Editors note: Usually, our What I Like section focuses one remodeler's good experience with a new or tried-and-true product. When we reached out to remodelers for their “What I Like” suggestions for our April issue, no less than a third of the replies we received referred to the same product. That many remodelers can't be wrong. Here's what four of them have to say about the BuildClean dust control system in this special edition of "What We Like."
Remodelers: David Roberts, Roberts Construction Group, Evanston, Ill.; Scott Sevon, MAW Chicago, Palatine, Ill.; Jennifer Kravitz, Thorson Restoration & Construction, Bridgewater, Mass.; Andy Wells, Normandy Remodeling, Hinsdale, Ill.
What They Like: BuildClean Dust Control System by Illinois Tool Works
Remodeling is messy, and all the dust accumulation on a jobsite doesn’t just mean extra cleanup—it means frustrated clients too. To improve jobsite cleanliness, client happiness, and even crew members’ health, many remodelers are turning to BuildClean. David Roberts says maker Illinois Tool Works has “taken what in the past had been a crummy fan taped into the window, and turned it into something that not only looks cool, but works well and is of value to the people working with it.”
The BuildClean unit features a coarse pre-filter and fine, secondary HEPA filter—a plus for firms working on RRP projects. Together, the filters clear out as much as 90% of airborne dust. llinois Tool Works recommends replacing the pre-filter on each job, and the HEPA filter annually. In operation, users can set up a negative-pressure environment in which filtered air is exhausted out of the jobsite, or can opt for an air-scrubber setup that cleans and recirculates the air in the room. On its highest setting, BuildClean can manage six air exchanges per hour in a 6,000-cubit-foot space.
"The 360-degree air scrubber helps keep a cleaner, healthier job site, whether big or small,” says Scott Sevon, referring to BuildClean’s drum-like design, which pulls in air from all sides. “It keeps our clients very happy.”
Andy Wells agrees. “Our clients are thrilled by the fact that we use them to reduce the amount of dust that we release in their homes,” he says. Because BuildClean removes the majority of dust in the air before it even lands, Wells and other remodelers are getting positive feedback from their crews as well as their clients.
“We wear safety glasses, and ear protection, and this is another tool to meet and exceed those expectations of a clean and safe jobsite,” Roberts says. “Health is super important for the guys and the trades that come onto the job. They see that we as a company are taking extra measures for them.”
With the benefits to home and health, Jen Kravitz says using BuildClean has helped Thorson Restoration earn more work. “Not only does BuildClean help to significantly reduce the amount of dust on the jobsite, but it has also proven to be a valuable sales tool,” she says. “What homeowner doesn’t want less dust when living through a renovation? We include an informational page outlining the benefits of the system in each of our contract presentation packets.” To accommodate clients’ growing interest, Thorson Restoration recently added another large-volume unit to its arsenal, Kravitz says.
