Improving Home heating insulation/Effeciency

First, electric heaters are 100% efficient. Meaning you put in a watt, you get out that much heat. The best gas furnaces are above 95%.

It doesn't matter how much heat you put into a structure if it's not built well you'll have cold spots.

If you have original doors it's time to replace the whole damned thing with a fiberglass pre hung without windows. Redoing the weather stripping is a bandaid when the door itself bleeds heat. It will help immediately but the r value of the door still sucks. Kerf in is the best weather strip I've found. Dont forget to replace the sweep.

When I did thermal audits doors and windows were the first things to check along with attic insulation. Your description of the structure is basically drafty and cold. Modern materials and energy star techniques are the solution.

A lot of people dont realize it's often more efficient to strip the old cheap siding off the home, insulate the exterior walls from the outside, spray foam the penetrations, properly vapor barrier the wrap (this will also help with water intrusion if done right) and then add an insulating siding back onto the exterior (this breaks the thermal bridge too). If you're willing to do the work you can do it all for the price if paying someone to paint the exterior, prices being what they are. You can do this in sprints, one facette at a time.

My advice usually fell on deaf ears and people added blown in to the attic. Because r35 in the attic is what the internet says. Nevermind the r4 walls.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=concrete+..._ts-doa-p_7_13

Think any of these products would work well on the tile and under some carpet squares? Sadly nothing out here rural on nearby CL/marketplace.

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Originally Posted by Wulf202

First, electric heaters are 100% efficient. Meaning you put in a watt, you get out that much heat. The best gas furnaces are above 95%.

It doesn't matter how much heat you put into a structure if it's not built well you'll have cold spots.

If you have original doors it's time to replace the whole damned thing with a fiberglass pre hung without windows. Redoing the weather stripping is a bandaid when the door itself bleeds heat. It will help immediately but the r value of the door still sucks. Kerf in is the best weather strip I've found. Dont forget to replace the sweep.

When I did thermal audits doors and windows were the first things to check along with attic insulation. Your description of the structure is basically drafty and cold. Modern materials and energy star techniques are the solution.

A lot of people dont realize it's often more efficient to strip the old cheap siding off the home, insulate the exterior walls from the outside, spray foam the penetrations, properly vapor barrier the wrap (this will also help with water intrusion if done right) and then add an insulating siding back onto the exterior (this breaks the thermal bridge too). If you're willing to do the work you can do it all for the price if paying someone to paint the exterior, prices being what they are. You can do this in sprints, one facette at a time.

My advice usually fell on deaf ears and people added blown in to the attic. Because r35 in the attic is what the internet says. Nevermind the r4 walls.

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https://www.redfin.com/OK/Pryor/707-.../home/82810949

Here's the house, the tiled room they did an incredible job of hiding the issues. (You actually can see in the paint where the old garage door opener was mounted in person lol plus the crazy slant)

If I had a better room for the parrots, I'd move them and just seal this room up except for when dogs going in/out and I'm actually at my desk (rare anymore)

Need a good way to batch upload the physical photo's we found.

I'll bet that double door off the master is a leaker, they almost all are. The front door is unlikely to be original, what is it made of?

First glaring issue is the hvac installation was not updated during the remodel. The vents are space way too far from the exterior walls. Replacing the multi directional vents with a directional that blows towards the exterior wall would be one helpful option. I imagine theres large cold spots in front of every window. It also doesn't take into account how they remodeled to open concept. I'd wager the whole thing is undersized without adding in the sf for the enclosed garage. It's clearly been flipped and staged by a professional in the sales side.

As far as the converted garage if I'm following the floorplan it's the small part of the L and looks to have been done later, the dogs will love it in the summer. You'll have a hard time putting anything over the tile due to the door sweep clearance to the exterior being so low. That room for all practical purposes is it's own structure. It was unlikely that they would have insulated all of it, as I'd put even money on it was partially sheet rocked prior to the flip and they just finished it up. Rugs will certainly help. So will buying a nice pair of slippers.

First thing I would do is get a cheap fiber optic camera that will go to your phone or computer and remove the outlet plates, run the camera between the box and the sheetrock into the stud cavity and visually inspect for insulation. This will cost less than $20. I would hand sketches of the house and notes to indicate where had insulation issues.

You sort of need to know what you're dealing with in order to triage the next steps. You could rent buy or borrow a thermal camera if you want to get real into it. Winter is the best time for this to show.

Basically you start by fixing drafts then add insulation to the low hanging fruit. After that, get out your check book.

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Originally Posted by Wulf202

When I did thermal audits doors and windows were the first things to check along with attic insulation. Your description of the structure is basically drafty and cold. Modern materials and energy star techniques are the solution.

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Wulf, I'm enjoying your advice and paying attention. My good friend also did thermal audits and remedial work to homes all around the Denver area. I try to pick his brain every chance I get.

I'm currently working on adding insulation to two not-quite-finished 1960's homes, including doing a complete bedroom remodel in the cabin where we live. (Right now, we're sleeping in the living room) Paneling is coming off to replace with drywall so all electrical and insulation will be upgraded. I expect to replace the original not so well installed R-13 with R-15 fiberglass. I can reuse and double the R13 in some R-26 spaces.

I have an abundance of good roll foil insulation to staple to the 2x4 exterior facing walls inside the bedroom. Then I'll furr it out with 1x2 to create an air space before installing the drywall. Not sure how much it will add but any little bit has to help in our cold mountain location.

Thirty years ago I did this in my Palisade home on 2x6 framing and used 1 inch galvanized steel furring strips before installing the drywall. It created something of a double envelope with true 8 inch walls. The exterior has Tyvek and steel siding.

My grandfather said that a man should never have a finished home. There's always more to do to improve.

Step 1: buy a thermal scope
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit!


Actually, I just want to subscribe for ideas.

Also, on cold days I can see the 2x4s in my walls with an older FLIR handheld.

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Originally Posted by fitz19d

https://www.redfin.com/OK/Pryor/707-.../home/82810949

Here's the house, the tiled room they did an incredible job of hiding the issues. (You actually can see in the paint where the old garage door opener was mounted in person lol plus the crazy slant)

If I had a better room for the parrots, I'd move them and just seal this room up except for when dogs going in/out and I'm actually at my desk (rare anymore)

Need a good way to batch upload the physical photo's we found.

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Nice looking place, I hope you get it tuned up the way you want it. I'm SOOOOO jealous of that shop building and the acreage! I'd have died and gone to heaven.....I might have to enlarge that fishin' hole though.

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Originally Posted by rondog

Nice looking place, I hope you get it tuned up the way you want it. I'm SOOOOO jealous of that shop building and the acreage! I'd have died and gone to heaven.....I might have to enlarge that fishin' hole though.

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Ya, less fishing and more ample amounts of frog and crawdad. And allegedly neighbor says snappers come thru.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XJ

Step 1: buy a thermal scope
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit!


Actually, I just want to subscribe for ideas.

Also, on cold days I can see the 2x4s in my walls with an older FLIR handheld.

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I have a flir breach for work stuff...