It would be good if people said which R-value they were using when working out insulation. There are two different units (ft^2 F hr/BTU and m^2 K/W) and they are close enough that determining which is being used is tricky. I say this because Ohiojay said that foil coating gives an extra 2, but this seems like a m^2 K/W R-value (I've seen values for foil alone ranging from 1 to 2 m^2 K/W), rather than around 10 ft^2 F hr/BTU. (And I assumed that someone in Ohio probably uses ft^2 F hr/BTU) Regarding sealing it up, I'd just use duct tape :) The idea is a good one and I think you're on to something, a further extension of the this would be to permanently mount thin, high-R-value panels at such an angle that they block none of the light in mid-winter, but progressively block more into summer. If you then used very thin plastic sheeting to stop convection (I'd use cheap plastic drop sheet) you would probably double you GH R-value. Here is a link that might be useful: Understanding R-values

Hi Solarguy, Thanks for the chock full of info. For the ornl.gov site, I'm not getting the same numbers. Did you assume polyurethane or something else for insulation? Either way, I think you are right that I should aim for a much higher R-value. Owens Corning recommends R7 rigid foam exterior sheathing and R21 for the wall cavities for R28 total. Right now for walls, I have cedar shingle siding, standard OSB sheathing, R-15 fiberglass batts, 6mm vapor barrier, then finally drywall. The air infiltration was below min standards so they added a heated air-exchange. I like the idea stopping air before it enters the wall cavity, so rigid foam sheathing and foam spraying the cavity perimeter makes more sense. I mean, I'm stopping the air from passing thru the houses interior, but I'm sure I've got air movement in the wall cavity which kills my fiberglass R-value. Gary Reif, If you could provide a link for the 8.5" wall contruction you are mentioning, that would be great. This along with solargary's insulation upgrade calculator should arm me with enough info to calculate various ROI. Thanks guys.

Bev, The strips are mainly 2 1/2" and sometimes I would sneak in something that was already sewn together to get the size I wanted. The blocks were 12 1/2" before adding the brown on 2 sides. Glassquilt, If I want to try a new pattern, it's fun to turn it into a small quilt if I decide I don't want to make something larger. win-win

KARA: Yayyyy you just made my night. Thanks for the response, and for the info! I was actually kinda wondering if it could've even been the temperature change when bringing them back into the cool air conditioning from the heat outside. About watering and schedule... I don't REALLY water on a schedule. Just, 'this plant took around 6 days to be thirsty last time so....'. When you say that you 'go by how the pot feels', do you mean weight? Or do you use Terra cotta with them, and judge by the dryness of the pot sides?? I am still figuring out how to judge the dampness without digging my finger all around in the soil. I'm never content to check one spot. So, I am trying to find out other ways of knowing. I have noticed the weights change, but I've gotta get used to the DON'T WATER YET weight compared to the NEEDS WATER weight. I'm actually a new plant parent. Well, new-ish. In March\April of this year, I decided I wanted to try my hand at plant caretaking. I always failed my plants when I was younger, but really want a house full of plants. I went overboard, and treated little battered plants at stores as puppies in the animal shelter.... Only I brought too many home. I went all out. By memory, not counting things in water or propagating, it's around 50. Definitely overdid it. Fortunately, having so many when I'm still learning about each of them makes it easy to underwater, since I'm a little prone to overwatering and checking each one often like they're newborn babies 🤣 I've dedicated myself, and have yet to lose a plant or cutting thus far because I keep a log so I don't make too many big mistakes with watering. But these holiday cacti are extra special to me so I really hope to save this one. My grandmother always had a HUGE Thanksgiving Cactus, and an epiphyllum oxypetalum (I think), along with tons of arid cacti, so I want to grow mine big and healthy as well (I also bought and rooted some epiphyllum cuttings). Something to spark happy memories whenever I look at them. Anyway, I'm still finding each one it's perfect spot, and I think you're right... I'm pretty sure my little r. rosea was happy where I had her to begin with. Lesson learned... I should stop moving all of my plants around if they're happy where they are. I'm lucky I've only had this one mishap I'm thinking. Thanks again, and sorry about the long reply. I really don't know how to write a short post haha