Mold Free Living – Another Havelock Story

Huge thanks to Rachel for sharing her Havelock story with us.

Hi Rachel, Please tell us a bit about your home project. How did you decide which building materials to use? 

Well, it started out as a house renovation. The house we were renovating was the one I grew up in and my dad even grew up in. So I knew its history and there was a mold problem years ago and then after it sat empty for a few years after my parents moved out at some point the mold exploded in the basement. I’m very sensitive to mold. This is the point I start looking for healthier options and how to effectively get rid of and prevent mold as much as we can in a healthier way and somewhere in that research I found that wool is resistant to mold. I found Havelock with an online search for a wool insulation source that did take a little time to find but this was a few years ago. That has since changed. 

To finish how we went from renovation to a new build…. The basement ended up having too much water damage that we couldn’t see until it was completely gutted. At that point, we were going to still renovate but pour a new basement. Which led to repositioning the house on the property by pouring a basement in a better location and moving the house onto it. Well, no one could move the house in a timely manner for our timeline so we ended up starting from scratch. You didn’t need all of that but I’d hate to leave you wondering how we got here. 

How did you learn about healthy building products, like Havelock Wool?  

Well, I don’t remember the source exactly but it was during my search on how to battle mold and prevent it. 

Have you installed insulation before? If so, how does Havelock Wool compare? 

I personally had not but my husband and dad have. We did the blow in and they both said it blew in just like the blow-in insulation but without the itching! Literally, everyone was involved in this installation because it was enjoyable and we all could! We include our children everywhere we can safely include them and this was SO fun for them! After experiencing wool installation I don’t really have a desire to install any other kind of insulation.

Any advice for those folks considering installing insulation on their own?

Oh man,  I’m no expert here. I guess I’d recommend having 2-4 people feeding the wool if that is an option.  It wasn’t always an option for us but when it was it made it go faster. 1 or 2 feed the line and the others open and break up the wool just a bit to make it quick work for the ones feeding the line. I personally preferred sitting on the ground to feed the machine. My dad did not haha!

And finally, who was more helpful during your project – the kids or the dog? 

Hahaha, definitely the kids! Gus, the dog is quite useful in other aspects of life but not very useful with installing wool. I did find it funny that our “sheep herding” dog was very interested in the wool shooting through the hose. Seriously though, this was a great task for the kids. It really is simple enough for our 2 and 4-year-old children to do and they loved it! They also felt like they were building their own house alongside mom and dad. It has been a great experience!  I’d also like to thank you all for the great customer service. It’s been a pleasure!