What to Look For in Buying a House, What to Look for in a Contractor (Plugging the Energy Leaks: The House)

Tradition, if not good sense, has given us a certain training in our shopping habits. When we go shopping for a place to live we know to look for certain things we want: a congenial neighborhood, proximity to schools, public transportation, parking, freeways, shopping, recreational facilities; and we know to look within our own, realistic budgetary range.

While we’re looking for what’s obvious to us, there are other aspects of a living space we ought to examine as well. Are the doors and windows weatherstripped? Are the various nooks and crannies caulked? Are there storm windows and doors? These are small and simple tasks to accomplish if you’re already living somewhere. But moving has enough headaches of its own; why add more? Besides, if you’re paying for a house you might as well get a complete one; and a house that is not sealed against wind and cold is not truly a complete shelter.

Ask about, or look at, the insulation in the ceiling, walls, and floors. Are all the exterior surfaces insulated so that a complete envelope surrounds the space you’ll occupy? Or are you going to have to spend the first winter weekends laying batts across your attic? What kind of heating system does the house have? That furnace is going to be your responsibility, so perhaps you’d like to examine it now. Has the present owner taken care of it? You can tell a great deal from whether the air filters are clean or in need of replacement.

And the ducts: are they insulated? How about the water heater? Will the windows give you good ventilation in the summer? Is there a whole-house attic fan?

Outside, is the house situated to take maximum advantage of the sun’s heat in winter? In addition to good views, do the windows lend themselves to energy-efficient heating and cooling? From which direction do the cold winds blow? and from which direction the warm breezes? Do trees, shrubs, vines, and other landscaping features offer protection against the elements? Do the grounds allow for planting such protection?

These questions, and the dozens of related ones, should not form the whole basis of your decision to buy or not to buy a particular house. But for many years we Americans have neglected even to ask such questions, and have paid a price in energy for our neglect. Now, in the interests of saving your own time, money, and energy, be sure to take your answers to these questions into consideration.

What to Look for in a Contractor

For reasons of time or inclination, you may prefer to pass some household improvements on to a professional contractor. Indeed, your local building code may require that some of them be handled by professionals, especially if they pertain to wiring or plumbing. When you hire a contractor you want to make certain that he or she is up to the job. Not only is your money at stake; but if your insulation is done improperly, for example, you could find yourself with walls that are soggy and rotting, as well as drafty, in just a few years.

Although there may be infinite variations on each theme, there really are only a few rules” that should govern your choice of a contractor, and most are apparent once you see them written out. The problems arise when they are not apparent in advance.

First, always get estimates from several contractors. Compile a list from suggestions made by friends who have had jobs performed for them, and from your local utility company.

Second, ask the contractors you are considering for the names of a few of their satisfied clients. Call those people and ask about the work that was done for them. If possible, go and look at it. Then phone the Better Business Bureau or other consumer protection agency in your area and find out if there have been any serious complaints against the person or company you are considering hiring. Don’t be deterred by an occasional bad reaction, but do be concerned if you hear a lot of them.

Third, get a written contract from your chosen contractor. Every term you and the contractor have agreed on should be in that contract; and anything you don’t understand should be clarified. Any contract you sign should include a complete and specific list of the work to be performed, the materials with which it is to be performed, the dates the job will start and end, indication of warranties, and a list of liability provisions.

Most of the people who do the sorts of home maintenance jobs that have been discussed in this section are honest and upright folks who are highly competent in their profession. They will argue for a contract that benefits them, just as you will argue for one that benefits you; and you should be able to come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement. The purpose of going to some pains to select your contractor in the first place is to ensure that you end up with someone you can trust, and who will give fair value for money received. The advantage of having the contract is that if you run into problems your contract is all the protection you will have.

Next: Plugging the Energy Leaks: The Systems: Introduction

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