The GOOD: Devin arrived on time to provide us a bid for attic and crawlspace insulation. Devin recommended the ThermWise program's free home energy audit inspection.
The BAD: Despite being an Authorized Contractor for Dominion Energy & Rocky Mountain's rebate programs, they did not follow building code and best practice. They didn't install baffles for our soffit vents before blowing insulation into our attic. I mentioned the new soffit vents during every conversation with Devin and the insulation crew.
The UGLY: Since I've brought this mistake to their attention, Devin & Kyle (owner) are unwilling to come to a compromise, a viable solution, or return my phone calls. It's been the worse customer care situation of my life. Below is a detailed timeline so you can see their poor customer service. I would NOT recommend GreenHome under any situation.
- May 4: Devin bids attic and crawlspace insulation. During this time I tell Devin we plan to re-roof in June and add ridge vents and soffit vents. During the month of May I was gathering information about insulation and asking questions about options. I completed ThermWise's home energy audit during May.
- June 28: Devin calls the day before insulation. I remind him of the new roof and especially the soffit vents. I'm obnoxious about the soffit vents, because I was so excited for air flow and could tell a difference inside the house! I remind Devin to send the slim-waisted crew so they can get to the attic corners to install the baffles. Devin is obviously distracted as he "um hmms" all of my comments.
- June 30: Crew installs insulation. They do not add baffles for the soffit vents, instead they thoroughly cover the attic corners where the roof meets the outer walls.
- July 6: We check the attic and find no baffles. I send photos in an email to Devin. He states there's no written record about baffles, and he doesn't remember talking about them. He recommended installing new turtle vents (which are primarily air exhaust - we need air intake!) He bids $800 for GreenHome to come add baffles or recommends we take a rake and do it ourselves. If I was going to install baffles myself, I'd do it before insulation was added!
- July 8: I call Kyle, the owner, to explain the miscommunication. He says he'll talk to Devin and call me back.
- July 11/12: I call Kyle back to see the status of his conversation with Devin. He repeats Devin's story. He schedules Devin to come take a look.
- July 15: Devin comes to review the work. This time, my husband skips work so he can be at the meeting, since Devin ignored me on the phone call. Devin is combative and blames everyone else (me, the roofers, house) for the missing baffles. I even ask when a crew arrives to homes with visible soffit vents, do they typically blow insulation or pause to discuss baffles. During this part of the conversation, Devin basically says that his crew doesn't understand or read English, so they simply look for keywords in the bid. I'm horrified that Devin throws his coworkers "under the bus" and GreenHome doesn't invest in employee education or provide work instructions in Spanish. My husband and I try to reason with him and make a compromise - there was obviously a miscommunication regarding baffles, what can we do to fix it? Can we split the difference to fix it? Devin never acknowledges that there was even the slightest chance he forgot to include baffles on the work instructions. He repeatedly phrased it as "Well, since baffles were never discussed..." Devin ultimately says he can't make the decisions to resolve this and we need to call Kyle. Devin also says he'll recount what we talked about to Kyle. This meeting was a complete waste of our time! After Devin leaves, I call Kyle (who is out of the office that day only) and leave a message - requesting a solution to the situation and to call me back.
- July 18-19: I call 6 other companies to learn how they handle baffles. Most of them say that GreenHome should have known better because baffles are needed for code. One company even came out later that day to bid the fix. As they looked into the attic, they exclaimed (multiple times) "They were just lazy!" Two companies recommend I reach out to Dominion Energy, who oversees ThermWise's rebates, to request an inspection. I'm now trying to schedule an inspection with Dominion Energy. Kyle still has not returned my voicemail message.
- July 26: Still no return call from Kyle or anyone at GreenHome.
- July 27: Dominion Energy inspector reviews the work. He agrees that baffles are helpful and best practice; otherwise the insulation is deep and uniform. He's surprised that GreenHome didn't automatically try to sell baffles & even more surprised when I share Devin's excuse "We only do insulation. We're not air flow experts." The inspector thinks we should get enough air flow as is - "it's like having an air filter on your furnace." Not ideal, but better than before. read more