There is a stretch in a renovation when the whole house can be sealed at once, and it ends when the flooring and cabinets go in. One day on site, and before I leave you watch the leakage drop on a blower door.
Where is your renovation right now?
One tap. I will tell you whether I can still get in, and on most stages work out the last day you can call.
You'll talk to the owner, usually same day. Not a call centre.
Your renovation runs in a fixed order. Find where you are on it below, and you will know whether I can still get in.
Best here. Nothing is covering the gaps yet, so the sealant gets straight to them.
Tap a step above, or a stage in the hero, and I will tell you where you stand.
Demo or framing
The whole window is still ahead of you, which is the best place to be. Before I can seal I need the windows and exterior doors in so the house can be closed up and put under pressure, and the rough-ins finished and inspected so nobody drills back through the seal. You are not booking today. What is worth knowing today is the last day you can call me, because that date arrives sooner than people expect.
When are the flooring or the cabinets booked?
Rough-ins going in
Once the rough-ins are inspected and the insulation goes in, you are at the best point in the whole job. Nothing is covering the gaps yet, so the sealant gets straight to them and the day goes quicker. Work out your call-by date below so it does not get away from you, then call me and I will price it on your house.
When are the flooring or the cabinets booked?
Insulation in
Cavities filled, nothing covering the gaps. If your windows and exterior doors are in and the rough-ins are signed off, I can seal this house. One day on site, and before I leave you watch the leakage come down on a blower door and you keep the report with the final number on it. This is the call to make today.
When are the flooring or the cabinets booked?
Drywall up
Drywall up is not too late. It is harder for the sealant to reach the gaps with the board on, so the day takes a little longer, but the leakage still comes down. The photo further down is a real seal running in a house with the drywall already hung. What ends it is the finished materials, flooring and cabinets and trim. If those are not in yet, call me.
When are the flooring or the cabinets booked?
Taped or primed
I can seal after the taping and after the prime coat. It works. What closes the window is the finished materials going in, so if your flooring or your cabinets are booked, that date is the one that matters now. Work it out below, then call me, because at this stage it is usually a question of which week rather than whether.
When are the flooring or the cabinets booked?
Some finishes in
This is the one I will not answer with a button. If the flooring, cabinets and trim are in across the whole house, that is the end of it, and I will tell you that on the phone rather than book a visit you do not need. But I work on a whole house or a whole floor, so if the ensuite is finished and the main floor is still open, that is a job I can do. Two minutes on the phone and you will have a straight answer either way.
If the house is genuinely finished, duct sealing is a different job and it still works. Duct sealing →
Once the finishes are in, the gaps behind them stay there until someone opens the walls up again.
Not sure where you land on this? Call me and I will tell you in two minutes.
Here are the five things I check. If your job clears them, call me. If it does not, I will tell you on the phone instead of booking a visit you do not need.
Less smoky valley air sneaking in through the gaps, so more of the air in the house arrives through your furnace filter.
A tighter shell holds the temperature you set instead of fighting the leaks.
Sound leaks through the same gaps air does. Closing them is one of the things that makes a house quieter.
The same small cracks let in all three. Closing them now is the cheapest it will ever be.
CleanBC · not for sealing alone There is no BC rebate for air sealing on its own. But if your renovation also includes three or more bonus-eligible upgrades like insulation, heating or windows, sealing improves your EnerGuide rating and can help you qualify for CleanBC’s Home Energy Improvement Bonus. Ask me on the call.
Seb sealed our house really well. We live in a heritage house and needed to decommission the heaters, our only source of heat is a gas fireplace. After he made the seal, blocking all the leaky parts of the place, it’s made a huge difference.
Seems to work really well. It’s remarkable how much it helps, it’s so much less drafty in our old house now.
I was the first home in the Kelowna area to benefit from the new AeroBarrier sealing technology. My 6,000 sqft residence has been remarkably efficient to heat and cool. My home currently exceeds the future code.
Fantastic communication, professional workmanship, and great results. Planning to work with Sebastian and crew more and more as we move toward more energy efficient homes.
Send me the address and what stage the job is at, and I will come back with a price and a straight answer on whether it is worth doing. If the timing is wrong I will say so. You talk to the owner who runs every seal, usually same day.
No. I can still seal after the drywall goes on, and even after the prime coat. I would rather be there before the taping, because with the seams still open the sealant gets to the leakage points more easily and the day goes quicker. Once the finished materials are in, flooring and cabinets and trim, that is the end of it. So if your drywall is up and your finishers are not booked yet, call me.
Most renovations start at $4,200. The number moves with square footage, how much existing finish has to be protected, and access, so I quote it on your house rather than off a table. You get the price before I book anything, and I would rather tell you on the phone that your job is not worth doing than sell you a compromise.
By one day, and not even a full one for your trades. The house has to be empty while the seal is running, so nothing else happens on site while I am working. But it is safe to walk back in within half an hour of me driving away. There is no cure time to wait out and nothing keeping anyone off the floor, so your next trade can pick up the same afternoon or the next morning, whichever suits the schedule you already have.
Not for air sealing on its own. BC does not pay for it as a line item. But a tighter house improves your EnerGuide rating, which can qualify you for CleanBC’s Home Energy Improvement Bonus once you pair it with three or more bonus-eligible upgrades like insulation, heating or windows. Sealing makes the rest of your rebates go further.
No. Build tight, ventilate right. Seal the leaks you cannot control, then bring fresh air in on purpose through a ventilation unit you control, an HRV or an ERV. A tight house with good ventilation is healthier than a leaky one, not stuffier.
It is a water-based acrylic. It dries in place, it is inert, and you are back in the house 30 minutes after I leave. I wear a respirator while I am spraying, which is why nobody else is in the house while it runs.