Winterizing an old house
#1
10-05-00, 06:29 PM
Help! I am the proud new owner of a 200 year old house in New Hampshire. I have several questions about winterizing this house:
--This house has no storm windows. I am planning on putting plastic film on them this year until I can get storm windows. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
--I was given a great wood/coal stove and would like to install it in my fireplace. I called a chimney sweep company today and was told it would probably be at least $1000. Is this right?!?!
--What else should I do to get ready for winter?
Any help appreciated! This is my first house and I (obviously) don't know a lot about this stuff....
Thanks in advance!
Jennifer
--This house has no storm windows. I am planning on putting plastic film on them this year until I can get storm windows. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
--I was given a great wood/coal stove and would like to install it in my fireplace. I called a chimney sweep company today and was told it would probably be at least $1000. Is this right?!?!
--What else should I do to get ready for winter?
Any help appreciated! This is my first house and I (obviously) don't know a lot about this stuff....
Thanks in advance!
Jennifer
#2
10-06-00, 12:56 PM
WALLS/ATTIC DECK:
You have several options here, which should be undertaken before even thinking about those windows.
If the house has hollow walls(ie: is not a log cabin), you can have cellulose or fiberglass blown in. Check the condition of the attic deck first, and have cellulite blown in or put down batts of fiberglass. Your local code(simply a measure of heat retention/resistance) is R-40, I believe, so that means at least 8 inches of fiberglass!!
Next, if the house has an upstairs, check the upstairs ceiling(attic floor) for any obvious holes or cracks you could fit the Times through(!) These must be spackled or re-plastered, or in the worst case, new sheetrock could be laid over. You'll only lose about 1/2" of height in those bedroom ceilings if that's the case.
For the walls, you can either tear them out and lay in batts of fiberglass(expensive and very messy), or have holes drilled in the outside walls and have cellulite blown in.
CELLAR
If one present)
Sound the cellar for cracks/water damage before starting any rehab.
For the cellar, you may want to have a water repellant such as Thompson's water seal applied, and partially finish the cellar with R-11 batts and plywood paneling.
Having done the above, you could conceivably never touch the windows, and yet feel very comfortable year round. Remember, insulation and weatherstripping(around doors especially!), retains heat in winter and resists heat in the summer. It will do a lot more for your comfort than plastic over the windows. And...It's a lot cheaper than restoration /repair/ replacement of windows.
But if you want to proceed with the windows afterwards...
WINDOWS:
Watch an espicdo - eposiside - EPISODE!! (G.W. Bush lives!! ; ) of "This Old House" and you're bound to see a restoration project or two. They are a challenge. What condition are your windows in? Is there any glazing(putty, etc.) left against the glass. Is it cracked or falling away? Do the panes rattle when you tap them? Are the sash overly loose in the tracks, or are they too tight or painted shut? What shape are the jambs/frames in?
There are so many variables. Hopefully your's is just a case where the sash are removed, the old glazing removed and replaced with a new semi-acrylic mixture. New spring-loaded jamb-liners can installed and the "olde" weight chambers sealed up. Those old sash will ride up and down like new work, and though not providing the performance of double-paned glass will be a century ahead as far as airtightness concerned.
Speaking of wind, this post is long in it, but hopefully some of these general tips will be of help.
-Chris
You have several options here, which should be undertaken before even thinking about those windows.
If the house has hollow walls(ie: is not a log cabin), you can have cellulose or fiberglass blown in. Check the condition of the attic deck first, and have cellulite blown in or put down batts of fiberglass. Your local code(simply a measure of heat retention/resistance) is R-40, I believe, so that means at least 8 inches of fiberglass!!
Next, if the house has an upstairs, check the upstairs ceiling(attic floor) for any obvious holes or cracks you could fit the Times through(!) These must be spackled or re-plastered, or in the worst case, new sheetrock could be laid over. You'll only lose about 1/2" of height in those bedroom ceilings if that's the case.
For the walls, you can either tear them out and lay in batts of fiberglass(expensive and very messy), or have holes drilled in the outside walls and have cellulite blown in.
CELLAR
If one present)Sound the cellar for cracks/water damage before starting any rehab.
For the cellar, you may want to have a water repellant such as Thompson's water seal applied, and partially finish the cellar with R-11 batts and plywood paneling.
