IIRC, the problem with kyounge's walls is the texture coat that is now on them. I don't think the above method (using thinned out joint compound) would be very effective--not enough build. A "real" skim coat, using setting compound and applied with a trowel, will work but it's not a job for a do-it-yourselfer. It takes a skilled wall pro to get things looking right, especially if the light will be striking the wall at a sharp angle. By the time you pay someone for their time, putting up fresh drywall would probably be about the same price or less. Anyway, it's worth getting bids for each approach.
It also means they can just use the existing carpets as a drop cloth, instead of having to protect the floors, since the carpet will be removed anyway.
). That will give me lots of time to pick out a good color. I wonder if the paint stores have software that lets you put the new color on a photo of your house, to see what it will look like....
I am already a member of Angie's list. That's where I found my inspector and I will have to take some time and add to his list of glowing reviews. He is a keeper (although I hope this is the last time I need to have a house inspected).
Title glitch cleared up, docs emailed & money wired to escrow company yesterday, and real estate agent just now dropped off the keys. I just bought me a house!
Now I'm starting to think about the repairs & stuff. I think the very first choice I need to make is between copper & pex for re-plumbing (to be done while the crawl space is being cleaned out and floor reinsulated). Copper is higher embodied energy to manufacture and install(?) but will last more or less indefinitely (?) and could at least theoretically be re-used after this house---pex is a single-use product, lifespan unknown (at least to me) that can't (?) be recycled. Which is more damaging to the environment, copper mining & smelting or oil extraction/plastic manufacture? I'd like to make sustainable choices in the work I have done on the house, but right now have a myriad of questions and no idea where to find the answers. I'll also eventually need to decide metal vs wood vs cement-composite for exterior siding, "Swedish finish" vs ?? for hardwood floors, materials for kitchen update, and many other such choices. Does anyone here know of a forum or other source that focuses on and provides information for making green/sustainable choices for remodeling and repairing an existing house?
Karen
That's the plan. I won't be moving until January at the earliest.
Right now I am taking a breather from house-related activities, other than seeking information online. I still need to figure out how much money I have left over from the townhouse, and then tackle the most important stuff first.
The floor was already insulated, but rats got in the crawl space and pulled down a lot of what was there (I think it is fiberglass batts). So item one on the repair/renovation list is to get the rats out of the crawlspace, replace the vapor barrier and restore the insulation. I am only looking at plumbing because the existing pipe is 60-year-old galvanized iron and inspector says it is at the end of its useful lifespan. I might be able to live with it, but it seems like it would make sense to deal with it along with other crawlspace issues. If I run short of funds I will probably see if it (the water pressure etc) is tolerable and maybe have the re-plumbing done at same time as a future kitchen remodel, which will require crawlspace entry because it includes changes to the plumbing as well as extending the gas pipe to change the kitchen range from electric to gas.
The stud bays are already insulated. When/if I tear off & replace the siding (right now the house has some original cedar shingle siding and some has been replaced with concrete board), I would definitely consider adding an insulated sheathing to cut heat loss through the studs. When I was planning my straw bale house, I intended to use metal siding rather than either wood, concrete-board or vinyl. Metal has very high embodied energy but it's basically impervious to everything, and could at least theoretically be recycled at the end of the building's lifespan. It can be painted, but doesn't have to be. From what I hear of vinyl I would not use it again (the townhouse I just sold had vinyl). Although it does have the benefit of being durable, I believe it's very toxic to manufacture (i.e. it endangers the workers who make it). The only way to change the color of your house is to tear it off and replace it. I would imagine it is also difficult to match years after purchase if you wish to make an addition to the house or e.g. match the siding of the house on a garden shed. (Metal siding might also have this problem.) Vinyl is non-recyclable and non-renewable. I don't know if it could be torn off one building in good enough condition to re-use it on another, but I doubt it. Concrete board seems to me to be somewhere in-between. It's high embodied energy, but durable, can be painted if desired, and may be easier to match for later additions/remodel than either metal or vinyl. I don't know if it can be re-used, and it doesn't look to me to be recyclable.
I will have to do that, after checking in my late dad's workshop to see whether what I need is in there. My mom suggested I might want to change the locks on the doors (I think the house may have been a rental before sale). I checked the workshop and there are a couple of locksets which I think were originally bought for a rental property my parents owned. The house has more than two doors, but maybe I will only need to buy two or three new locks instead of four or five.
