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Home » Home Improvement Articles » Home Insulation Should You Do It Yourself Or Use A Professional Contractor

Home Insulation – Should You ‘do It Yourself’ Or Use A Professional Contractor?

Insulating your home well can save you a small fortune on your energy bills, by cutting the amount of heat you lose through your walls, doors and roof. But should you try to do this home improvement by yourself, or hire someone to do it? This article weighs up the pros and cons of using a professional contractor versus doing it yourself.

The Energy Saving Trust in the UK estimates that the average home can save several hundred pounds off its annual heating bills, and prevent the emission of over two tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually, by installing insulation throughout. Insulation is the single biggest measure you can take to cut the amount of energy you use in the home. Plus this will also make the average home more comfortable by making it warmer in winter, and cooler in summer. It's no wonder that hundreds of thousands of people a year in the UK are getting their homes insulated.

When thinking about insulating your home you are immediately faced with the choice of employing a professional contractor to do it, or attempting a bit of DIY. At first the DIY option can appear tempting. For example, some types of insulation, such as loft insulation, are not normally technically difficult to fit. The materials are readily available in most DIY stores. Plus many people automatically think that DIY is going to be cheaper than employing a professional contractor, because with a contractor you are paying for their labour.

However, in many cases they will be wrong because using a professional contractor is either cheaper or roughly the same cost as DIY. This is because installing insulation in the UK is now heavily subsidised by gas and electricity suppliers, in order that they can meet their carbon emission targets set by the government. These subsidies are funded by the power companies regardless of household income, and currently amount to between 50 and 70% of the cost of having the insulation installed. This usually means that using a contractor becomes price competitive, or in many cases even cheaper, than DIY.

Plus if you receive certain benefits from the government in the UK, you can get your insulation installed by a professional contractor completely free. This is because the government tops up the grants from the energy companies with its own subsidies to cover the entire cost of the work.

As well as financial considerations, there are other reasons why employing a professional contractor can be attractive. Firstly, some types of insulation do require special technical expertise. For example, to install cavity wall insulation – filling the space between your outer walls with insulation material - requires special machinery, as well as training. You should always use a reputable contractor for this. Although not technically difficult, installing loft insulation is often still a challenging DIY job. The working conditions in a loft are often cramped and unpleasant. Employing someone else to go up there is in many cases a much more attractive option!

As well as the technical challenges, DIY can also have a number of safety issues. For example, the mineral wool that is commonly used to insulate lofts can be hazardous. It is extremely important to handle it with care, as it can severely irritate the throat and skin. You need to wear protective clothing, including face mask, safety goggles and gloves. You also need to make sure that you do not expose the living areas of the house to the material, either when you unpack it, or dispose of any waste material.

If you use a reputable contractor, you can be sure that these issues will be taken care of, with much less hassle for you. You also know that the job will be done to a good standard, because of their training and experience. In fact, cavity wall insulation carried out by professionals in the UK comes with a 25 year guarantee if they are registered with the Cavity Wall Guarantee Agency, which most reputable firms are.

Given all of these advantages, we recommend that most people use a professional contractor to get their home insulated. It's generally competitive on cost or cheaper than DIY, safer, less hassle, and will be done to a high standard if you choose the right contractor. There are many reputable firms who can be accessed through the Internet They will offer you a free no-obligation survey, after which you get a quotation. They also give you access to the attractive grants and subsidies mentioned above. If you like what they tell you, then you can simply go ahead and get a date booked for the work, and look forward to a warmer home and lower heating bills.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Bad Credit? You Can Still Get a Mortgage to Buy a House

Unfortunately bad credit can haunt you for the rest of your life. If there are bankruptcies or foreclosures on your credit report, you know how hard it is to get any line of credit. Lenders and creditors simply look to as a too big of risk to loan money to.

But we know that even though mistakes were made in the past, your financial situation and behavior can be reformed. Some lenders understand this as well, and the sub prime lending market has grown and become very competitive. The lending market can be broken up into two main segments, the prime, those with average to good credit who are not huge financial risks. Then there is the sub prime market, with those who have poor to very bad or no credit.

Lenders can give ratings to a certain sub prime client giving them a rating from A-D: A being the best rating and D being the worst. When you fall into the C or D category, you are considered very high risk and more likely to default on a loan than that of a person with an A or B rating.

Sub prime lenders generally give loans to even the highest of risk cases. They look at the same information that a prime lender would look at to evaluate the type mortgage you can have. They look at credit history, income, expenses and long term debt. If you do have foreclosures, bankruptcies, delinquent payments, and outstanding debt, they will take all of this into consideration. If you can show steady employment, a good income, an effort to pay back the money you owe and are doing it in a timely fashion, you are more likely to get a better rate than that of someone who is not taking any steps to fix their credit.

Sub prime lenders can loan the money you need by protecting themselves. They do this through higher rates and fees that prime lenders would not charge. Be careful, because some sub prime lenders will take advantage of your poor credit history and charge a ridiculous amount in fees and charge you a too high of interest rate even for a poor credit case.

Fortunately for the consumer, this sub prime market is extremely competitive and you do not have to accept the first lender who offers to loan you money. You actually have the luxury to shop around and compare rates, even for the worst of credit cases! So check online for tools that can aid you in finding and comparing sub prime lenders. The internet is a good place to start your research. You can also ask for referrals from family, friends and even local bank.

Don't allow credit mistakes in the past to dictate how you live your life today. Buying a home is still an option regardless of your credit history. And, as long as the sub prime market continues to be competitive, you, the consumer is at a huge advantage.

It is always a good idea to take steps to repair your credit, and buying a home can aid in this. If you make you mortgage payments on time every month, then you can watch your credit grow! Sub prime lenders specialize in this area, so allow them you help you make your credit score even better! Be sure the sub prime lender you use is trustworthy and qualified. There are sharks in the industry, so be sure to ask for referrals and look at licenses.

So go buy your home and repair your credit at the same time! Take advantage of the opportunities you have at your fingertips.