Blizzard Coming - Page 4

The only proper way to insulate would be to get into the wall either from the inside which would be my choice or the outside, rigid foam will not do the trick, blown in insulation is also a waste of money as it will settle.
Walls can be foamed but that traps moisture and can over time shrink and separate, even if they claim it wont.
Fiberglass is the best insulation for walls with a vapor barrier on the heated side only, ceilings need it even more but you can blow in ceilings with various products if you have access.
Any duct work exposed to cold air like in a crawl space should be insulated, low spots can hold cold air and actually stop warm air from pushing through.
I don't have an air tight house and wouldn't want one, it's un-healthy, plus because i burn wood inside in a stove the air must come from somewhere or it wouldn't function.
I do not like or trust gas, seen too many explosions in my time, and if the electricity goes out so does the furnace.
Fire places can sometimes have ducts on the floor in front of them to furnish fresh air without pulling air from other parts of the house, also your fire place should have a damper that can be adjusted.
In the old days we had steam heat with radiators and it was by far the most comfortable heat of all, now radiant heat systems are the rage and much better than forced air heating.
It's just a shame they are so expensive up front, plus difficult to retro fit.
Passive solar is great if you get enough sunshine and it's fairly cheap up front considering and low maintenance.








 

The only proper way to insulate would be to get into the wall either from the inside which would be my choice or the outside, rigid foam will not do the trick, blown in insulation is also a waste of money as it will settle.

What most people just don't get, Moons, is you CANNOT 'get into the wall' in this house. There are no spaces in my walls to fill with insulation. The walls are solid 2"x8" tongue and groove cedar!  (Think log cabin, but planks instead of logs.)  I would have to stud the walls, which is expensive and cause a big problem with the south and north walls, which are taken up entirely with 3 matching closets on each side. They would have to be ripped out so the walls could be studded. Insulating from the outside would be the easiest way of doing it.

Installing electrical or plumbing in this house is a real treat, believe me! Nowhere to recess the boxes, or run the wires!

The attic, such as it is, is well insulated, and I get tons of passive solar through two large banks of floor to ceiling windows. Of course, these window also leak tons of cold air once the sun disappears!

If I had the money, I'd install solar panels to help with the hydro costs. I've got enough space for them (2 acres of land.)

Here's what the south wall of the bedroom looks like. Why someone took the doors off the middle closet is beyond me! I'd love to replace them, but all my time and effort has gone into fixing up the kennels, because that's where my income comes from. The north wall is just the same, except all 3 closets have doors. (That's Ranger's rear end at the bottom left.)

Fire places can sometimes have ducts on the floor in front of them to furnish fresh air without pulling air from other parts of the house, also your fire place should have a damper that can be adjusted.

When I bought the place, it had both a small woodstove in the dining room and an airtight fireplace insert in the living room. I was told the insert was toast, but the woodstove should pass inspection. HAH!

The first thing the inspectors did when they checked the stove was look at the label on the loading door. It said: 'This door should be 4 FEET from nearest flamable surface. Heck, the whole PAD the stupid stove was on was about 4 feet square! The chimney was also warped, and needed replacing. I was really, really ticked!

Had a guy from my church come in to look at things. He owns a local company that installs woodstoves, fireplaces and gas barbecues. He told me he knew of a really nice airtight fireplace insert that someone was having removed from their home, and would sell it to me for $600. I decided to let his company do the work, which wound up costing just over $2,000. The chimney liner needed replacing, of course, as it was one of the old masonry ones.

BEST  MONEY   I    EVER  SPENT!  The insert is state of the art, with a damper, vents and fan!  The heat it provides is far more even than what the furnace provides. I am really really pleased with it.

As far as drawing in outside air, well, i really don't need to worry about that in a house this drafty... 

Sunsilver,
I've seen a lot of (kit cabins) but I can't quite get my mind around 2"x 8" T&G walls, are they 2" thick or 8" thick?

Big windows isn't the passive solar I had in mind but that's not important anymore, and it would take years before you got any financial benefit from solar electrical panels.
I take it that your baseboard heaters are electric.

I also think your stove guy stuck it to you pretty good.

Our specs (codes) for stoves and fire places vary from state to state, it's usually your insurance carrier who has the final word.

I can't see you out cutting trees and chopping wood so you must be buying it, around here in hillbilly heaven they measure wood by the truck load instead of the cord or rik and lately the price has gone from $30 to $50 dollars a load, I'm wondering how it is there?

I have a Warm Morning upright stove that's state of the art to this day and it's older than I am, stone lined iron and steel, burns wood or coal, three way air control.
I built my own chimney but even if I'd charged myself for the labor it would have been under $2000 complete.

I know a lot of people in your situation who needed a professional home inspector before they purchased their homes, not an appraiser but someone who see's the little things most people don't until it's too late, it helps to know going in before you buy and can give you a bit of leverage in negotiating a price.

