Prepping for the New House!
I spent hours today making phone calls and doing research. I am trying to get all of my big items lined up to be better set up for a good start to the remodel!
The list of people I need is currently never-ending...
I need a mason. My foundation is brick with very old limestone mortar. It takes a special mason to do it right. I have contacted a mason to come out and give me a bid. I actually contacted a few today, but most just do not do this type of work.
I need a foundation guy. My contacts with the companies at the home expo have me covered here. Not only will the brick foundation be secure, but it will hopefully be dry, as well.
I need a contractor. Lately I have been doing an almost 180-degree turn with what to do with the exterior of the home. I REALLY love the idea of keeping it the original wood siding, but not knowing its condition, I am starting to mentally prep myself for all-new vinyl. If I take off the cement boards and find bad wood, I am just going to put vinyl back up. It's clean, crisp, easy, and would let me put a vapor barrier up, too. I want to be prepared for that big hurdle if/when it happens. History is beautiful, but right now, the cement board siding isn't even historical! I need functional, too.
But the bulk of my day was with HVAC contractors. First and foremost, I contacted the local natural gas supplier. After being told twice on two separate occasions that Ameren services my area, I was finally given to the department that knew. "No, sir, I am sorry, we do not have any gas lines close to your home." The reality was painful! It immediately made it clear that I would be paying for propane...and having to keep the ugly propane tanks. I don't even have options, really.
I wasn't expecting that! I just kind of assumed natural gas was available to any who wanted it. Not the case. The closest main was a couple of miles away. So it appears everyone here in the country uses either electric or propane. Ouch!
So I considered geothermal. One installer said to stay away from it because the tax credits are gone (he is wrong). How you can list something on your website that you know nothing about is beyond me. Other guys said it doesn't really matter what type of heat you have if you have air leaving your house. Both gentlemen I talked to said to seal up the house first before doing any big geothermal project.
It's true. Whether heated by oil, propane gas, natural gas, wood, or the earth, whatever heat comes in needs to stay in! Pumping 55-degree temps in the house but losing it does no one any good.
So as it stands now, I am going to focus on the basement. Get it solidified and sealed up, and then start caulking like you wouldn't believe. My research is telling me that heat loss is mostly due to air infiltration, not necessarily air loss. I have to seal up the house! Caulk the basement, caulk the windows, install new exterior doors, put insulation in the attic.
I tell ya, it's crazy researching these sorts of things. Half say one thing, half say the opposite. But the consensus SEEMS to be that the house needs sealed up first. As one guy wrote, "If I had $10,000 to help heat up an old house, I would spend almost all of it on caulking and very little on insulation."
It's an interesting perspective.
The list of people I need is currently never-ending...
I need a mason. My foundation is brick with very old limestone mortar. It takes a special mason to do it right. I have contacted a mason to come out and give me a bid. I actually contacted a few today, but most just do not do this type of work.
I need a foundation guy. My contacts with the companies at the home expo have me covered here. Not only will the brick foundation be secure, but it will hopefully be dry, as well.
I need a contractor. Lately I have been doing an almost 180-degree turn with what to do with the exterior of the home. I REALLY love the idea of keeping it the original wood siding, but not knowing its condition, I am starting to mentally prep myself for all-new vinyl. If I take off the cement boards and find bad wood, I am just going to put vinyl back up. It's clean, crisp, easy, and would let me put a vapor barrier up, too. I want to be prepared for that big hurdle if/when it happens. History is beautiful, but right now, the cement board siding isn't even historical! I need functional, too.
But the bulk of my day was with HVAC contractors. First and foremost, I contacted the local natural gas supplier. After being told twice on two separate occasions that Ameren services my area, I was finally given to the department that knew. "No, sir, I am sorry, we do not have any gas lines close to your home." The reality was painful! It immediately made it clear that I would be paying for propane...and having to keep the ugly propane tanks. I don't even have options, really.
I wasn't expecting that! I just kind of assumed natural gas was available to any who wanted it. Not the case. The closest main was a couple of miles away. So it appears everyone here in the country uses either electric or propane. Ouch!
So I considered geothermal. One installer said to stay away from it because the tax credits are gone (he is wrong). How you can list something on your website that you know nothing about is beyond me. Other guys said it doesn't really matter what type of heat you have if you have air leaving your house. Both gentlemen I talked to said to seal up the house first before doing any big geothermal project.
It's true. Whether heated by oil, propane gas, natural gas, wood, or the earth, whatever heat comes in needs to stay in! Pumping 55-degree temps in the house but losing it does no one any good.
So as it stands now, I am going to focus on the basement. Get it solidified and sealed up, and then start caulking like you wouldn't believe. My research is telling me that heat loss is mostly due to air infiltration, not necessarily air loss. I have to seal up the house! Caulk the basement, caulk the windows, install new exterior doors, put insulation in the attic.
I tell ya, it's crazy researching these sorts of things. Half say one thing, half say the opposite. But the consensus SEEMS to be that the house needs sealed up first. As one guy wrote, "If I had $10,000 to help heat up an old house, I would spend almost all of it on caulking and very little on insulation."
It's an interesting perspective.
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