ouroldhouse.ca

[Brundle_Fly]

http://www.ouroldhouse.ca

blogging our home reno project.

[NMDemDist2]

1. ack!! BATS!!!!!

cool, remind us when you update eh?

[Warpy]

2. Bats are beneficial rodents

and eat many times their weight in bugs every night.

That being said, you don't want to encourage one to live anywhere near you. Their droppings can be toxic to some people and in the northeast there's a moderate risk of rabies.

It's a good thing that your kitty didn't go after it, in other words.

I would strongly suggest you call animal control and have it removed. If they're unable to do so, call an exterminator, although it's much better to have it trapped and released somewhere out in the woods.

Bats up in the rafters in barns are generally not a big problem. Bats under your front porch or up in the attic are.

[Kolesar]

3. How are you addressing energy use?

I would expect that making the building tight against air infiltration will be easier than putting insulation into the walls. Does it have steam heat?

[Brundle_Fly]

4. it has a ...

boiler designed for heating olympic sized swimming pools, and it currently powers 35 radiators. We have had them all checked out and they are all working efficiently other than replacing a few valves.

The house itself is triple brick, so it doesn't exactly have a breeze blowing through it, we still have all the original storm windows up, and the only problem was the old stables (converted to kitchen in the 50's) had terrible windows, we have replaced them and we blew insulation into the walls as we did the install.

[Kolesar]

5. A "blower door" test revealed some huge energy-robbing drafty features (bungalow owners beware!)

Watch for wind-driven and convective heat losses where "knee wall" construction is used (note that oval on the right ).


I would recommend a "blower door" evaluation, where they set a powerful fan in the front door opening to draw a vacuum on the house. The technician will walk about the house with an air pressure gage that will tell what rooms and walls have air streaming into them.

The "pockets" where your double hung windows have sash weights have holes allowing air leaks. There are spring systems that one can buy to replace the sash weight system. Double hung windows are difficult to make air tight and insulating, even with new windows (!). Surely put gaskets behind your electrical cover plates on all outside and inside walls.

The low budget way to look for air leaks in the basement is to look for spider webs. The webs are near the tiny holes that the spider's prey crawls through into the house.

As for your boiler, it probably gets 60-80% of the available heat out of the natural gas or fuel oil. I have not worked with steam. You may be able to find a boiler that will recover more of the heat from the fuel as is done by the "condensing" forced hot air furnace that we bought. Perhaps the efficient design will provide domestic hot water for the taps.

An on-demand hot water system is probably recommended if you use natural gas. We in the Imperial States of America have a significant tax break for those through the end of 2007. I found a discount, close out source that sells them for $400 US. I would have to dig up the link.

You may want to have someone scan the house with an infrared camera to look at where the heat loss is. Your local government may know how to find someone. A heating contractor may know also.

Just a few ideas while I sip my second cup. At first glance, I said "that's a Victorian". I am sure you know better. It sure is a nice looking home. Are you near Niagara Falls?

[Brundle_Fly]

6. MANY UPDATES

on the site.

http://www.ouroldhouse.ca

[MelissaB]

7. Thanks for posting these updates.

I came to this forum looking to see if there were any updates on your house. She's looking beautiful. Again, you're living in my dream house. :)

[eleny]

8. How are you dealing with that bathroom floor?

Can the lovely old tiles be revealed and saved?

Thanks for posting an update. You're a trooper!

[Brundle_Fly]

9. I dont think the bathroom tiles are gonna be able to be reclaimed,

once we got to trying we found their was 127 years of chips and flaws,


BUT


we found a reclamation shop about 30 miles up the highway with more than enough to redo...


sadly there is more pressing projects.

[Warpy]

10. Woodwork

Offhand, I suggest all that woodwork was meant to be painted. That the original owners seem to have chosen faux finishing doesn't mean you have to. Period wallpapers would do above and below the chair rail, rather than recreating that faux plywood.

You're just lucky you ran into wood. A lot of those old places used plaster "woodwork," especially in the rooms above the ground level. That may have been the case in the room with the ladder in it, since the crown molding is very plain and appears to be new millwork. It really doesn't fit the style of the house, does it?

As for the old, chipped and cracked bathroom floor, check out tile companies. They still make that old hexagonal tile. It comes in sheets, so it's really not that big a PIA to install once you get the old floor out.

[Brundle_Fly]

11. we are very lucky

other than the great room were the crown moldings are plaster ( and very intricate ) the whole house is wood, and we are about 25% done stripping it now.

very slow going taking work. we plan painting it all again, just the paint that was on there was very very slap dash. bubbled and drippy.

I think they did it for a quick sale in 2001

[bleedingheart]

12. Have you found a roofer?

If not...check if you can find someone from out of your area...

I know that people here in Pennsylvania have had good roofers from New York and even Vermont come to work...it might be worth it...

[Brundle_Fly]

13. A Slate Affair in Vermont has quoted.

They do very nice work.

[bleedingheart]

14. Your studio looks gorgeous

I love to check in and see what you have been up to!

[politicat]

15. Wow...

I am so impressed.

And yes, I feel for you on the slate roofer... There's a really, really good one in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who serves 90% of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. I have and will continue to pay him in gold, cookies or diamonds if that is what it takes to keep him happy. As for the local guy who can't understand what the word estimate is...

Do you have a Better Business Bureau or similar? Leave a complaint. Also, review him on Craigslist, or your town's newspaper board, etc.

edited because I can't spell and Safari was a little too eager for me.

[bleedingheart]

16. my sister's slate roof was replaced with shingles...

they look like slate but are much cheaper...and she chose the 50year shingle...and to be honest...they look really good.

[Warpy]

17. Thwack!

Kicked for the new blog entries.

[bleedingheart]

18. I love your home....it is a dream of mine to do something like this one day

but for now...I live vicariously through your notes on your project!!

[Mist]

19. I've been following your renovation saga, and I'm delighted you found

a slate roof guy (well, 2 guys) to give that roof the treatment it needs!