that is a good point about see how energy costs go--there is about 2500 sq ft down I think which is a little more than we have now--but there is no way to close off the 2nd floor--even if there is separate unit for that space... we are hoping to clean out/throw out lot of stuff we have in house now--some of which is in the attic--we also have a storage unit with who knows what it in-- my husband always thinks we will have another use for something... but this new house is larger--has 3 car garage vs 2 car now so we do have more storage downstairs... I just thought it would be easier for someone to get up in there and do stuff now the attic garage probably has the most useable floor space--it is not floored at this time--the attic over the living area has broken roof line to contend with--makes it more difficult to get around up there... I do have Angie's List membership and have been happy with the people I have found through it so far...

bud_wi, Anything is possible, thanks for the suggestion, I'll go looking... it is installed over thick pine boards, not concrete. My husband cut a bit of it (to send it for asbestos testing) and I took pics, http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/Giantpony/Old%20House/ The top layer is vinyl / linoleum and is the faux wood parquet you see... the next layer is the one with the floral design and its the one in question. I flipped the floral layer over to show the backing, it almost looks (and smells!) like animal hair. The most interesting layer is of course the thick pine boards, which are obviously in rough shape, but is the layer I'd like to get down to. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks :) GP Here is a link that might be useful: The Layers of Flooring Pics

I bought an old house built in 1945 that has a front porch with awnings over the windows. The cement floor of the porch is cracked and uneven and the awnings must go, and my end game is to have a roof over the porch, at least over the door and picture window since I have learned that extending that portion of roof will be the best option but I don't know what to do about the cracked floor. Demo and start over with the porch all together? Pour concrete over the old concrete? Any ideas would be appreciated. I'm new here but have been studying all of the boards as this house I have bought needs tons and tons of work and this place has been awesome for info and ideas!

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