Join Early Retirement Today
Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-03-2019, 07:14 PM   #2721
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
REWahoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,003
After returning home from a three week RV trip Saturday to discover our central AC failed while we were gone, repairs were completed late yesterday and we were able to finally move back into the house. One of the repair guys mentioned I might want to consider adding additional attic insulation as the blown-in fiberglass had compressed quite a bit over the past 20 years. He was right. I think I started out with 13 inches (R-38) but it looks like it has shrunk to no more than 6 to 8 inches on average.

I looked at purchasing cellulose insulation from Lowe's ($700 plus the free use of a blower) and doing it myself with the help of a couple of my grandsons. Then after calling a local insulation contractor who agreed to do the job for $1,000, I decided to forego the DIY option. This way if someone puts their foot through my ceiling it won't be me or a family member - and I won't pay until it is repaired.
__________________
Numbers is hard
REWahoo is offline  
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 10-03-2019, 08:22 PM   #2722
Full time employment: Posting here.
RetiredGypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 979
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo View Post
After returning home from a three week RV trip Saturday to discover our central AC failed while we were gone, repairs were completed late yesterday and we were able to finally move back into the house. One of the repair guys mentioned I might want to consider adding additional attic insulation as the blown-in fiberglass had compressed quite a bit over the past 20 years. He was right. I think I started out with 13 inches (R-38) but it looks like it has shrunk to no more than 6 to 8 inches on average.

I looked at purchasing cellulose insulation from Lowe's ($700 plus the free use of a blower) and doing it myself with the help of a couple of my grandsons. Then after calling a local insulation contractor who agreed to do the job for $1,000, I decided to forego the DIY option. This way if someone puts their foot through my ceiling it won't be me or a family member - and I won't pay until it is repaired.
It would be worth asking what they'd charge to air seal the attic from the living volume of the house. Or using dense spray foam insulation on the attic ductwork itself to an R value of 38.

Build Science with Joe Lstiburek has some great articles on the why. I'll see if I can find them again.
__________________
I'm free and I like it!
RetiredGypsy is offline  
Old 10-04-2019, 01:21 PM   #2723
Full time employment: Posting here.
RetiredGypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 979
Here we go:

https://www.buildingscience.com/docu...i-094-no-sweat

I'm having a bear of a time finding their why of air sealing, but this is a good video from Matt Risinger[/URL] (home builder in Texas, actually)
__________________
I'm free and I like it!
RetiredGypsy is offline  
Old 10-04-2019, 02:08 PM   #2724
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
REWahoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,003
Interesting and definitely something anyone building a new home should consider as the cost to do all that sealing should be minimal at that point. But in an existing home I don't think the cost could be justified, at least not unless the home had far more issues than mine does. At the 35:00 point in the video he quotes a cost for his "Insulation 2.0" (removing old attic insulation, sealing all air intrusion points and re-insulating) to be in the range of $4 to $6 per sq ft. That would cost me between $10K and $15K, and the payback would probably exceed my expected future lifespan by a factor of at least five.

