About Us

Established in 1981, Dan Gardner Drywall has provided the Cedar Rapids area with drywall installation, repair, and maintenance services and more for almost 40 years. Throughout the years, Dan has added to his services portfolio to include EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) and spray foam insulation to better serve the needs of his customers. In 2008, Dan became the first Certified Green Professional in his field for eco-friendly, green practices.

As a full service drywall company, Dan Gardner Drywall is dedicated to being reliable, punctual, responsible, polite, and clean. Dan has been active with the local Home Builders Association since 1984 and has been on the Board of Directors for all but four of those years. He has earned the honor of Associate of the Year in 1998 and 2008 for his dedication and donated time and efforts with numerous Home Builders Association events and committees. Through his membership with the Greater Cedar Rapids Area HBA, Dan is proud to have had an impact on the following charities and organizations:

Insulation Cedar Rapids

Winter is Coming: Is Your Home Properly Insulated?

Iowa goes through some freezing weather in the winter, which may leave your home very cold and hard to tolerate in some very difficult situations. Thankfully, the best insulation Cedar Rapids, Iowa has to offer can give you the help that you need to keep your home secure and warm during the coldest winter months. The following tips can also help provide extra warmth when you need it.

Add Heavy Curtains

One smart way to add extra protection to your home’s insulation is to install heavy curtains on your windows. During the winter, much of your home’s heat will leak out through your windows and leave you exposed to colder temperatures. However, if you cover your windows, they are less likely to leak heat and will hold a higher range of temperatures, keeping your home warm and comfortable.

The heavier you can get your curtains, the more temperature protection you’ll give your home. Typically, you should focus your curtains on the draftiest areas of the house – older windows and those with weaker frames may be a good choice for these curtains. While you should repair any broken windows at some point, for now, use your curtains in this way to keep them secure.

And don’t forget: these curtains should be paired with the rest of your home’s décor to keep it as attractive as possible. These curtains aren’t just an improvement for your home’s temperature control but an aesthetic boost that can help to make your living room, bedrooms, and other areas more attractive. Try to find curtains that match the colors and styles of your house to keep it alluring.

Seal Off Doorway Frames

Your doorways are essential for getting in and out of your house but often serve as a portal for significant temperature changes in your home. For example, the cracks around your door frames may let out warm air and bring in cold air and cause other issues that can be hard to handle. Even worse, they may be poorly insulated from years ago and may need to be upgraded to ensure that they work correctly.

As a result, it is a good idea to add new frames to your doors – and windows – to seal them off properly. Doing so makes your home warmer and avoids other problems that may be hard to manage. Try to add items like plastic sheeting to the frames to enhance their insulative quality. Typically, you’ll have to add this plastic to your window panes, as well, to keep them from leaking too much heat, even with great home insulation.

You may also want to swap out screens in your doors with glass panes, as this helps to make them more protective. Some people even place small door blocks under the crack in their door to stop heat from escaping. Whatever option you choose, try to stick to it during the winter. Doing so can help you stay strong and ensure that you get the high-quality help that you need in this situation.

Focus On Your Attic’s Insulation

At this point, you need to do what you can to make sure that your home’s attic is as warm as possible. Too often, people forget about their attic because they don’t spend a lot of time there. So what if it gets a little cold in that room? Does it matter that much for your home’s warmth? Absolutely! A cold attic lets in chilly air that can spread down into your home and cause many issues.

For example, heat may escape from your higher floors by getting absorbed into your attic. Even worse, you may end up having a cold spot in your home that is very uncomfortable and which costs more to heat than other areas. As a result, you need to do what you can to keep your attic as warm as you can for your home’s needs. One of the best ways to do this is to get new insulation in the attic.

Typically, you want to add these sheets between all of the floor joists, including a second layer along the area perpendicular to these spots. Insulate all of the exposed pipes you may find up here and in your basement as well. If you don’t feel like you can handle this process, call professionals instead. Remember: there’s no shame in getting help if it makes your home more comfortable.

Add All-New Insulation Items

Lastly, you may want to hire a professional to come to your home and check out any of the insulation that may have been installed in your home. This “tip” may seem obvious, but many overlook it because they don’t want to spend the money. And while that reticence is understandable for those who may not have a lot of money, it shouldn’t keep you from getting the help that you need.

For example, you may need to upgrade the way that your walls are insulated by adding new and efficiency-minded insulative items. Many people don’t realize that these types of things are added to their homes rather early on in their construction and are rarely upgraded later in the home’s life. As a result, they may be quite old and inefficient in their overall design and their installation.

Therefore, calling an expert is often a great choice, particularly if you have no experience in this field. Many people don’t fully understand the difficulties inherent in this type of installation and may struggle to perform them by reading DIY help online. While trying to do something on your own in this way is noble, it can be a significant problem if you don’t understand what you’re doing and make mistakes that open your home to colder temperatures.

Don’t Forget to Get Help!

These simple tips and tricks can keep your home warm, but nothing works better than adding the best insulation Cedar Rapids has to offer. So if you want to keep your home warm this winter and need help from experts, please contact us at Dan Gardner Drywall to learn more. Our professionals have years of experience and will do what is necessary to help you succeed in making your home warm.

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