Having done the above, you could conceivably never touch the windows, and yet feel very comfortable year round. Remember, insulation and weatherstripping(around doors especially!), retains heat in winter and resists heat in the summer. It will do a lot more for your comfort than plastic over the windows. And...It's a lot cheaper than restoration /repair/ replacement of windows.
But if you want to proceed with the windows afterwards...
WINDOWS:
Watch an espicdo - eposiside - EPISODE!! (G.W. Bush lives!! ; ) of "This Old House" and you're bound to see a restoration project or two. They are a challenge. What condition are your windows in? Is there any glazing(putty, etc.) left against the glass. Is it cracked or falling away? Do the panes rattle when you tap them? Are the sash overly loose in the tracks, or are they too tight or painted shut? What shape are the jambs/frames in?
There are so many variables. Hopefully your's is just a case where the sash are removed, the old glazing removed and replaced with a new semi-acrylic mixture. New spring-loaded jamb-liners can installed and the "olde" weight chambers sealed up. Those old sash will ride up and down like new work, and though not providing the performance of double-paned glass will be a century ahead as far as airtightness concerned.
Speaking of wind, this post is long in it, but hopefully some of these general tips will be of help.
-Chris
#3
10-07-00, 06:03 AM
Thanks, Chris. Can I ask a few more questions (well, will you answer a few more questions?)?
The attic at some time in the past was finished into two bedrooms and a large hallway, so I would have to tear up the floor to see if there is insulation under the floor. I don't mind doing this, but if I discover there is no insulation (or unusable insulation), can I put down batts myself? Is this a terribly complicated job? The ceilings on the second floor are in perfect shape--not a crack to be found (the previous owners renovated the whole house pretty extensively, but they tried to keep it looking authentic, which is why I have no storm windows).
As far as insulation in the walls, I have no idea what is in there. Is it horrendously expensive to have someone blow in insulation? Having just bought the house, spending more money is the last thing I want to do! (As it is, I think I'll be eating those 6 for $1 noodles for the rest of my life. Or at least the next 30 years.) Can I have, say, 2 rooms done at a time, or is this an all-at-the-same-time type of thing?
As far as the cellar goes--it's stone with a dirt floor. I can't see any water damage (!) but there are lots of spaces between the stones! At some point in time, someone had cement poured on top of the stones, so the part that is above-ground is completely sealed. I'm not even going to think about the cellar this year! Maybe I'll just cover the cellar door with plastic and hope I don't need anything down there until spring....
Thanks in advance (again)!
Jennifer
The attic at some time in the past was finished into two bedrooms and a large hallway, so I would have to tear up the floor to see if there is insulation under the floor. I don't mind doing this, but if I discover there is no insulation (or unusable insulation), can I put down batts myself? Is this a terribly complicated job? The ceilings on the second floor are in perfect shape--not a crack to be found (the previous owners renovated the whole house pretty extensively, but they tried to keep it looking authentic, which is why I have no storm windows).
As far as insulation in the walls, I have no idea what is in there. Is it horrendously expensive to have someone blow in insulation? Having just bought the house, spending more money is the last thing I want to do! (As it is, I think I'll be eating those 6 for $1 noodles for the rest of my life. Or at least the next 30 years.) Can I have, say, 2 rooms done at a time, or is this an all-at-the-same-time type of thing?
As far as the cellar goes--it's stone with a dirt floor. I can't see any water damage (!) but there are lots of spaces between the stones! At some point in time, someone had cement poured on top of the stones, so the part that is above-ground is completely sealed. I'm not even going to think about the cellar this year! Maybe I'll just cover the cellar door with plastic and hope I don't need anything down there until spring....
Thanks in advance (again)!
Jennifer
quote:<HR>Originally posted by Chris_K_99:
WALLS/ATTIC DECK:
You have several options here, which should be undertaken before even thinking about those windows.
If the house has hollow walls(ie: is not a log cabin), you can have cellulose or fiberglass blown in. Check the condition of the attic deck first, and have cellulite blown in or put down batts of fiberglass. Your local code(simply a measure of heat retention/resistance) is R-40, I believe, so that means at least 8 inches of fiberglass!!
Next, if the house has an upstairs, check the upstairs ceiling(attic floor) for any obvious holes or cracks you could fit the Times through(!) These must be spackled or re-plastered, or in the worst case, new sheetrock could be laid over. You'll only lose about 1/2" of height in those bedroom ceilings if that's the case.
