La Strada
(now El Tiempo Cantina on Washington Ave)
Problem
Prior to contacting Payless Insulation, La Strada had a very expensive build out. The restaurant turned out as one of the best in the city, but they had one crucial problem: the waiters could not be heard at the tables and the food orders couldn’t be heard due to architecturally beautifully designed high ceilings. The sound engineer recommended special color K-13 materials, which are usually more expensive than standard colors.
Solution
Payless Insulation’s owner Lynda Kornbleet used her artistic eye to manage applying K-13 in three standard colors to the different restaurant areas. Lynda pointed out existing conditions that would allow using standard colors. This saved La Strada thousands of dollars by not customizing the colors. Of course, we also solved the noise problems of the high ceiling design and the restaurant had no further complaints. The insulation has created a more comfortable environment while keeping the aesthetic high ceilings. In addition to solving the acoustical problems, La Strada also enjoys the following benefits: mold and fire resistant, insect and vermin repellent as well as drastically lower utility bills.
Mark’s Restaurant
Problem
The HVAC ducts had holes all over them. The wine room was sweating with over condensation. It was becoming costly for Mark’s Restaurant to replace wine and pay higher utility bills. The moisture build up also caused the establishment to repaint (full finish) the walls every three months. Mark Cox had also changed the expensive hardwoods twice in five years because the floors were cupping and buckling in the main dining area.
Solution
Payless Insulation pressure packed and filled all roofline ceilings with paper Celbar cellulose. These areas were all empty. Payless Insulation also used blown Celbar cellulose loosefill in the existing attic and kneewalls (hot/cold walls). Payless covered existing exposed urethane foam insulation with our Celbar spray-on paper product to bring it back up to a 15 minute fire rating. Our paper is treated with a fire retardant and flame resistant borate solution.
Our Payless Insulation crew found a way to dig under the building to insulate the underside of the floor that that only had 12” clearance. The old church had been built on pier and beam but with very little clearance. Payless used Celbar spray-on with SK2000 adhesive and applied to the underside of the floor deck. This treatment prevented any additional issues with the buckling of the hardwood floors. In addition, R8 high efficient cotton insulated Superior Air Ducts were installed. These were proudly manufactured at Payless Insulation. Superior Air Ducts are a permanent solution and will last a lifetime. The restaurant saved on the quoted $25,000 for a new system. Due to our solid solutions, the restaurant is more comfortable. The temperature remains more constant, and frequent thermostat adjustments have stopped altogether. Moisture problems have been solved eliminating loss of revenue from replacing wine, not having to paint every three months, and not having to replace expensive hardwoods. Payless Insulation created a fire rating for a safer establishment and the utility bills dropped.
Astrodome
Problem
Historically the Astrodome has had extensive sound problems with sound reverberation and echoing during events. In 1992, Vice President Bush was running for President. He was expected to speak at the Republican convention and the Republicans were nervous due to Bush not having a voice that projected. In order for Bush to be heard, numerous sound difficulties and challenges needed to be addressed. The prospectus presented by Payless Insulation included all levels; however, only the Mezzanine, Loge, and Outfield levels were done.
Solution
Payless Insulation used black K-13 spray-on insulation. Events continued in the Astrodome, and Payless Insulation was able keep areas clean. Black is the most difficult color to work with because when not properly masked it will show on many surfaces. You want a company that is dependable and knows what they are doing. In later concert and rodeo events, the application served as a solution to all the noise caused by people milling around talking, people buying food and drinks. Prior to the spray, it was difficult to hear a concert or event.
VT2 Media Design & Communication
Problem
VT2 is Houston’s leading multimedia complex. Under its roof are post-production, sound design, new media, film and television production, motion graphics, and two full-service studios. The building was redesigned to meet VT2 production specifications. In August of 2003, shortly after moving into the newly remodeled building, Cliff Davis, General Manager of VT2, realized that much of the facility’s existing acoustics were dramatically below VT2’s standards. The offices, conference room, video edit suites, and audio recording booths were too noisy for a creative, productive environment. VT2’s TV studio/soundstage production suffered from sound reverberation that interfered with studio production.
Solution
Cliff set about solving the problem. He notes, “there were many who offered a solution to our 30,000-square-foot problem, but it was Lynda Kornbleet, owner of Payless Insulation who won us over with her dynamic enthusiasm and her extraordinary insulation product and installation system. Payless Insulation uses an acoustic material made of soft, recycled cotton – which presents no risk to the environment or our employees. That quality was important to us. This insulation can be sprayed into wall cavities, placed in sheets across office ceilings or sprayed directly onto the wall surfaces. It seemed like the perfect solution to all our problems.”
Cliff was also impressed with Payless’ high service standards. “The installation team at Payless was outstanding. They worked mostly on nights and weekends in the interest of maintaining our Studio’s routine business hours. The team was always courteous, considerate and professional. After meeting them, I had no concerns about leaving them unsupervised in the building at night and, in the mornings when we arrived to start our business day, the facility was always spotless – clean up was impeccable.”
The staff at VT2 noticed an immediate improvement. “When the 5-day installation was complete we noticed a big difference. We not only received the anticipated benefit of conducting TV shoots, audio and edit sessions, even phone calls, without the intrusion of unwanted sound, but there was another huge advantage – a noticeable reduction of stress among the employees! There is a new serenity to our workplace.”
Davis states, “Payless Insulation proves that sometimes a great deal is exactly that – a great deal, and in our case – a great deal more!”
Second Baptist Church
Problem
Second Baptist Church located on Voss at Woodway has a community area that is in a separate metal building. The area is used for office and mechanical space. The metal building architect had specified fiberglass batting insulation above the acoustical lay in ceiling, but the area was extremely hot once occupied. The working conditions were very difficult as Payless Insulation would have to find a way to work in a totally occupied space and did not have the luxury of doing it during the construction phase. The building also did not have an elevator so it was quite a feat to get a lift up to the 2nd Floor that would fit through a 2’ by 2’ lay in ceiling tiles. Payless Insulation did not shy away from a challenge. With nine feet high ceilings and a roof ridge of twenty feet beyond that, Payless Insulation kicked into its troubleshooting abilities.
Solution
The building did not have an elevator so it was quite a feat to get a lift up to the 2nd floor. Our team insulated the roof with K-13 spray on insulation despite the 20 foot height. The material had to be sprayed on in sections due to difficult accessibility of the area through the 2’ by 2’ acoustical tiles. We were able to spray 5 feet each time before the lift was repositioned between another set of tiles. We are proud to have been able to complete this challenging project, knowing that 95% of other insulation companies would walk away. The building enjoys all the benefits insulation offers: acoustical problems are solved, temperature in the building is easier controlled while saving energy, and the building is safer due to materials applied being fire resistant and flame retardant.
