Don “D.R.” Nelson started in the residential construction industry with one goal in mind: to improve the way we construct our homes. When approached by a builder with handfuls of newly constructed homes suffering from cold drafts, frozen pipes, and water damage in the 1980s, Don set out to determine the precise cause of these issues and solve them.
DON “D.R.” NELSON
Equipped with a thermal imaging camera, he quickly realized that winter’s cold air was pouring into these Michigan homes because the construction left small openings, gaps, and cracks that, taken together, were the size of a small window open to the cold outside air all winter long. It was as if the house had put a winter jacket on and not buttoned it up. The solution was to button up the home’s overcoat.
That’s how D.R. Nelson & Associates was born. We pioneered the air sealing industry in Michigan once we figured out how to prevent those problems – by sealing those gaps and cracks at critical times during the construction of the house.
Only then can the builder be proud of the energy performance of the home, and only then can the new homeowner enjoy a comfortable home that consumes less energy and costs less to heat and cool.
For over 40 years, we have dedicated ourselves to becoming experts in building science principles, always keeping ahead of the increasingly complicated Energy Codes. Did you know that a civil court could hold you, the builder, liable for violations of the Energy Code even though you obtained permits, passed building inspections, and obtained a Certificate of Occupancy? It can! You will be hard pressed to find another company with more experience than us in the measurement, identification, and elimination of air leakage. Let us put our knowledge to work for you.
The value of reducing excessive air leakage cannot be over stressed."
