EcoStar Insulation

I was looking to do insulation (blown in open cellulose) and was referred to Ecostar by a friend. I also found them to be a participating contractor through the GreenON Rebate program, and was also well reviewed on Homestars.

I gave them a call to schedule an estimate and was told that someone would contact me shortly. I waited nearly 3 weeks, and called back a total of 3 more times and I was still not being contacted to schedule an appointment for an estimate. Eventually I decided to email them directly, in case my information was not being passed along and I finally was able to get someone to come in and do an estimate for me.

Within one week of my email, Miri came out on Friday afternoon to come and do an estimate. Funny enough he actually did not have a ladder, and I had to lend him one. Miri was able to pop his head in to take a look at my insulation, told me that I roughly had about 7 or so inches of insulation which was about R20 something and told me I would totally qualify for the GreenON rebate program. He took measurements of my house and was kind enough to answer all my questions. He made sure all my questions were answered before he left and told me that I would receive an email quote within a few days. After a few days I did have to follow up to get my quote, but after all this everything else was smooth sailing.

I got an email quote, which was pretty much what Miri told me it would be approximately. I confirmed it all looked good, and then set up an installation date. The day before they informed me that they would be coming at approximately 8-10AM the next day.

On the morning off, they showed up right around 9 am and started to get to work. My installers were Eric and Armir. I showed them where the attic access was, and they started to lay down tarps and plastic wrap to protect my floors. They took off their shoes at the front of the house, and brought it up to the attic access point which at this time was all wrapped up in plastic.

I have to say that these two guys were totally awesome. They came in, took their shoes off (as a home owner I REALLY appreciate that), took a look around to see how to set up and started working. They laid down tarps and plastic wrap where ever the hose was going to be. They also wrapped up the work area in plastic to minimize the amount of dust. Since it was in a closet of clothes, I really appreciated this. They told me what they would be doing, where they need to place things, and how they will be setting up so I knew what to expect.

After everything was set up, one of them went into the attic while the other was in the truck. They ran a hose from the closest window to the attic and it was surprisingly quiet.

As a curious home owner I did have some questions, and Armir was kind enough to invite me up to take a look at the attic and he can explain everything. Once the ladder was all set up, I popped my head in the attic and he informed me that the attic looks like its in good condition, doesnt appear to be any leaks. The current insulation seemed fine and that he would be a bit noisy as he walks around.

I really appreciate the fact that it felt like these guys had "nothing to hide". They let me walk in and out to take a peak, ask my questions and they explained everything. I have dealt with some contractors in the past where they absolutely do not want me anywhere near the work area, and if I have any questions they dont bother answering them. Eric and Armin were very easy to approach and answered all my questions.

They finished spraying in the blown in cellulose in about an hour or so (my attic is approximately 850 sq ft). They brought a broom and dust pan, and also offered to vacuum up after themselves to clean up all the dust. Im quite happy to report that my ceilings are all intact and there are no foot holes at all.

So in total it took about 1.5 to 2 hrs to finish, though they do tell you that it could take up to 4 hrs.

After they were done and about to leave they explained to me the payment options (cheque, etransfer or credit card) and which one would I like to do. They did note though that with a credit card payment there would be a slight surcharge on it (2%), so I opted for the etransfer as its the easiest.

Later that day they sent me an invoice with payment instructions, I paid them the same day and next day they confirmed they received my payment.

Now I am just waiting on the GreenON rebate.

Im sure these guys are very busy as they are a GreenON participating contractor, so thats probably why I had some minor hiccups in the beginning as it was a bit hard to get a hold of them. I would say from the first point of contact to get an estimate to job completion it was right around a month or so, which is totally great. After all this, I have to say that they were totally awesome.

Big thanks to Eric, Armir, Miri and Enri, I hope these guys keep up the good work and stay awesome!