If you have the space and don't mind burning wood and all that goes with it you might consider a small stand alone stove in another part of the house.
But get bids from someone else besides your church friend on an installation.
After speaking to your insurance carrier.

They've down graded how much snow I'm supposed to get here, it's a light rain at the moment, but the cold blast is still coming later tonight and tomorrow.
Possibly setting a record I dunno, but our weather forecasters are total idiots and their only knowledge of weather is running computer models that anyone could buy online.
Another art lost to technology.













 

Yes, I buy mixed hardwood by the cord. And when trees on the property lose limbs/need trimming, I save the wood and let it dry. I have a chainsaw, and know how to use it, but splitting wood by hand is a bit much for me.

The latest load cost me $375 for what was supposed to be a full cord, but was actually closer to two. I shopped around for prices, and could have saved a few bucks buying from someone else, but likely would have lost on the deal, as they wouldn't have been so generous with their measurements of a bush cord!

Re. the cost. Here's what the 'This Old House' website says:

An insert, installed by a factory-trained professional (to ensure proper venting and best efficiency results), will draft-proof an open fireplace while the unit's shell keeps heat in the room and away from the masonry. The cost can can set you back about $2,000 to $4,000 (pro install included), depending on the state of your existing chimney (does it need relining?) and the model you select.

So, i think I did okay with the pricing, and I have more than recouped the $2000 in the time I've lived here.  (BTW, I originally said it cost $20,000. That was a TYPO!!!)

As far as home inspectors go, ever watched Mike Holmes' show, "Holmes Inspection"?  That will give you and idea what ripoff artists a lot of them are!  A home inspection is required here in Ontario before the sale is finalized. The inspectors told me I'd need to spend $7000 for a new roof, and for $10,000, I could have a roof I'd never have to worry about again!

Turns out the roof was so rotten, structure had to be replaced. By the time everything was done, I'd spent $43,000. These photos should give you an idea of how bad things were, plus showing how the house is structured. The cedar boards are 2" thick.

That price included new windows in bedrooms, bath, and kitchen, some new light fixtures, installing a new closet, and removing the sag from the garage roof, which was about to collapse. Counting the kennel roof, there was over 5,000 sq. ft. to be redone, and 90% of the old shingles had to be stripped, due to rot underneath.

I also had them put a railing between my desk and the dining room, as Star liked to jump through the opening, and land on my desk, knocking stuff on the floor!  (The sunroom where my desk is is sunk down about 3 1/2 feet from the dining room.)

Roof overtop of front entrance.  The crumbly brown stuff is Ten-test fibre board, which was just like candy to the carpenter ants once it got wet!  It NEVER should have been used anywhere but indoors.




In this photo you can see a patchwork of old roof (2x8 boards) and new(er) (plywood). The beige stuff is Ten-test, and the lines on it mark where the shingles were, and where the ants tunneled beneath them.



Bathroom fan not working? Gee, someone SHINGLED OVERTOP OF IT!!   (It works now, though!)




The sn** has finally stopped. We got about 8 inches of new stuff. When I go out in the large dog yard, my eyes are about level with the top rail of the 7' tall fence, and I'm 5' 7!

Gotta go see if the Orange Beast (my snowblower) is in the mood to actually start today....)

 

A cord around here would be around $100 dollars, a face cord 4'x 8', the length of the cut size of the wood is about a pick up load.
You pay for delivery and stacking if you need to and that varies.
I have bought logs 10' by the truck load and cut my own that way before but it's a lot of money all at once, prices vary.
I usually cut at least three large trees on the property each year, plus whatever I find down that's worth having.
Still I buy more if it's really cold or a long winter, three cords perhaps total for the year and have wood to hold over till the next.

This Old House is a joke and their prices reflect their location and market, jacked up a bit more by the sponsors.
As a builder I am amazed sometimes with them but hey, it's TV.
A chimney would only need relining if the structure was cracked, something you should be able to see on the outside.
$2000 sound much better....lol

I've never seen a roof you'd never have to worry about again.

Banks here use only appraisers, if you want a home inspection you contact a licensed home inspection contractor.
Appraisers usually represent the seller or the bank here.

Still not sure how they built a house out of 2" x 8".s without framing but no matter.

That's a lot of snow...








 

The front's almost here, maybe in another hour or so but for now it's still just rain.
What I can't believe is the news media especially my local stations trying to scare everyone like it's the end of the world...it's just winter.

 

It's 57 F here right now and pouring. We just had some lightning.

But later today it's going down to single digits. That should just freeze everything including car doors and locks.

It is what it is... Amen

-2 and yeah the cars doors were frozen this morning    , car didn't even want to roll over.
I can't believe I'm in insulated cover alls and the tiniest of birds hasn't enough feathers to fill my shirt pocket, but they all made it to the feeder this morning.

Had to chip away the frozen seed.

 

zero degrees,,,,,,,,,I will be blanketing the horses later!,,

Correction - 4.......