Insulation Jobsite Efficiency: Proper Preparation of the Building
I don’t know about you, but it is my nature to jump into a job… ignoring the prep work, and just digging in. It’s not intuitive, at least to me. I have learned, over the course of 40+ years, and watching our customers, that taking extra time at the beginning of a job site, to set-up properly, saves a lot of time.
Here are a few suggestions from what we have done and learned over the years:
Customers/Homeowners AND Builders Value Cleanliness
Growing up in Michigan, insulating new buildings and existing residences, one of the greatest challenges was making sure our shoes were clean. In the Spring and Winter, job sites were caked with mud and slush. Our goal was to get material into the buildings as fast as possible. We learned that dedicating one or two people inside the building to receive the material kept us from tracking mud into the buildings.
We have a few customers who use booties. Those are inexpensive and communicate to your customers that you are taking extra care of their home.
Time is Saved when You don’t Have to Make Return Trips
When dirt/grime is tracked into a house on their shoes or muddy hoses, it will cause you problems with homeowners. Although we haven’t had this happen, we do know of some contractors who had to return to the job site to clean the carpets… even hiring professionals to come and fix the mess.
Use Painter’s Plastic, Paint Drop Cloths or Even Plastic Runners
Arriving on a job in California, with one of my customers, I was impressed that they spent the first 30 minutes of the job rolling out plastic, wrapping paint drop cloths and using a good amount of painter’s plastic to isolate the access hole from the rest of the house.
One of our Utah customers, preps the access hole area with a dust barrier system called Zip Wall. It only takes a small amount of time, compared to the job, to prevent dust from floating throughout the rest of the house.
These are a few of the ways we like to prep jobs and encourage others to do so. You will spend much more time, making people unhappy if you leave/create a mess.