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Old 09-10-15, 09:19 PM   #1
SimpleManLance
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Default New house, want to do it right!

The wife and I just bought a new house. A 1972 1700sq ft ranch with full basement with 2 car garage on 9 acres with a 24x30 barn. A older couple owned the house since 1979 and wanted to get out of the country and the upkeep of the 9 acres. lucky us! Plan is to get a home energy audit to see where the house needs work.

Anyway, some of the things i know i need to work on and need everyone's input is insulating the basement, and bath fans in the 2 bathrooms.

My wife does hair/ and makeup out of the house so i need to get a salon built in the basement ASAP. The plan is to seal the walls and the floor with epoxy coatings to make sure everything is sealed up with no way of leaks. Install 2"s of rigid foam to the block walls and tape the seams. Build 2x4 walls with unfaced batt insulation. I will be putting 2" foam board in the band joist and possibly foaming them. i don't plan on insulating the floor. does all this sound like a good plan?

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[URL=http://s2.photobucket.com/user/LanceA0/media/Lannen%20House/Screen%20Shot%202015-06-13%20at%202.13.59%20PM.png.html]



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Last edited by SimpleManLance; 09-13-15 at 07:23 PM..
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Old 09-10-15, 11:07 PM   #2
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First off old people tend to just run houses into the ground unless they are very comfortable and well off in their retirement, which unfortunately is no longer the norm these days so there are a few things to look out for.
Before you going spending any money on anything, make sure the roof, electrical and sewage system are good.
If it looks like an addition has been added, examine it with extreme prejudice. 70% to 80% of the time addition means cut corners. Usually just little things like no foundation, all the additions electrical piggy backed off another room and roof that leaks.
And by "make sure" I mean have a plumber with snake cam check the turd pipe, have an actual electrician check wiring and get on the roof and check the roof up close an personal.
If any part of the house has a "flat roof" where they used roll out shingle, just tear it out and replace it, I have yet to see roll out shingles installed properly by roofers and I know flat or low slope roofs were real popular on additions all through the 70s, 80s and 90s.
If you tear out the flat roof now you might be able to save on decking and rafter replacement later.

In 1979 they may have still been using clay sewer pipes, if so, their bad. In 1979 aluminum wiring was falling out of favor but still being used some. And as always the roof could have been redone 25 years ago with 20 year shingles.

Every house I or any one I know has moved into so far has needed at least 2 out of 3 of those repaired, updated or replaced with in 2 or 3 years.

Then once you have made sure you are not sitting on any more ticking time bombs, the thing to do so save heating and cooling a get thermography images taken inside and out.
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Old 09-11-15, 04:37 AM   #3
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this house is the nicest house we looked at. As soon as we walked in you could tell it was well taken care of. the seller had owned the house since 1979. its a ranch all the electrical can be seen from the basement. all clean straight runs. no hacked homeowner add on runs. The septic system didnt pass inspection so the sellers paid $15000 for a new raised system. area is full of clay so the original system drained just not fast enough to meet inspection. The only clay pipe is from the house 10 feet out to the first crap tank. The roof was torn off and replaced in 2010. the house has a natural gas generator that instantly turns on when the power goes out. the furnace is a high efficient one with PVC venting. how ever it is almost 20 years old. the water heater is a high efficient one with PVC venting that is 5 years old. i'm not saying this house is perfect. it has somethings that need attention. Nothing major.

This home is a huge improvement from the 1934 2 story house we spent the last six years in. Nothing was square and there was no point trying to make anything. if you did it would look out of place. The house has every generation of wiring in it.
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Old 09-11-15, 09:57 AM   #4
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Congrats on the new place! Sounds like you found a good one. Looking forward to updates, pics and evaluations. Keep us updated!
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Old 09-12-15, 10:59 AM   #5
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If you use XPS or EPS foam (blue board, Foamular, beadboard, anything like that), it must be covered with drywall. That stuff burns like kerosene.

Also, you are putting insulation on the warm side of your vapor barrier. If you see any signs of condensation behind the foam in winter, increase ventilation to reduce humidity in the house.
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Old 09-13-15, 07:36 PM   #6
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I posted some pictures for everyone. Also started removing half the peel and stick tiles from the basement, and grinding the mastic off. what a pain that is.


Quote:
Originally Posted by JRMichler View Post
If you use XPS or EPS foam (blue board, Foamular, beadboard, anything like that), it must be covered with drywall. That stuff burns like kerosene.

Also, you are putting insulation on the warm side of your vapor barrier. If you see any signs of condensation behind the foam in winter, increase ventilation to reduce humidity in the house.
JRMichler- i plan on covering the foam board. as for the basement it will be like S-F basement walls. block walls, epoxy coating, foam board, gap, 2x4 studded walls, with unfaced insulation, drywall.
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Old 09-14-15, 07:08 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SimpleManLance View Post
the water heater is a high efficient one with PVC venting that is 5 years old.
I would look at that water heater again. It is probably just power vented, not high efficiency. If so, it will only be 50% efficient.

A lot of people equate power venting with efficiency and it is not so. I just moved into our new (old) house and it has a power vented, mid efficiency boiler.
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Old 09-16-15, 09:56 AM   #8
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In my basement renovations in put EPS on the foundation followed by a radiant barrier (silvery stuff) then a thin wall (2½" metal studs). The residents barrier needs an air space to be effective.
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Old 10-07-15, 06:04 PM   #9
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So im making very slow progress on the basement. Im up in the air on what to do with the insulation. Maybe everyone could help point me in the right direction. I have about 1500 square feet of walls, sill plate, and band joist.


Option 1
2" pink foam board for walls $1800
Diy foam kit for the sill and band joist 180sq ft. $600est
total $2400

option 2
2" closed cell spray walls, sill and band joist
$3100


both options i plan on framing 2x4 walls inward to use fiberglass insulation for extra r value. or do you think it is unnecessary.
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Old 10-07-15, 06:09 PM   #10
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Can you afford to get someone in with 2lb urethane foam?
I've used the DIY stuff and the pros do it better.

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