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Yearly Archives: 2013
More About Rock Wool
Insulation, just like so many LEED building options was a rather tortuous decision. I was introduced to the idea of using rock wool by Sarah, my LEED expert friend. She recommended looking at rock wool for a couple of reasons. … Continue reading
Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Energy Efficiency, House Systems, LEED Project
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Roxul Rock Wool Arrives
After a couple of false starts by Lowes, the rock wool insulation was finally delivered, which meant a full day of hauling it from the pallets on the driveway to the inside. This job fell to our son-in-law and four … Continue reading
Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Energy Efficiency, House Systems
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Hornets’ Nest! @#&!
One of the demo experts started to tear out the hallway ceiling and came running out with a terrified cry of “HORNETS”! The guy was very allergic and would have had to take lots of Benedryl or get to a … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction, Maintenance and Repair
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Where the Rain Gets In
Unfortunately, the flashing on the southern exposed roof was deteriorating rapidly. I used Eternbond tape to reseal the roofing to the stucco and to seal the top of the flashing to the siding after removing the old trim. After sealing … Continue reading
Posted in LEED Project, Maintenance and Repair
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I’m Fixing a Hole
I caught a photo of the woodpecker that I am trying to encourage to go elsewhere to nest. The woodpeckers pecked holes through the cedar siding, the fiberboard sheathing, the polyiso sheathing and into the fiberglass where they tore the … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, Maintenance and Repair
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Goodbye Fiberglass (Mostly)
There were a lot of damaged fiberglass batts in the walls and ceiling. Most of the batts had to be discarded due to mold, mouse holes and urine. The fiberglass batts just about filed the 30 yard dumpster, as well … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
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Bare Bones
I decided that the cathedral ceiling being extra tall and inaccessible, was too difficult for me to tear out myself. I enlisted the help of some demolition experts who I contacted through their ad on Craigslist. They came over with … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
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It’s a Gas
Correction required for this article: Please read italics below. Making progress on the house and about ready to install new insulation, so I decided to see if we could get the gas pipes moved out of the way of new … Continue reading
Posted in House Systems, Radiant Heat
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Nature’s Warriors
Hey, what was that tap tap tapping on my house? Yeah, I think I let this one happen. Even while I was home it did not occur to me that the birds could drill a hole right through the siding … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
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Air Barriers
One of the benefits of blogging is to organize thoughts about next steps. When Sarah visited, she advised me to finish the external barrier first and that was a helpful comment in a sometimes overwhelming project. I am taking apart … Continue reading
Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Energy Efficiency, Planning
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Hot Water at Last!
YES! Endless hot water @ 2.4 gallons per minute. That was enough for a nice long shower, first one in the house in about a year. So nice to finally have the water system connected and hot water running again. … Continue reading
Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, Energy Efficiency, House Systems
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More Boiler Business
Even though I thought I did all the research necessary to make a good decision, I have spent time doubting the choice I made for the boiler. The radiant system was sized using the Manual J calculations for the existing … Continue reading
Posted in Condensing Modulating Gas Boiler, House Systems, Radiant Heat
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Dropping the Attic
The first step was removing the rest of the loose fill fiberglass insulation from the attic rafters. Messy job. I bagged all the loose fill in case I need it to fill in or increase the depth of the insulation … Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction
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Mang Ox Water Filter
The well water test came back with questionable news about the water. The stains in the plumbing already indicated rust and lime (calcium carbonate) in the water and the new boiler/water heater requires that the water not be high in … Continue reading
Posted in House Systems, Plumbing
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Slab Edge Continued
The slab edge had to be sealed against radon. I had decided to use roofing tape (Eternabond Webseal) and after returning to see that the Sanitred had pulled away from the edges of the cement, it was an even more … Continue reading
Posted in Construction, House Systems, Radon Mitigation
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LEED Expert Visits the Site!
Yesterday a LEED expert and architect designer came from Washington DC to visit the project and give me a personal consultation gratis!! This unbelievable event was arranged by her mom, who with her husband had the house designed and built … Continue reading
Posted in LEED Project
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Insulation Solutions?
What is the best insulation for this remodel? That is the question. It is probably one of the most important decisions because not only is insulation expensive, it is a large part of the building envelope and has to meet … Continue reading
Posted in Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope, Planning
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Sweet Serendipity and Awnings
Amazingly I met the woman who with her husband originally had the house designed and built. I knew the original owners’ names from the county website and found out a bit about them from a neighbor. I found that the … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Efficiency
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FTDS: Follow the directions stupid?
Well, yes, the stain came with directions, what to do when the colors overlapped, what to do when the stain beaded up on the surface, etc. etc. I read these and then proceeded to lose focus on them and had … Continue reading
Posted in Design Style
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Old Hickory Furniture
Even though the house is not ready for furniture, it is part of the overall look and feel of the project and I knew from the beginning that our vision of a Colorado cabin would include rustic furniture and trim. … Continue reading
Posted in Design Style
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