I've got most of one side of the house gutted. I think I'm going to need to replace more of the flooring than I'd originally hoped, I'll need to restud the walls in an entire room (which will also mean moving/removing a radiator), and rewire just about everything in sight. Should keep me out of trouble for a while... Next on the list is finding the best form of insulation to fill the gaps between the studs. I found a product that claims R16 at a 2" thickness, which is good because that's as much space as I have and it beats the R10 that was the best I'd previously found. I just need to find the price and how to work with it. The R10 was basically big sheets of styrofoam that I could cut to fit the spaces. Once I've got that I may be in a place where I can start rebuilding some of the walls. I really want to get my hands on a thermal imaging camera so I can check for hot/cool spots once the insulation is in place. The trouble is that the low price ones (relatively speaking, even at the very bottom end they run several hundred dollars) aren't so good at spotting issues and the more expensive ones run to thousands of dollars. So if anyone is stuck for ideas for what to get me for my birthday, you know, just sayin'
Wow Tango. This has sure turned out to be one heck of a project. My non DIY skills would have gone in shock a long time ago.
So you are not using the fibreglass insulation? That's most common I've seen used for housing in walls. As far as the thermal camera, are there no contractors out there?
I saw a thermal imaging camera attachment for a cell phone camera on This Old House that worked very well. How much and where to get it I haven't a clue but I would bet that they would be willing to point you in the right direction.
Must be turning into a troll. Posting (elsewhere) for the sheer pleasure of upsetting the equilibrium. Should know better. "T'ain't necessarily true, but don't really want to discuss it," sort of deal. Back to the books, where I belongs.
I've been essentially caffeine free for about 18 months. I drink decaf coffee each morning, and at the occasional restaurant. I generally drink one ginger ale a day, or a Sprite. I will have the rare Dr. Pepper or Coke if I'm sharing with my wife. Sure sleep better.
I don't drink coffee, and I don't drink tea. I don't drink alcohol, and I've reduced my refined sugar intake by 80 - 90%. I am holier than thou xD
Fibreglass comes in standard 3.5" thicknesses, and widths that assume really stupid things (you know, like the house will have been built according to some form of code). My house is 100+ years old, so there was no such thing as standard spacing back then. Most of the exterior studs are 2" deep which means fibreglass is too thick to work, and the spacings aren't right for standard rolls. On top of that 3.5" of fibreglass is rated at R13 so 2" (assuming I can find it) would be somewhere around R7. Where studs aren't spaced suitably for the fibreglass I have to either squash it in or stretch it out, which increases the chances of creating gaps. The polystyrene sheets I've found so far are R10 for 2" (so almost 50% better than fibreglass), and can be cut to whatever size and shape I need. The product I'm trying to get information about is rated at R16 for 2" so will offer a significant improvement again. I may be able to find a contractor or hire a thermal imaging camera but once I get to work on the rooms we're currently using I'm going to need to do one room at a time rather than just trashing everything in sight and rebuilding later. If I'm going to have to hire the thing again and again and again the chances are it's going to end up cheaper to just buy one, and sell it later if I find I don't use it any more.
I've seen those too, it looks like a couple of manufacturers make them. From what I can see they are significantly cheaper than a dedicated unit but also quite significantly inferior in many ways. The ones I'm looking at will overlay edges from a regular camera onto the thermal image, so you have some points of reference rather than just a bunch of brightly colored blotches that look like some kind of psychiatric test.
Coffee is putrid. Have nothing against caffeine. I drink Mt. Dew, which has more caffeine than coffee.