I think (hope) I got the most bang for the buck by spending only $1K to have added insulation blown in to bring the R factor up to 38. I'll be monitoring my electric bill closely over the coming months to measure any reduction and see if I can calculate a payback - one I might still be alive to enjoy.
__________________
Numbers is hard
REWahoo is offline  
Old 10-04-2019, 09:35 PM   #2725
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
samclem's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 14,404
When we moved into our built-in-1959 home (southern Ohio), I found 6" of settled fiberglass insulation in the attic. I spent 2 days doing a pretty good job of sealing the ceiling (raking back the fiberglass and sealing things up with caulk, Great Stuff, and even sheets of rigid polystyrene over the dropped soffits in kitchen and bath, etc. Yes, there were some amazing surprises.). I added proper soffit baffling and venting, then blew in 12" of cellulose. It was the cheap way to do things, but has really worked well.
One thing about fiberglass in very cold weather (not Texas, but places north): when attic temps get very cold, fiberglass (batts or blown) is "open" enough that convection cells get established in and above the insulation, so it loses a significant amount of its R value just when you need it most. IIRC, this doesn't happen until the interior (ceiling) and attic temps differ by about 60 deg F. If you've got such a situation, it can be remedied inexpensively with a layer of cellulose insulation on top of the existing fiberglass.
samclem is offline  
Old 10-05-2019, 06:04 AM   #2726
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
REWahoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,003
Quote:
Originally Posted by samclem View Post
When we moved into our built-in-1959 home (southern Ohio), I found 6" of settled fiberglass insulation in the attic. I spent 2 days doing a pretty good job of sealing the ceiling (raking back the fiberglass and sealing things up with caulk, Great Stuff, and even sheets of rigid polystyrene over the dropped soffits in kitchen and bath, etc. Yes, there were some amazing surprises.). I added proper soffit baffling and venting, then blew in 12" of cellulose. It was the cheap way to do things, but has really worked well.
I admire your DIY enthusiasm and dedication. Crawling around in my attic, raking back the existing insulation and sealing up around light fixtures is something that would have given me pause even when I was 20 years younger.

Quote:
Originally Posted by samclem View Post
One thing about fiberglass in very cold weather (not Texas, but places north): when attic temps get very cold, fiberglass (batts or blown) is "open" enough that convection cells get established in and above the insulation, so it loses a significant amount of its R value just when you need it most. IIRC, this doesn't happen until the interior (ceiling) and attic temps differ by about 60 deg F. If you've got such a situation, it can be remedied inexpensively with a layer of cellulose insulation on top of the existing fiberglass.
I'm always learning something new on this forum.
__________________
Numbers is hard
REWahoo is offline  
Old 10-05-2019, 10:42 AM   #2727
Full time employment: Posting here.
RetiredGypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 979
The Triumph saga continues. I finally got the electrical issue straightened out, but because they chose a soft foam gasket instead of rubber, it tore getting the airbox housing out, so now I have to wait two weeks to get a replacement.

Huzzah.
__________________
I'm free and I like it!
RetiredGypsy is offline  
Old 10-05-2019, 11:54 AM   #2728
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Ed_The_Gypsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: the City of Subdued Excitement
Posts: 5,588
Just finished replacing the master bathroom flooring after the flange on the commode broke and leaked into the ceiling downstairs. Another $1400 plumbing disaster. My knees are not happy.
__________________
I have outlived most of the people I don't like and I am working on the rest.
Ed_The_Gypsy is offline  
Old 10-05-2019, 02:14 PM   #2729
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
harley's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
We've recently gotten a contract on our townhouse, and of course during the inspection a number of items were listed. Some are legit, like a water spot in the attic needing to be checked/repaired, and some caulking and siding maintenance. But others were pretty absurd, like our outside garage light being "defective" (needed a new light bulb), and a wall plug face plate not having a screw in it to hold it to the wall. I don't know why the paint can't just keep on holding it like it did for the 10 years we've owned the place. And there were a few others.

I knocked most of them out in about 10 minutes. I refused to accept the "must be repaired by a licensed contractor" nonsense for the simple ones.

