Insulation Day 1: My walls look like swiss cheese!

Greetings and salutations! I know I have taken some time off from writing here, mostly because I felt I had nothing to write about (for example, that rotten porch post? Still not fixed.). But now things are happening again, and in a pretty big, disruptive, yet exciting way.

You may recall my last post about my difficulties getting estimates for our insulation work; well, we ended up going with Brian (and the awesome crew of John, John, and Kyle), and it wasn't just because he was our only option. Based on our meetings with the other companies, I believe we would have picked him anyway---he was the only one who used cellulose instead of fiberglass, for instance; his proposal was thorough and thoughtful;  and really, his upbeat attitude just can't be matched--this is a guy who really seems to love, and take pride in, his work. There's a lot to be said for that.

So yesterday the crew arrived bright and early--and promptly got their trailer stuck trying to get into the driveway. Muddy gravel + heavy trailer loaded with equipment = tow truck giving you some extra help. But things were quickly sorted out and soon the house was a flurry of men in masks and the sounds of hammering and drilling. Because of the issues with our aluminum siding, we are having most of the wall work done from inside the house (except for two spots where small areas of siding will have to be removed and hopefully replaced incident-free). I fear I will never get all the dust off the floors, but it will all be worthwhile if we see results in lower energy bills and increased comfort.

Here is what is inside that heavy trailer:

Bales on cellulose on the left are fed into that blue machine on the right

The hose running out of the blue machine is then fed through the house and put into holes drilled every so often in the exterior walls:

Hose running though second floor window

This room was often the coldest in the winter and hottest in the summer

Here you can see that besides holes regularly spaced in the walls, holes also have to be drilled above and below windows

Bathroom wall---there are even holes drilled in that tiny cupboard far right

The cellulose itself is not itchy. It reminds me of that grey fluff that comes out of padded envelopes (maybe it is?). It appears that it is pretty easy to vacuum up from the floor and rugs, but is pretty difficult to keep off the dog.

While in the attic doing some air sealing work, John found something fun and interesting: part of an old local paper from 1926! I was able to make out an article about a high school dance; a YMCA basketball game; and an article out of Detroit about Henry Ford demanding an investigation into how his private airport was apparently used by an aerial rum running ring bringing booze in from Canada!

Here are a few of my other favorites:

"Moonshine and Dishonesty"

So things haven't changed that much--he's complaining about being "The Fall Guy", and how he has to pay for school outfits, weatherstripping the house, football "togs" for the boys, college expenses, fixing the furnace, etc. The only ones that really date this are "coal bill" and "fur coat for sister." This is a usual fall expense?!?

And my absolute number one favorite article (though the one about Parisian-style bed jackets making breakfast in bed all the nicer is fun too):

It is difficult to read so here is a transcription:

       "Little Miss Rose Marie Roberts, eight months old, claims that she has visited the barber shop more times than any girl her age in the United States.
       That is, Rose Marie doesn't loudly assert it herself but her mother, Mrs. Harvey Roberts, local citizen, has so stated. The baby has had her hair bobbed five times to date.
       She was named after the well-known music show, and her parents hope she will become a famous singer.
       This "hair bobbing championship" announcement is not an advance publicity stunt, her parents declared. (emphasis mine)

Say whaaaat? All I could think of when I read this was the episode of  Designing Women where Suzanne tried to put a wig on Charlene's baby. Again, seems like things haven't changed all that much in 90 years!

May I vent?

Sorry not to have posted in the last few weeks, but I have been a tad frustrated. Whether it is the weather (cold, icy, and snowy), or life in a small town/semi-rural area, or living in an old house bound to be full of surprises--it has been nearly impossible to find anyone willing to take on the job of insulating our home. The saga thus far:

After our energy audit, Brian sent an estimate for the work he proposed; he also encouraged us to get other estimates, which we would have done anyway. I contacted the only other insulation companies I could find, two of which said we were out of their service area. The three remaining companies agreed to come out for free estimates, and very quickly at that. Each one had some new bit of information to offer, and I thought the meetings went well.

What followed was a whole lot of...nothing. One week went by, and when we hit day 10 I made follow-up calls or sent an email. Still nothing. At the three week mark, I called back and left messages asking each one for an estimate or to just let me know they weren't interested. One responded two days later (said he had the flu, so I felt a bit badly for pressing him) but with a quote for only a portion of the work we really need.
So after contacting all the insulation contractors in our area who were willing to come out and look at the job, we are left with...our first estimate. No materials to compare, no prices to compare, nothing. If I was okay with that I wouldn't have bothered chasing people down for three weeks, and the job would already be done. Perhaps it is for the best; I researched the elements of Brian's proposal and it does seem very sound and optimal for our situation.

One thing all four contractors could agree on was that if we are planning to put in a geothermal heat pump, it might be best to do that first and then insulate the attic, so all the work was not stepped on and compromised.  This recommendation spurred us on to get estimates for a geothermal system as well. We found three local companies, all with varying degrees of expertise in the field and again, different ideas about the best system for our home. Fortunately, all of these companies were able to get us estimates in a timely fashion and we have selected a company for that project as well.

The issue now is that we have a projected heat loss calculation (for after the insulation improvements are made) upon which the geothermal installer is basing his system design. We might meet that projection, or more likely, we will come somewhat close. But we obviously do not want either a system that is over kill or a system that is inadequate for our needs. So what we would like to do is have all the insulation work completed (except for the attic floor, so it won't get messed up by the HVAC guys), have another blower door test, and base the geo system on that more realistic number.

I am sure everything will work out wonderfully when all is said and done; it was just one of those times where I really noticed a difference between living in a small town, where if three or four people don't get back to you the job maybe doesn't happen, and a larger metro area, where if four people blow you off you just call the next 40 in the phone book.

Wanna see something scary?

Though lately I have been wrapped up in toilets and insulation and HVAC systems, thinking this will be our next big home improvement project, this past week I was reminded of that old adage "Expect the unexpected." The unexpected is, thankfully, not so major a project--just one that must be completed as soon as possible. And if I am truthful, it was not completely unexpected; we had been warned during our home inspection, and kind of had our fingers crossed that we wouldn't have to deal with it so soon.

We had two snow days this week, and while the boys were out playing, B decided to knock the icicles from the eaves. To do this, he stood on the post of our side porch--

Similar to this one

and then immediately found himself on the ground, with no icicle in hand, as the post essentially disintegrated (he was completely fine, and to his credit promptly confessed to his misdeeds).


All the trim fell right off



Around the bottom too

Dry rot we knew about, and probably ancient termite damage as well

Yikes.

C has wedged a board between the porch floor and ceiling to help keep it supported.  The good news: the whole post may not have to be replaced, but instead can be repaired; the rot does not appear to extend through the whole piece.  I also walked around the rest of the porch, stabbing rails and posts with a screwdriver--it all seems fine, except for needing a new coat of paint.

The culprit in this dry rot is most likely our gutter, which, when it dams up with leaves or snow, sends a steady drip of water right down the length of the post. This will have to be remedied as well.

Hopefully we will have our rotten post repaired and good as new in the next week or so!