Guidance With the Decisions…

So, what is the mission of North Star Environmental Building Performance LLC?  What role do we play for our clients?  What are we hoping to accomplish?

We started this company because we saw that homeowners don’t necessarily know who to reach out to with a building performance issue, or that they even have one.  After hundreds of inspections over many years, we saw again and again that we would arrive after steps had been taken to address a problem, after time and money had been spent, after a client’s patience and trust had been eroded.  Sometimes the steps made the problem worse; sometimes the lost investment limited the options available moving forward.  We knew that they would benefit from reaching out to us before spending anything on a solution that might only be addressing a symptom and not the underlying problem or that might create new problems.  That they could save time and money in the long run by engaging the help of a guide at the beginning.  By having an informed ally on their team whose only financial interest is in helping them get the best outcome, they would find tremendous value in that service.

What does this look like for our clients?

If you think you have a mold issue, you call a mold (remediation?) company, and they look for a mold issue.  If they don’t find one, then what? Is there still a problem, or not?  If they do find one, they might tell you how to clean it up (or offer their services to do so) and they might tell you why it happened and how to prevent it from happening again.  They also might not or might not be able to see the whole picture well enough to prescribe the right solution.  Worse, they might recommend something that you invest in that doesn’t solve the issue.  After you take action, how will you know that the project was a success?

North Star does not offer mold remediation services, we only offer assessment services which can include thorough visual inspection and documentation, testing and reporting, and design of a remediation plan.  Because of our expertise in building science, we can also confidently determine the cause (s) of the mold conditions and recommend solutions that will consider the whole picture of the building and how it performs.  This means that your investment will align with how the other systems work.

Here is an example:

You’ve found your new home!  You’re excited that the search is over but you’re also overwhelmed by all the new information and decisions that are rapidly coming up.  Your home inspector cited “suspected microbial growth” on a surface in the basement.  They also noted indications of water intrusion in the basement.  They recommended further assessment by a mold specialist.  You hire one and they write a remediation plan to address mold in the basement, and they recommend installing a “high quality dehumidifier” for the basement to prevent mold from recurring.  All this sounds good, but what is missing is how these decisions about prevention will fit into the larger picture of the home’s performance and how you plan to live in it. 

You reach out to North Star, and we start by listening to your situation carefully and asking questions so that we can deeply understand your goals.  We review your inspection report, mold assessment and MLS information.  We put our findings and recommendations together in a detailed, easy-to-read report and schedule a follow-up meeting to go over things once you are ready.  We can see from the information available that your HVAC system is older and will likely need replacement in the next 5 years.  We can also see that the system does not serve areas of the home including parts of the 1st and 2nd floors as well as the entire basement where the air handler unit and the duct system are located, likely because of an unpermitted renovation of former attic and garage areas.  We see that the site conditions around the home are relatively flat, the construction style does not include an eave overhang, and the gutter system does not discharge far enough away from the home.  While we largely agree with the mold assessment findings and remediation recommendations, we recommend that the duct system be fully inspected for signs of mold growth or contamination because it’s best practice in this situation but also because we know from our conversation that you are sensitized to mold and really want to be sure that this home will be healthy for you.  We also know that you would like to convert the basement into a home gym in the future.  Since we are able to look at the whole picture of home performance and your role as the occupant, we know that the cost of operating the “high quality dehumidifier” will be a bit high for only controlling moisture in the basement and won’t be ideal with your plans for the space, we are able to recommend a lower cost dehumidifier or a high quality dehumidifier that can be converted to a whole home dehumidifier later initially along with inexpensive down spout extensions to prevent mold conditions from returning to the basement as effective triage measures while we work on designing and you are ready to install a new HVAC system that will adequately serve all areas of the home and include whole house dehumidification and filtration aspects as well as exterior landscaping and rainwater management design for a long-term, durable solution that aligns with your goals for the home as well as your budget requirements.  The savings you gained with the dehumidifier alone not only paid for the cost of our services, but it also allowed you to keep funds toward the long-term solution and you learned that approaching home ownership problems holistically has tremendous value.   

If you feel your energy costs are too high or your home is uncomfortable, you might call an HVAC or insulation company.  These companies will likely offer you an HVAC or insulation solution from within their portfolio.  Can you blame them?  They are in business to supply or provide those services, and it is in their interest to do so for you.  But maybe the right solution for your situation is a combination of the two, or neither.  How can you know what you should invest in?  Once you choose, how will you know that the improvements were made the way they should be or that they will be effective and durable?

What if you feel that you have an indoor air quality issue or that your home might be making you or a loved one sick?  You might look for a company who can perform testing on your air.  Testing is expensive and often inconclusive.  Once you’ve obtained this information, how will you know what it means and how it should guide your next decisions? 

You need a guide.  Someone who knows how to listen to the issue you are experiencing and has the experience needed to help you determine what the next steps should be.  Someone who has the expertise in how buildings function, and how occupants experience the indoor environment.  Someone well-versed in trade-speak who can sort through the noise and help you to make the choices that will get you to your destination in the most effective and efficient way possible.

If you were visiting a new city for your dream vacation that you’ve spent years planning and saving for and you didn’t speak the language there well, would you leave it to chance or your own wits to find your way around or know how to find the best restaurants or ticket prices or hidden gems? Or would you consider an experienced guide as a good investment?

That is who we are here at North Star Environmental Building Performance LLC.  We are your guide to effective, holistic and durable solutions for your home or business.

We look forward to the opportunity to be of service!