The big renovation: 1908 home

[BUBBAZANETTI]

thanks for the writeup scott

maybe one day i'll own a house of my own, sigh........

[tessler]

thanks for the writeup scott

maybe one day i'll own a house of my own, sigh........

Oh stop mopin'.

Scott, keep going. I want to see if you find the Ark of the Covenant in the foundation!

Good job!

[mika]

Scott the range of your adventures always facinates. The studio project made me envious as have others. This one just puts a big silly ass grin on my face.

[crazydrummerdude]

My mom just refinished the floor in her kitchen. She did an awesome job. If I had pics, I'd post them as inspiration.

Looks like fun*.



*Mind you, my definition of fun is slightly skewed.

[98288]

Oh stop mopin'.

Scott, keep going. I want to see if you find the Ark of the Covenant in the foundation!

Good job!

... too late. Found it in ours. Now what? -Bob

[Rapid_Roy]

You can't rush art Scott. looking good.
BTW, we built and the process is just as painful in every way.
There is no avoiding it, it's the hidden perk of home ownership.
Best of luck to you though.

[JAMESDUNN]

Nice bungalow! Has an almost oriental quality. Lathe and plaster, old "skip sheet" in the roof with what looks like a plywood overlay for composition roof. Prob. had wooden shingles originally. A lot of potential there. I always loved to remodel.

[Bob_M]

Scott
Are you sure you are not a closet Airhead? Some clues:
* Likes old stuff
* Likes fixing old stuff
* Gets into big projects at the limit of skill set
* Completes project with artistic flourish
* Needs electrical work

These are questions that make me go Hhmmmmmmm.

Keep us posted buddy

[henzilla]

Nice... I had to laugh at the auger bit stuck in the top plate..."lets hide it behind the wall and forget it"...remember that was most likely done with an old brace and bit and a cranky apprentice electrician....not that I would know anything about that Helped my dad partially re-wire my grandfathers Craftsman style home in the Houston Heights that he had originally built along with several in that area in the early 1940's...it had open wire circuits on insulators in the walls and attic ...very scary stuff...especially for the wayward mouse! Looking at that pic, I see an insulator above that bit...maybe it was originally wired the same.


Have FUN!

[From MARS]

I love projects like yours. Its like an archeological dig; slowly removing the layers to expose the past. Did you find any old coins? We found a 1911 fifty cent piece in a small change purse from a local bank on top of the bottom plate but UNDER the dripped plaster.. Then there were the post cards behind the door trim from 1919 sent by friends who lived only 20 miles away expressing their regrets for not undertaking the "arduous" trip to come visit 'cause they had the "chills". Fun stuff!

Tom

[PAULBACH]

Scott, you are ambitious and hard working. The longest journey begins with a single step.

I have seen many homes like this disappear in Saratoga Springs when the new owner buys the home just for the lot. After the sale, the old home disappears and a new dwelling, sans character, appears a few weeks later.

There is nothing more satisfying that a project one has done on his own.

Good Luck and keep the pictures coming.

[wezul]

I have seen many homes like this disappear in Saratoga Springs when the new owner buys the home just for the lot. After the sale, the old home disappears and a new dwelling, sans character, appears a few weeks later.

So true Paul and what a shame. New construction lacks character and I think that speaks of the loss of craftsmen in many areas. I've had many "features" in my 1920's era home corrected but I like this old house with all it's flaws.

[RINTY]

So what are the plans to make your place super energy efficient now? It has to be reasonable easy with everything torn out.

[knary]

So what are the plans to make your place super energy efficient now? It has to be reasonable easy with everything torn out.

Nothing extraordinary. Blown in insulation, double hung windows and that's about it. We've had a few try to sell us on the foam insulation, new higher efficiency furnance, etc but the cost savings just aren't there in a place with a relatively mild climate.

Looking around the place, it's clear that "character" in a house is often akin to character in a motorcycle. Sometimes "character" is a nice way to say "that's just stupid".

[darrylri]

Nothing extraordinary. Blown in insulation, double hung windows and that's about it. We've had a few try to sell us on the foam insulation, new higher efficiency furnance, etc but the cost savings just aren't there in a place with a relatively mild climate.

The difficulty with most of the energy efficiency items is that you pay for them all up front to get a hoped-for gain later on. Most take a number of years to pay off, but usually they can be expected to outlive that period and return eventual gains. We are just about to finish off our 8th year with a very expensive photovoltaic system. The break even point for us is somewhere in the 12-13 year time frame. But after that point, it will start saving us $3,500+/year, and the panels have a 25 year warranty -- that could add up to $42,000 savings. But it's difficult to justify if you think you're going to move in a few years.

Besides just the energy savings, there can be other advantages. Do you have a forced air heater? Radiant floor heating can be cheaper in operation and it doesn't blow dust everywhere.

Maybe it doesn't make sense for you now, but you can do some advance work that is cheap but could save you a lot later. For example, while everything is opened up, it may make sense to plumb stubs up to your roof and down to where your water heater is for a later installation of a solar hot water system. The guy who built my house did that, and it saved me a significant amount of money when I installed such a system last year.

How about low flow toilets and shower heads? We bought dual-flush toilets during a remodel and they are quiet and work very well. I have to admit I was very concerned about the move considering the reputation the early low flow toilets had.

I'm surprised that an upgrade in insulation doesn't pencil out to savings in a few years. If it's a close thing, what about the consideration of the house simply being more comfortable to live in, especially during those few weeks of hot weather in the summer?