Is it worth hiring someone to weatherproof my house?

For the small jobs, usually not: weatherstripping a door or caulking window trim takes a few dollars of material and an afternoon. For whole-house air sealing, hiring is often worth it, because the biggest leaks are hidden in the attic and basement, and a contractor with a blower door can find them, measure the result and check that your gas appliances still vent safely. In Virginia, many households can also get the work done at no cost.

What you can do yourself

The Virginia Energy Savers Handbook says sealing a home against air leakage is not difficult, and that reasonably handy homeowners should be able to do an effective job if they have the time and patience.^[1] ENERGY STAR agrees that attic air sealing and insulation are do-it-yourself projects if the attic is accessible and not too difficult to move around in.^[2]

Good DIY jobs:

• Weatherstripping exterior doors and fitting sweeps. See how to weatherstrip a drafty door.
• Caulking gaps around interior window and door trim and baseboards.
• Sealing gaps at an open, unfinished basement rim joist.
• Weatherstripping and latching the attic hatch.

Harder jobs are worth pricing out. ENERGY STAR rates sealing behind window and door trim as generally a moderate to difficult DIY project,^[3] and it lists attic conditions that call for a contractor first: wet or damp insulation, moldy or rotted rafters or joists, bath and dryer vents that exhaust into the attic, a history of ice dams, little or no attic ventilation, knob and tube wiring, and many unsealed recessed lights.^[2]

What a good contractor adds

Measurement. A blower door is a powerful, calibrated fan that, placed in an exterior doorway with the windows shut, pressurizes or depressurizes the house.^[1] With the house under pressure, leaks you would never find by hand show up, and the crew does not waste time on cracks that barely leak. The handbook says the technician should measure the leakage rate again after the work to verify the sealing was effective and that the house has not been tightened too much.^[1]

Combustion safety. Tightening a house can stop natural-draft furnaces and water heaters from venting properly. The handbook calls it extremely important that all combustion appliances in the home be tested for proper draft and venting before any air sealing work is started,^[1] and warns that a professional who uses no equipment to test draft, or just a flashlight and a cigarette lighter, may miss an unsafe situation.^[1] If you have gas or oil appliances, that test alone can justify the visit.

Access to rebates. Dominion Energy's Home Energy Evaluation program offers rebates for air sealing. The larger measures need an in-depth (2-4 hr.) comprehensive home energy audit,^[6] and the program's measures chart says air sealing requires a comprehensive audit by a participating BPI Building Analyst before installation.^[7] It also notes that air sealing must be done before insulation, consistent with BPI standards.^[7] Because the audit has to come before the work to be eligible, check the rebate before you start.^[7]

Free weatherization in Virginia

Before paying anyone, check whether you qualify for a free program. The state's Weatherization Assistance Program, run by DHCD through local nonprofit providers, covers work such as sealing air leaks with insulation, caulking, or weather-stripping.^[4] DHCD says the work is provided at no cost to an approved income eligible household.^[4] Renters can qualify too, with the owner's written permission.^[4] Two things to expect: there may be a waiting list in your area,^[4] and the diagnostic audit, not the owner, decides which measures are done.^[4]

Dominion Energy customers can also ask about its Income and Age Qualifying Energy Savings Program, which offers no-cost in-home energy assessments and installation of measures including air sealing and duct sealing^[5] for households under its income limits or aged 60 and over with incomes under a higher limit.

Hiring it out properly

Weatherproofing is often sold as a handyman job, but the rules for contractors still apply once the price grows. The Code of Virginia says "No person shall engage in, or offer to engage in, contracting work in the Commonwealth unless he has been licensed" under the contractors' chapter,^[8] and its smallest class, Class C, covers work where the total value of a single contract or project is over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[9] Check any contractor on DPOR's lookup; see how to check a contractor's licence in Virginia.

DPOR's consumer guide adds three habits worth keeping. Get at least three written bids based on the same specifications.^[10] Get it in writing: Virginia law requires all licensed contractors to provide a written contract for residential work.^[10] And keep the down payment small; DPOR's rule of thumb is an initial deposit of no more than 10% of the total price or $1,000, whichever is less.^[10] More on that in how much deposit a contractor can ask for.

In a house built before 1978, ask about lead. Anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in a home built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe work practices,^[11] which matters when old caulk and weatherstripping come off painted trim.

Stop and call a pro if

• You have natural-draft gas or oil appliances and are planning more than a few doors and windows of sealing.
• The attic has wet insulation, mold, vents exhausting into it, old wiring or recessed lights that are not rated for insulation contact.
• You want a utility rebate that requires a participating contractor's audit.
• The gaps are around chimneys or flues, which need special high-temperature caulk.^[2]
• You are not sure where the drafts are coming from; see where the biggest air leaks are.

For prices, read what weatherproofing costs in Virginia. You can browse energy audits, handyman services, handymen around Blacksburg and the other handyman answers. When you are ready, describe the job once and licensed local businesses quote it.