Home Improvement

Home improvement might be marginally better than sitting in traffic. It is also how we run into operational problems at home. I’ll get to it tomorrow is how problems arise today!

A quick look at Q2 results for the likes of Lowe’s and Home Depot tell a different story. Lowe’s, up 30%, outpaced HD which added 25% to the top line. Also worth noting is Lowe’s online sales growing 135%. 

So what are people up to? They are taking on home improvement projects that have historically been much easier to push off until next summer or whatever silly yet easily justified excuse one might fancy. These days, however, folks are home and projects are staring them in the face with little rational ability to push them off. We’ve been a part of quite a few of these endeavors. Example questions are below, which may allow us to help you too.

Can I install Havelock Wool myself?
Absolutely. Installing insulation is not rocket science and with Havelock Wool you do not need any special materials or equipment. No need to be intimidated!

My house is cold in the winter, can you help me better prepare?
Yes, add wool batts or loose-fill wool to your attic and your house will perform better, colder in summer, warmer in winter.

I am worried about indoor air quality with all that is going on in the world, any chance wool helps?
Yes, wool improves indoor air quality by absorbing harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, NOx and SO2.

The crawl spaces in our house are a challenge, can wool help?
Yes. Crawl spaces are often not insulated properly. Wool is a great place to start in the walls and ceiling. This is also ONE place a vapor barrier can help – if there is exposed rock or dirt in your crawl space a vapor barrier over the ground can help. Reasonable ventilation is also an important consideration. Moisture will be a challenge so be sure to add an insulation that does not support mold-growth.

Are there any places in a home where you do not recommend Havelock Wool?
Nope! Our insulation will work well in basements, attics, interior, and exterior walls. As always, make sure the insulation does not interfere with electrical or plumbing.

We are doing an addition and the rest of the house has fiberglass insulation, should we just use that in the new space?
NO. Some wool, any wool, in a home allows for the advantages to help you. If there is fiberglass in place, leave it; adding some wool is a very cost-effective way to include its inherent advantages to the upside list of your new living space.

We’re moving out of the city and building a house. We can’t afford wool everywhere, should we use it in some places?
ABSOLUTELY. Some wool is better than none. Consider bedrooms and/or living spaces for wool and the least toxic derivative for other areas.

How do I determine how much insulation I need?
You will need to measure the space you are insulating while taking note of the depth of the cavity. So multiply length times width to get square feet but also account for how thick you need the insulation to be. Example: An 8ft high wall that runs 10ft long that has 2×4 studs will require 80 square feet of insulation at 3.5inches thick (note 2×4’s are actually 1.5 x 3.5).

What materials do I need to install Havelock Wool?
Not many! Check out our installation video series here. Typical materials required include measuring tape, staple gun, long insulation blade, insulation hangers.

Cool. We love wool. How do we buy it?
We are experiencing an order backlog and doing our best to add new production for Q4. In the interim, please reach out to our distributors or contact us directly where the backlog is currently up to 4 weeks.