One of them was an actual problem, but I still fixed it myself. I've never had to replace the coil balance spring on a window before. I didn't even know there was one. But one of ours was busted. A quick google look up, followed by ordering a part and waiting a week or so, and I was on the job. As usual there was a handy Youtube video. And as usual, it wasn't anywhere near as easy as they make it look. But I got it installed and working. Now I'm a window expert (at least DW thinks so). Yay for the internet!
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
harley is offline  
Old 10-23-2019, 09:48 AM   #2730
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,016
Circulation pump downstairs heat zone. Again, happy the the builder owner we bought our house from in 2004 was very OCD and made ample use of shut off valves. 2 wire nuts, four bolts and a tug. Local plumbing supply shop has new pump for $111. And HVAC specialist would have probably charged $800 for a service call.....
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 20191023_113836[1].jpg (416.4 KB, 30 views)
doneat54 is offline  
Old 10-23-2019, 10:07 AM   #2731
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
John Galt III's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,776
Continuing to seal up new and unexpected possible water entry places on my exterior french door. Latest event was taping a clear sheet of plastic over the threshold, after which there was no leak from the usual basement spot during the last rain. I will not assume I have fixed it completely though, lol. Eventually may spring for the $4,000 $5,000 $6,000 gouge-fest and have a new french door installed, but for now I have an ongoing project to keep me busy and engaged, and hopeful.
John Galt III is offline  
Old 10-23-2019, 10:22 AM   #2732
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 17,008
^^^^^
A relative had a lovely entrance door, but when the interior baseboard was pulled off, it revealed rot.
The issue was caused by the threshold, which was aluminum covered and looked fine. However, getting down on my knees, I could see the aluminum cover was actually 2 pieces.
This left a barely visible line along which water would enter.
This rot happened even with a porch roof over the door, so basically it rarely got wet.

Perhaps your threshold has the tiniest of separation/hole, or even sucks up the water from the bottom outside edge via surface tension.
__________________
Fortune favors the prepared mind. ... Louis Pasteur
Sunset is offline  
Old 10-23-2019, 11:03 AM   #2733
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 180
This thread is awesome!

Always called our wonderful reasonably priced handyman to fix the numerous ongoing issues in our 200+ year old home while I was working.

Now, having more time and less I come, I've gotten a bit more intrepid.
Not on the level of posters so far but maybe I'll get there! (I'm 63 so might have time)

We bought our lovely little lake house at retirement. It is ONLY 100 yes old, so pretty new for us.
It is sound and perfect in many ways for us.
We overlooked some small cosmetic issues at closing, no big deal to us.

There were about 8 missing tiles where floor meets wall in our second bathroom.
Did they come loose and got thrown? It's a mystery.

The biggest problem was finding 'matching' 4x4 tiles of same color and texture.
Stalked Ebay and Etsy and other sites for weeks. Some looked like perfect matches but sellers wanted BIG money for each and no one had enough to complete my job.

Decided to try lowes online.
Nothing a perfect color match but found one that looked pretty good.
Was able to buy 10 tiles for like $15. Small investment if not usable.
Learned how to cut, cement and grout tiles on youtube.
Installation was about one hour over 2 days for drying.
I cant believe how good they look! The weird flesh/pink colored tiles are not identical but unless a visitor wants to get down on my bathroom floor, I doubt it will be noticed!

Looking forward to learning more from the brave souls here!
momoftwo is offline  
Old 10-23-2019, 11:09 AM   #2734
Moderator Emeritus
aja8888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,642
Quote:
Originally Posted by momoftwo View Post
Decided to try lowes online.
Nothing a perfect color match but found one that looked pretty good.
Was able to buy 10 tiles for like $15. Small investment if not usable.
Learned how to cut, cement and grout tiles on youtube.
Installation was about one hour over 2 days for drying.
I cant believe how good they look! The weird flesh/pink colored tiles are not identical but unless a visitor wants to get down on my bathroom floor, I doubt it will be noticed!

Looking forward to learning more from the brave souls here!
Fixes like this just give the old place a bit of charm and character. Great job!
__________________
*********Go Astros!*********
aja8888 is offline  
Old 10-24-2019, 08:18 AM   #2735
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
John Galt III's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,776
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunset View Post
^^^^^
A relative had a lovely entrance door, but when the interior baseboard was pulled off, it revealed rot.
The issue was caused by the threshold, which was aluminum covered and looked fine. However, getting down on my knees, I could see the aluminum cover was actually 2 pieces.
This left a barely visible line along which water would enter.
This rot happened even with a porch roof over the door, so basically it rarely got wet.

