Dagan and Trey Olson started their first business almost by accident.
“The idea came because I was building a shop,” recalls Dagan, who along with brother Trey were oilfield professionals at the time. “While researching how to be as efficient as possible, we saw the opportunity to offer the spray foam service in the area at an affordable rate.”
Advanced Insulating was established in the summer of 2020. Nearly five years on, the Olsons now provide spray foam, blown-in and Batt & Poly insulations, as well as concrete lifting, roof foam and bed liner application.
“I always wanted to be in construction in some way,” says Dagan. “This was a good way to get into it. Now we kind of do everything. Spray foam’s the main thing, but we also frame, do siding and tin – whatever people need.”
Trey points out that spray foam is one of the best ways to guarantee a house meets building code.
“Codes are getting stricter,” he explains. “Homes need to be airtight and require higher R-value to meet Canada’s goal of net zero. It adds strength, gives you a vapour barrier and seals a lot better than Batt & Poly.”
Adds Dagan: “Plus, it’s the only part of the build that pays you back over time.”
Advanced Insulating does a lot of work for the ag industry, but their services are also available to residential, industrial and oilfield customers.
Demand for the brothers’ services has also required a growth of offerings through a parallel business. In 2022, they started Advanced Surfacing to address a need they noticed in Estevan. A lot of homeowners and businesses were hiring out surfacing jobs, but there wasn’t a local option.“Everyone was bringing in crews from Regina or elsewhere,” says Trey. “We saw an opportunity and jumped in.”
Trey cites a garage he recently worked on as an example of what Advanced Surfacing can do.
“It had old drywall and bad insulation. We tore all that out, sprayed foam, epoxied the floor and put new tin on the walls. It looks brand new,” he says.
An issue the Olsons regularly see is a sinking concrete pad. Dagan explains that Advanced Surfacing can do restoration work, and if the pad is hollow underneath they have a foam that can lift it.
One of their more noticeable jobs was Estevan’s Hillcrest Pool.
“They were ready to rip it out and rebuild,” says Trey. “We came in, lifted the concrete, filled the voids, patched it and resurfaced it with rubber. It saved them a ton of money – about a third of what a rebuild would have cost.”
He adds that he and Dagan can work with most surfaces, including concrete, wood and even dirt. And Dagan reminds prospective customers that DIY jobs aren’t always the best idea when it comes to surfacing.
“With concrete, you need to understand why it failed in the first place,” he says. “You can’t just put lipstick on it.”
Advanced Insulating and Advanced Surfacing can be reached by calling (306) 421-0408. Dagan and Trey are also more than happy to connect via Facebook.