For the walls, you can either tear them out and lay in batts of fiberglass(expensive and very messy), or have holes drilled in the outside walls and have cellulite blown in.
CELLAR
Sound the cellar for cracks/water damage before starting any rehab.
For the cellar, you may want to have a water repellant such as Thompson's water seal applied, and partially finish the cellar with R-11 batts and plywood paneling.
Having done the above, you could conceivably never touch the windows, and yet feel very comfortable year round. Remember, insulation and weatherstripping(around doors especially!), retains heat in winter and resists heat in the summer. It will do a lot more for your comfort than plastic over the windows. And...It's a lot cheaper than restoration /repair/ replacement of windows.
But if you want to proceed with the windows afterwards...
WINDOWS:
Watch an espicdo - eposiside - EPISODE!! (G.W. Bush lives!! ; ) of "This Old House" and you're bound to see a restoration project or two. They are a challenge. What condition are your windows in? Is there any glazing(putty, etc.) left against the glass. Is it cracked or falling away? Do the panes rattle when you tap them? Are the sash overly loose in the tracks, or are they too tight or painted shut? What shape are the jambs/frames in?
There are so many variables. Hopefully your's is just a case where the sash are removed, the old glazing removed and replaced with a new semi-acrylic mixture. New spring-loaded jamb-liners can installed and the "olde" weight chambers sealed up. Those old sash will ride up and down like new work, and though not providing the performance of double-paned glass will be a century ahead as far as airtightness concerned.
Speaking of wind, this post is long in it, but hopefully some of these general tips will be of help.
-Chris<HR>
#4
10-08-00, 10:08 AM
Sorry about the wood stove first of all, maybe someone more familiar with those could post here.
Regarding your attic:
Seems like it is now a finished part of your home, and you should NOT put insulation in it's floor, but rather, betweeen the rafters of the roof over those bedrooms. The key is to have the insulation above the highest habitable space, not below it. For rafters, use fiberglass batts, but remember, there needs to be atleast an inch clearance between those and the underside of the roof itself - for air circulation. If there are any fixtures for lights/vents in that "attic" ceiling, have them dropped and take a peak up there to see what insulation is present. Otherwise, you may have to cut away some ceiling to see what's up there.
For the outside walls, you could have an energy audit conducted either cheaply by a contractor or possibly for free by a local energy council. They will use infrared and other techniques to tell you where your greatest heat transfer(loss) is and what needs to be insulated. Walls that have been blown in and/or batted will sound quite solid when you knock on them, and will be "warm" to the touch, even on a 0 degree day NH is famous for.
I don't know much about the exact cost of blowing in insulation, but I'm sure it would be cheaper in the long run to have the whole thing done in one visit. Other than that, if you can only afford to have one level or section done at a time - go for it. Just beware of contractors who "fluff". This refers to making a little insulation look like more when they blow it in. Later on, this will settle and condense, potentially leaving the top quarter to a third of your walls uninsulated. Get references!
Good luck! You guys are going to get some 20s up there Sunday night.
-Chris
Regarding your attic:
Seems like it is now a finished part of your home, and you should NOT put insulation in it's floor, but rather, betweeen the rafters of the roof over those bedrooms. The key is to have the insulation above the highest habitable space, not below it. For rafters, use fiberglass batts, but remember, there needs to be atleast an inch clearance between those and the underside of the roof itself - for air circulation. If there are any fixtures for lights/vents in that "attic" ceiling, have them dropped and take a peak up there to see what insulation is present. Otherwise, you may have to cut away some ceiling to see what's up there.
For the outside walls, you could have an energy audit conducted either cheaply by a contractor or possibly for free by a local energy council. They will use infrared and other techniques to tell you where your greatest heat transfer(loss) is and what needs to be insulated. Walls that have been blown in and/or batted will sound quite solid when you knock on them, and will be "warm" to the touch, even on a 0 degree day NH is famous for.
I don't know much about the exact cost of blowing in insulation, but I'm sure it would be cheaper in the long run to have the whole thing done in one visit. Other than that, if you can only afford to have one level or section done at a time - go for it. Just beware of contractors who "fluff". This refers to making a little insulation look like more when they blow it in. Later on, this will settle and condense, potentially leaving the top quarter to a third of your walls uninsulated. Get references!
Good luck! You guys are going to get some 20s up there Sunday night.
-Chris
