & did some stuff to the walls that "sounded like some of the stuff you were talking about" and their so glad because now it's great and it only cost them $8,000.