Customer Reviews

Insulate & Weatherize (Taunton's Build Like a Pro)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Insulating your house is fraught with dangers and there are lots of sharks out there only too delighted to take your money and ruin your house. Although I am still learning this stuff, I'm still confident that I know more than most of the insulation contractors that have come through my door. Scary, isn't it?

The dangers of doing it wrong aren't just a waste of money. There is a real risk of mold in the short term and rot in the long term. Read this book, but let it be your first step. See the Taunton forums at their web page, the Building Sciences Corp web page, and do your homework before you let anyone do anything to your house.

I agree with a previous reviewer that a weakness of this book is its lack of step-by-step guides, and as a complete novice on house construction I had to look elsewhere for some of the terminology. But I'm still giving it 5 stars just because it has so much important information, to counteract all the misinformation and misconceptions out there.

I am very pleased with this book. In addition to covering the basics of insulation and weatherization, the author shares the latest results of actual research in "building science". This book dispelled several myths about what really works.
The book has numerous sidebars with expert tips and "what can go wrong."
You can tell the author teaches seminars on his topic, because the material is very well organized and clearly presented.
The advice of an expert is invaluable, and I am re-thinking my approach as a result of reading this book.
Insulation and weatherization can be time-consuming and costly. If you want to tackle the projects that yeild the greatest bang for the buck, read this book.

This was one of the first books that I bought after purchasing an older, leaky home. And not having insulated a house for ten years or so, and knowing many people with rigid-insulated McMansions, it was a relief to see a book that treats insulation as something to be planned, like any other infrastructural component, not just done ad hoc. Like other Taunton publications, this one is nicely laid out and designed. However, as an amateur, I wanted to see a game plan that I could follow, including which tasks I could be expected to do reasonably well myself, and which things should be left to a professional. Sure, this advice is scattered in the content, but having something like a checklist and timetable would make this a great reference, not just a great overview.

I purchased an old wooden home built about 1890 a few years ago. Other that some poorly installed blown fiberglass there wasn't any insulation in the house. I immediately started getting every book on insulating and energy efficiency that I could out of the library. This book was one of the last ones I read but it's the only one that I went back and purchased. It may not have step by step guides but what it does do is teach you about the basic mechanics of how your house works, which to me is more important than any step by step guide. It is not short on very specific advice either and also includes an excellent resource guide to purchase many of the things you will need to do the job. I have constantly referred back to this book as we slowly turn this leaky old home into a tight, energy efficient and more comfortable home.

This book is for anyone looking to improve the energy efficiency of their home, even if you are just in the design stage. Many more subjects than just insulation are covered.

I bought this book when oil prices spiked and I finally got motivated to upgrade the desperately inadequate insulation in my attic. Without the wealth of information gained from it, I would have wasted most of my time and money.

Much better than a simple step-by-step checklist, and not just a reprint of previously published material, it gives you an understanding of the tools, materials, and the procedures required to customize a project plan for your home and budget.

I found it also gives you enough information to let you decide what you can tackle yourself, and what you prefer to leave to a contractor. Some items, like the critically important sealing of air leaks, are high on time effort, but low on material cost - a perfect formula for a do-it-yourselfer.

Led by the information in this book, I was overjoyed to be able to seal about 30 square feet of air gaps in my attic, which were sucking conditioned air right through the house.

If you are considering upgrading your insulation yourself, or you want to know what to look for in a contractor's work or what to specify to a contractor, this book is for you. Like I've come to expect from any Taunton publication, the layout, organization, and information is first rate.

I think of all the poor suckers who pay $50,000 for new windows when they could accomplish more energy savings quicker, easier, and for only a couple hundred bucks even if they hire out the work using the suggestions of this book. Everthing you think you know about saving home energy is wrong! Read this book instead! Incredibly detailed and photographed. If you can't do it yourself then hire it out -- but DO IT!

I bought a 50 year old house 6 months ago and I've already checked this book out of the local library four times. Plenty of sections I keep coming back to. Excellent plan of attack for sealing, insulating, and then (when you need to) properly ventalating an older house. And the HVAC sections have been a great reference when were were shopping for central AC (which we just put in) and a new boiler (the next big project). I've raved about this book to so many other homeowners with high utility bills.

I had an energy audit done a litte while ago, and two guys came out to the house. One was the trainer, the other had just gone through the certification program. Between this book and the building sciences website, I felt like I knew more than the assitant. And that definitely helped me get more out of the audit, knowing what questions to ask and understanding the auditor's recommendations.

My mother has an old house and is preparing to have new duct work installed because of collapse of in-floor ducts. As in many old houses, she also has drafts and other concerns on how to improve energy consumption and decrease wasted energy.

This book helps with all these concerns. I am a big fan of the Taunton Build Like a Pro series, even though I am not a pro. I think it helps to know what the pros SHOULD be doing. When hiring a contractor I think it is important to educate yourself so you know what questions to ask. Many times, a contractors response to questions can help indicate if they are knowledgeable or someone you may want to avoid.

The section on furnaces and windows made this book worth the cost. I have not read all the chapters yet, but plan to as the entire house is being updated. I really like the Pro Tips, Trade Secrets and the What Can Go Wrong sidebars. The photographs are great and include good descriptions. The book is easy to read, even if you are not a pro.

I ordered this manual with the idea of planning to add additional insulation in my attic as well as trying to seal the "leaks" of cold air in winter. This book was a wonderful choice as it is easy to understand, offers suggestions about types of insulation and relates the pros and cons of each type. Taking that a step further, there are tables that show the amount of insulation needed by types of insulation and location. This is a wonderful buy! Thanks.

This is a fantastic book on the subject. Not only does it cover insulating, it covers furnaces, hot water and a host of other topics to save you a few bucks. I would have given a 5 if it the sections on basement insulating were more robust. Really, it is a 4.5 stars. I would highly recommend this book.