All Forum Posts by: Don Meinke

Forgot to say trying to reduce the huge utility bills.  NOW the c/a was on all summer set pretty low so I can work in comfort there.  Elec bill with frig running has yet to hit 50 bucks.  

In the winter on an average winter the gas for the pvc vented newer furnace is about $100 for the highest month and about half that for months either side of that.  We can have BRUTAL winters with tons of snow and high got to $120 that year,,,but everybody was bitchin about  high bills then.

Thanks for the replies.  Wasnt thinking on a particular r value but probably should have.  The one house I am thinking of right now is the one I completely rewired and took the spider web of old knob and tube OUT of the attic.

Good access either by inside closet hatch on a 9 foot ceiling,,,ALL the rest of the house the ceilings were lowered to 8 foot with new framework and new drywall 20 years ago.  Still has the original plaster ceiling.  Above that was about 4 inches of blown cellulose, then years ago this guy siding the house was supposed to blow the outside walls full.  Anyway he opened the front attic window on the front porch and blew a pile inside of fiberglass(Hope it was just the leftovers).

So anyway it probably has the average of 6 inches with some deeper and others less.

Was thinking of like another r-30 over the maybe r 15 or so now. I do have another house that has some fiberglass rolls in the attic that is going to be in the road for when I reno that house next.  Just thought of that a few minutes ago long after I original posted.  I could harvest those batts and take them oveer to this and use them quicker.  The reno would prob need all new anyway to pass inspection.  Dont know easiest way to roll,move or transport them tho.  Might be a touch messy.

Other thing is attic is open and rectangular,,,the ONLY thing in the road is the new roof support posts all in a straight line down both sides that support the mid roof and took the 4 inch bow out of it,,, last summers project.  Was told I could not do that,,,NEVER say that to me.  It looked bad before,,,very straight now

I see houses I am interested in on Auction.com.  I see they are advertised as occupied when I drive by they look darn vacant,,,but cant say for sure.  It SAYS right on their site its a crime to tresspass or bother tenants in any way.

Do YOU knock on the door, peer thru the windows anyway???  Are you uncomfortable with buying a house you havent seen the inside of??And possible defects it holds?  I have seen a few houses the foundation is completely junk,toast.  HOW do you compensate for that in auction bidding?

What would happen if you found out later it was a horrific murder scene etc?

OR do they let you look inside sometimes?

I see these houses that look good from the outside but yet havent sold on numerous times of multiple online auctions.  Will they disclose their reserve?

Reminds me of a friend one time saying it was his job to hang 16' drywall,,,get this,,,at the top of a 3 story stairwell ALL BY HIMSELF.  I asked how you do that?  His reply was very carefully and you loose alot of hair off the head in the process.  Yikes.  When YOU think you have it rough think about that job!!!

Yes for small jobs etc the 2 x 4 TEE and some I made were 2 x 6 and placed in right place to tip and get tight there.  Scrap wood can add length as needed.  This was all in my younger years.  

Do recall drywalling an apartment and had my 2 mid age kids helping.  About all you really need along with some props.

Now that I am old and grey and 165 years old,,,I own a drywall lift.  You can buy those on epay every day of the year,free shipping,,,and sell on craigs list for same or more money than you paid.

Muractic acid!!!  The more pure the better.  Most big box store stuff is watered down.  The REAL stuff will smoke when you open the bottle,,,and burn your nose so bad you cant breathe.  You need an air breathing source to use it.  Even a homemade duct blowing into a clear face mask.  It will eat metal faster than you can blink so not if it has any,,,or dont let it touch.  A spray bottle to spray it on and a hose to rinse off in 15 minutes works best.  Ongoing if your water is that hard.

Check into and see what would make your water less staining.  Like a great softener and a reverse osmosis system maybe.  Surely there is a Culligan dealer close by,,,or others similiar

I would spend the money on insulation, windows doors and weatherstripping in that order.  THEN and only then upgrade any heating.  Dont forget to insulate your rim joist area on the main floor as thats where most cold air enters as well as where concrete meets wood.  Chimneys are also huge energy/heat robbers.  Cutting small holes on interior walls and patching back seems easy compared to wall stripping to the studs.

I personally think that asbestoes is best removed sooner than later,,,even if not required right now.

Reason being have you ever seen rules and laws becoming LESS stringent?  ERRR less costly?  We can get rid of some of this stuff now without huge expense.  Like here a homeowner can take off slate siding and dispose rather cheaply  (dump fees).  BUT in the future may not be the case,nor cheap.

Slate siding is only one of the issues,,,like this WR Grace vermiculite.  I would think you could use an air mask,suit, and a hepa filter vac with a plastic trash bag inside and suck it up .  just minute amounts for short exposure may not lead to health problems.

I have contracted asbestoes pneumonia beofre sanding linoleum backing,,,unknowingly,,,before I had it tested.  When I found out what it really was I took it ALL including all it was adhered to, (solid hardwood oak flooring), Everyone SAID linoleum didnt have asbestoes,,,I guess it did.  BUT I was pretty darn sick for a few weeks.

The strangest place I found asbestoes is in stucco on the outside wall of a concrete block building I was tearing down,,,had to special dispose all the block and stucco.  Still not bad price wise,hardest part was had to haul it all 45 miles away to dump.

Looked at the store yesterday at different insulation products.  No calculator in hand but seemed shake and rake(I call it shake and bake) was double or triple cost of blow in regular stuff.

From there it was hard to see IF roll stuff or blow in would be better.  Also thinking maybe roll type might be better IF repairs or access is required down the road.  Could move the roll type over and moved back.  Just wished they made wider longer rolls.

Has anyone actually analyzed what is cheapest,,,best,,,most efficient? Fliberglass? Cellulose? or that new denim product?

thanks, don

nice work

Next time I bet the learning curve kicks in and your done in HALF the time too.

Roofs are actually easier than carpet unless they are too steep for this old goat to walk on comfortably.  I ruined a pair of shoes once walking crooked on a roof.

They make a scoring tool that pokes holes so the steam hot water and solution gets to the backing better.  I would wet as suggested, score, wet, score rinse and repeat till there was not much holding it. 

 Rental places used to have wall paper steamers,,,dont know if they still do.