Apartment renovation project

menaus2 · 02-27-13, 10:19 PM

Hello fellow Ecorenovators,

I'm starting/started work on a rental property (the same one I installed a solar hot water preheater in last year) for next 3 months. It probably hasn't been measurably updated since the maybe the 70's so there are a lot of cosmetic and eco renovations to be done. Here's a laundry list of goodies:

Existing exterior walls are 2"x4"s with blown-in fiberglass. The cavities will have 2" of XPS board foamed in place. Over that a second wall will go up and dense-pack cellulose will fill the cavity. The 2 walls' studs will be offset of each other to basicallyeliminate thermal bridging. Many thanks go to AC_Hacker for invaluable advice on this.
Sanding and sealing existing hardwood floors
Replace all the single-pane windows with vinyl-dual pane windows (I'm considering interior storms for additional insulation as well protecting the windows from people)
Replacing the toilet (made in the 60's ) with a Niagra Stealth UHET (0.8gpf! )
1.5 gpm water saving showerhead (again going with Niagra products).
Drain water heat recovery (DWHR) into the Solar Hot Water Preheater Tank. Considering trying a DIY route cause I have a **** load of pex-al-pex laying around .
Try this design for an energy saving shower mod.
Gutter system overhaul to reduce/eliminate need for a dehumidifier in the basement as mild flooding has been a problem.
Adding and/or replacing room lighting with LED's ( here's a good source of information that helped me decide to commit to LEDs)
Installing a 4'x6' solar air heater I have kicking around (builditsolar style)
ERV of somekind if the unit's gonna be better sealed :P
And of course all the crap to make it look good )

I've already begun demoing the plaster and lath, gutting the old insulation and foaming maybe 6 cavities so far. Expect pictures to be posted soon.

02-27-13, 10:19 PM	#1
menaus2 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Driftless Region, North America, Earth, Solar System, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy,Virgo Supercluster Posts: 116 Thanks: 13 Thanked 35 Times in 25 Posts	Apartment renovation project Hello fellow Ecorenovators, I'm starting/started work on a rental property (the same one I installed a solar hot water preheater in last year) for next 3 months. It probably hasn't been measurably updated since the maybe the 70's so there are a lot of cosmetic and eco renovations to be done. Here's a laundry list of goodies: Existing exterior walls are 2"x4"s with blown-in fiberglass. The cavities will have 2" of XPS board foamed in place. Over that a second wall will go up and dense-pack cellulose will fill the cavity. The 2 walls' studs will be offset of each other to basicallyeliminate thermal bridging. Many thanks go to AC_Hacker for invaluable advice on this. Sanding and sealing existing hardwood floors Replace all the single-pane windows with vinyl-dual pane windows (I'm considering interior storms for additional insulation as well protecting the windows from people) Replacing the toilet (made in the 60's ) with a Niagra Stealth UHET (0.8gpf! ) 1.5 gpm water saving showerhead (again going with Niagra products). Drain water heat recovery (DWHR) into the Solar Hot Water Preheater Tank. Considering trying a DIY route cause I have a ** load of pex-al-pex laying around . Try this design for an energy saving shower mod. Gutter system overhaul to reduce/eliminate need for a dehumidifier in the basement as mild flooding has been a problem. Adding and/or replacing room lighting with LED's ( here's** a good source of information that helped me decide to commit to LEDs) Installing a 4'x6' solar air heater I have kicking around (builditsolar style) ERV of somekind if the unit's gonna be better sealed :P And of course all the crap to make it look good ) I've already begun demoing the plaster and lath, gutting the old insulation and foaming maybe 6 cavities so far. Expect pictures to be posted soon.