about us

mission
experience
equipment

mission

Refresh Homes strives to provide affordable, accessible, useful, accurate information regarding home energy efficiency, safety, comfort, and durability.

experience

Refresh Homes has been in business for over ten years. Initially providing renovation and design services, we quickly realized how inefficient most homes were built. Many homes were not up to minimal local building code standards, much less up to recommended building science standards.

Owner Marshall Minshew graduated from the College of Architecture and Design at Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture. After graduation, he moved to Kansas City and founded Prefix Designs --a space planning and adaptive reuse design firm. Prefix Designs worked with local and regional architects on projects as varied as historical preservation (Topeka Independent Living Resource Center; five-story building in downtown Topeka) to national retail design accounts (Hallmark Cards, Inc.)

Hallmark Cards, Prefix's largest account, eventually hired Marshall full-time where he stayed for four years designing for independent retailers nationwide, designing fixtures and lighting, and developing new store concepts for corporate prototype stores.

After Hallmark, Refresh Homes was established and provided residential energy audits and thermal imaging services to homeowners and contractors in Kansas City.

In 2006, Conservation Services Group (CSG) hired Marshall full-time to help implement New Jersey's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program by training contractors for BPI certification and by providing Quality Assurance for participating homes. Marshall also served as the Lead Solar Inspector for New Jersey's Clean Energy Rebate Program

In addition to architecture, training and certifications include: Level 1 Thermographer certification from the Infrared Training Center (in accordance with the American Society for Nondestructive Testing), Building Analyst and Envelope Specialist certification from the Building Performance Institute, and Home Energy Rater certification training from the Kansas Building Science Institute (an EPA program under the guidance of RESNET.)

equipment

Minneapolis Blower Door for conducting standardized air leakage testing of homes. This calibrated fan and manometer creates 50 Pascals (and other lesser pressures, depending on the test) of negative or positive pressure and quantifies the leakage of a home. This helps determine if your home has enough --or too much!-- air infiltration based on the location, size, and shape of your home.

Kane-May Carbon Monoxide Meter for conducting tests of carbon monoxide levels of ambient air in homes and in flue gasses and ovens. This calibrated meter measures the parts per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide to determine if there are backdrafting issues (spillage versus venting), incomplete combustion issues, or other issues relating to combustion that may be life-threatening.

Gas Sniffer for conducting gas leakage tests. This device is used by gas companies to locate gas leaks. Not only are you paying for the gas that may be leaking, but it is an explosion hazard as well.

FLIR B-2 Thermal Imaging Camera for locating the areas of missing insulation, air-sealing issues, moisture intrusion, and any other application that requires the location and measurement of surface temperatures. This device is used to capture radiometric (each pixel is a temperature reading) digital images and full-motion video.

...and lots of supporting technology including smoke-sticks, pressure guages, remote thermometers, and, of course, highly trained eyes and other senses.