Perhaps your threshold has the tiniest of separation/hole, or even sucks up the water from the bottom outside edge via surface tension.
Thank you, Sunset. Yes, there is a small horizontal crack in part of the threshold, which is aluminum. I can't tell if it was made that way or if it appeared with age, but I'm going to tape over it today and see what happens. Also going to seal up the seams in one of the 2 windows in the door with caulking.
John Galt III is offline  
Old 10-24-2019, 09:36 AM   #2736
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
GravitySucks's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Syracuse
Posts: 3,501
Clothes dryer broke. $9 belt online but went to parts supply house where talking with the counter person I learned there is an up grade kit replacing the slider tensioner with a roller tensioner and it came with all new rollers. $45 and two hours all in including the drive to the parts store. Belt alone at the store is $15, but no wait and get to pick the brains of a pro.

Damn thing squeeked for the last 15 years. Nice and quiet now.
__________________
“No, not rich. I am a poor man with money, which is not the same thing"
GravitySucks is offline  
Old 10-25-2019, 06:46 PM   #2737
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Finance Dave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,854
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Galt III View Post
Continuing to seal up new and unexpected possible water entry places on my exterior french door. Latest event was taping a clear sheet of plastic over the threshold, after which there was no leak from the usual basement spot during the last rain. I will not assume I have fixed it completely though, lol. Eventually may spring for the $4,000 $5,000 $6,000 gouge-fest and have a new french door installed, but for now I have an ongoing project to keep me busy and engaged, and hopeful.
Often those are not flashed correctly, especially if they are adjacent to a deck or porch. As a home inspector I saw that sometimes. Hope you figure it out.
__________________
"Live every day as if it were your last, and one day you'll be right" - unknown
Finance Dave is offline  
Old 10-31-2019, 06:49 AM   #2738
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
John Galt III's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,776
One of my VCR's (yes, the player of VHS tapes, lol) has started to get cranky when loading and ejecting tapes. Took it apart and watched it doing its thing when loading and ejecting. Turns out there is a very thin small belt going around a pulley that looks loose (the belt), since it 'flaps' when in use. Decided not to try to replace it since too many parts would have to come off. May try to get a local place to do it, if price is right. One screw vanished during the whole event. Gotta be on the living room rug somewhere, but nope. Gone. Fortunately the lack of the screw does not seem to make the VCR operate any worse.
John Galt III is offline  
Old 10-31-2019, 10:07 AM   #2739
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 17,008
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Galt III View Post
One of my VCR's (yes, the player of VHS tapes, lol) has started to get cranky when loading and ejecting tapes. Took it apart and watched it doing its thing when loading and ejecting. Turns out there is a very thin small belt going around a pulley that looks loose (the belt), since it 'flaps' when in use. Decided not to try to replace it since too many parts would have to come off. May try to get a local place to do it, if price is right. One screw vanished during the whole event. Gotta be on the living room rug somewhere, but nope. Gone. Fortunately the lack of the screw does not seem to make the VCR operate any worse.
Good luck finding a place that knows how to repair one, I'm still looking for a shop to balance my ox-cart wheels
__________________
Fortune favors the prepared mind. ... Louis Pasteur
Sunset is offline  
Old 10-31-2019, 10:17 AM   #2740
Dryer sheet aficionado
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Brandon
Posts: 32
Replaced the pump on my pressure washer. I will test it this afternoon . Fingers crossed .
Megg1141 is offline  
Closed Thread


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Your recent repair? - 2021 to ? Gumby Life after FIRE 1668 Yesterday 05:59 PM
What's your recent concert? gcgang Other topics 208 10-17-2023 06:05 AM
The Photographers' Corner 2013-2020 FIREd Life after FIRE 3481 12-30-2020 04:42 AM
Any recent experience with buying a solar system for your house? eyeonFI Other topics 68 07-07-2014 06:41 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:02 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.