There's an old woman living in my house....
frazoo
16 years ago
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Cherryfizz
16 years agoanettemartinrn
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Two of the best GW threads ever - Old Woman Living in my House &
Comments (16)My 2 favs: "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas" --Davy Crockett (real quote. Cracks me up since we moved to TX 3 yrs. ago & am finding it on everything from shirts to caps to mugs, etc.) "You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think" -- Dorothy Parker (real quote. It shows up in Master Gardener shirts, mugs, etc. I have a gardening apron with this quote.)...See MoreFixing an old house floor plan - cross post w/ The Old House
Comments (6)It was NOPSI when I lived in New Oreleans, and in rental shotgun houses...NOPSI claimed a large part of my paychecks! New Orleans has a lot of Energy Raters, the highest concentration in the state actually. Entergy has made use of some of these raters in their efficiency program Energy Smart. here are a couple of links for you to check out: http://www.energysmartnola.info/one-stop-shop/ http://www.energysmartnola.info/for-your-home/ not being in that area anymore, I don't know how this program works..but you can find out if you are interested. my only advice would be to involve yourself with an experienced rater there in N.O. someone with experience in old homes...the newer raters I met may have the training... but couldn't tell gas from electric heat systems, or know how to identify balloon framing. so look for someone who has 10+ years of experience. La. DNR also has list of energy raters state wide, their efficiency incentive program isn't still in effect...but last time I checked the list of active raters was still online. DNR(dept natural resources) provided the training for all of us back in 1999. so they have a good handle on who knows their stuff...and who doesn't. it is hard to see detail in your posted plans. so I'll keep my questions fairly general. my first two concerns are air sealing & hvac system. I know you have a partial ' basement' (LOL) are electrical & plumbing exposed? was there ever a central hvac system installed? if basement isn't full size of house...what access is there to the part of the house without basement? how much room is there between ground & house? 3'...4'....more? is house all electric or is natural gas provided? as to heating...do you have a prefrence? if all electric..then look research heat pumps...great wintertime savings in our area. (I'm south central La these days) have you looked at mini split units? condenser unit outside, individual air handler units that hang on walls in rooms. I can't tell if your layout would work for this or not. is there a space in your home you could make into heating system closet? have you had any hvac companies come out to look at the house yet? involving hvac company never starts too early. it may be that ductwork will need to be installed during the reno. if you can't give up the sq ft for system inside house...I've seen people put the heating system in the 'basement'. quite a few flooded after katrina, but its not an everyday occurrence, and depending upon what part of town your house is located in...flooding is something to consider. I know uptown floods in a hearbeat with heavy rains...but areas like bywater stay dry. the top floor...full attic or are there walls of the living space that are shared with attic space? is attic space large enough to house heating system? air sealing.. there are really two ways to air seal. caulk, backer rods & more caulk which can be diy..or foam insulation. one is inexpensive & time consuming...the other expensive & fast. foam insulating the roofline will be biggest bang for the buck. then putting heat system & ductwork in attic keeps it in a semi conditioned space, so that you don't have ducts to cool the house in a 140 degree attic. by moving air & thermal barriers to roofline, a lot of the air leakage sites in ceilings are depressurized, so that house isn't sucking hot dirty humid attic air into the house to clean, dehumidify & condition when central unit is running. as most of our heat gain/cooling loss is through the ceiling into the attic space creating a tight air barrier, and thermal barrier (insulation) is very important. we use open cell in the attic roofline, depth to equal R-value required ( R-25 for cathedral for example is 6- 6.5" deep) also if house is balloon framed, foam seal at eaves to attic floor will stop air movement in walls. we need to air seal our walls...but insulating walls here isn't high on our list of things to do. foam in walls...is a huge waste of money. the next place for foam is under the floors. here we use closed cell. to keep moisture from ground from being sucked into the house. 2-3" is sufficient. this will also seal bottom of balloon framed walls. I've had issue with some of the foam insulators in N.O., because I am one picky b!tch. unlike most energy raters I oversee install of foam and test for air leakage with foam co on site, so that they can catch any leakage sites then without an added trip. as these companies expand into my area...they don't stay long. over the years I've learned which companies will actually create air tight seals...and who doesn't. and fyi...it isn't always the big companies that do it right. owner/installer companies are more willing to learn how to do it right. and the install of foam, just like the install of the hvac system is the key to the whole thing. ok...there are your questions to answer & things to think about for today. I'll check back after you reply. and think about investing in a blower door test of the house at minimum. this will identify leakage sites that need to be sealed. if you have ductwork, spring for the duct test also. better to know what you have to start with..what you need to do... and have it tested when completed. this way you have a goal to work towards...and an idea of how to do it. best of luck...See Moreif there,s a way a woman can do it
Comments (14)if it won't fit in it, it can be tied to the top... :) I'm still thrilled to HAVE a car- I spent 4 years in Oakland, CA, sans car- and did a HUGE amount of curb-shopping, since I was usually supporting more than just my self on my whopping $16K a year...not only did I do the street faire thing with stock and roll-up camp tables lashed to my (also dumpsterdived, frankenstiened) mountain bike...I lugged duffle bags of laundry, all the groceries, a 3x4' mirror, 40 lb bags of compost, and a rocking chair home! I put so much of a burden on the poor rack ( I had a double-size milk crate strapped to the rack as a 'trunk') that eventually the back tire wore a hole through the metal base :) I needed to call a cab to get the couch home, though ;) all of this humiliated my louse of a boyfriend no end-though for some reason, his not paying rent for months at a time didn't bother him at all. I shoulda put HIM out on 'toxic household waste' day ;)...See MoreOld Woman Who Lived In A Shoe
Comments (4)Redid the roof for the shoe/boot, made one bigger, looks better now, and was thinking about that tube, am gonna dremel some slots for 1/4 inch glass(cut like leaves) to be mosaiced...THEN mosaic the stem green and put a ropelight in it to light it all up!!! Just gotta make a base, probably use wire mesh so I can add a hole for electrical plug...oh ya, this is gonna be cool! But HAVE to get some wood projects out of the way cuz it's all sitting in the middle of the lawn and DH is looking at it like firewood!ha! So have a zillion projects to get done!ha!...See Morecynic
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