Months ago, I installed a new furnace, and later new duct work. I knew the furnace worked because when I finally had NW Natural hook up the gas, we tested it, but it was really too warm to know how it would heat.

This week, I vacuumed out all of the duct work as best as I could, (since I had kept it sealed against the dust of construction it was fairly clean), turned on the switch and set the thermostat to run the program. After I remembered to open the valve and bleed the air from the gas line, the furnace fired up without hesitation.

Heat is amazing. What a concept! Warmth when its cold! Programmable thermostats take all of the work out.

I have to say that everything that folks said about 95% efficient furnaces is true. Everyone said, “Oil burns hotter.” The air coming out of the ducts is not crazy hot. But with a perceptual adjustment of expectations, in this case, warmth is currently better then coolth, it doesn’t really matter. Its not like the rush of hot air blowing into your pj’s from that ancient oil burning behemoth, or the slow warming of a freshly kindled wood stove taking the chill out of a cold West Virginia morning. It is heat. The ambient temperature can reach a comfort zone. I have no complaint.

Now all I have to do is get the rest of the house sealed up and replace some broken window panes. If only I could afford to replace the windows with some thermally efficient models…

This way is one of the best. These folks would do it.

This is the standard way. I would do it.

OR

I do it this way. Touchable itch-free, recycled cotton denim.

Apparently its not really post consumer recycling, its post-industrial recycling, but still I feel like I can close the loop just a bit.

I really do think Icynene is one of the best ways to go, so do it that way if you can. As with many decisions, this one involves compromise. Since I am only insulating open walls (in the kitchen) and the rest of the house already has blown-in cellulose, the economical decision, that is pleasant to work with and is good for the environment and gets the job done was recycled denim.

I finally did something in one day. About a year ago, I bought a pair of roof windows from Velux (they have a nice discount for architectural designers). On Sunday I installed them. It is of course the kind of thing that you want to do in one day, especially considering that you have to cut holes in a perfectly good roof.

Step one: Frame in the rough openings. This is the almost part, because I actually did this work from the inside about 2 months ago.

Step two: cut roof sheathing and shingles

Step three: Clown around a bit.

Step four: Install skylights carefully follow instructions for flashing and waterproofing at roof.

Step five: Call neighbor to rescue when you A: Can’t climb up the roof to go down to the ladder on the other side, and B: can’t crawl back in through the skylights

Step six: Endure good natured ribbing from all, and tell a good tale about being stuck on the roof.

Step Seven: Enjoy Daylit Room.

 

 

 

Sometimes I feel slow like I am not getting things done. I have “owned” this house for over a year now. It was a fixer when I got it. Now with my grubby hands and bloody knuckles, it might be considered a “Handyman’s Special.” That is its still not done. I keep telling myself I am close, and I really think I am, but telling myself I am close gets old when it starts to feel like it has been close for months. I ordered appliances in April, as all I had left to do was finish the wiring and call the inspector and get the sheetrock done and get on my way. Its July now, almost mid-July.

I am at the point of closing up the walls, but first, I need to get that inspection.

Somewhere out there is perfection. Just because you are not there, doesn’t meant you shouldn’t try. The goal of perfection is noble, but taking the steps of the journey are more valuable then nobility.

Architecture speak for the way in which,  in the course of a project,  other things just keep adding themselves to the list of things to do.  And in my case what seems to be happening on the “home” front. Also what can happen to a procrastinating perfectionist.

Despite the suggestion of my consultant friend to keep the oil burning furnace with its basement bound oil tank, I decided to change my heating system from oil to gas. The primary motivation for this was to eliminate the chimney, making that space available to a powder room on the main floor. Secondary motivations include my perception that it is nice to cook with gas, so having a natural gas stove is a benefit. Plus, my perception is that people looking to buy a house perceive gas appliance as a “luxury” which might make selling easier.

Step 1: Get the furnace

Get help from Vinje and Son Do it yourself heating and cooling These guys walk you through all of the steps and show you how its done. Really great folks to work with. I tried to break the work into manageable pieces. This resulted in multiple trips to the furnace store, but gave me the time to figure out what I was doing.

Step 2: locate the furnace

Final location was determined by existing ductwork, and by the addition of a really nice media filter on the return air side. What is interesting about this is that you end up having to cut a hole in the side of a perfectly good furnace to allow return air. (There are some stampings on the bottom for different applications, but for a side mount return air, you literally cut a square hole in the side of a brand new manufactured box.)

Step 3: Gas Plumbing, Electric Wiring and Venting

Location determined, I could now plumb the gas line and move the existing electrical. Because Gas is under pressure, plumb refers to putting in black iron piping, not necessarily level.

The electricity used the same 15 amp circuit as the previous furnace, but had to be moved to the other side of the furnace. Additionally, to bring the furnace up to code, I added a switch and a gfci outlet to the side of the furnace. The outlet provides power to the water pump (95% efficient furnace produce condensation in their vent lines, the pump is my means of removal) and the switch turns the furnace on and off.

95% efficient furnaces are also know as direct vent, so the exhaust and air supply for burning can go right out through the side wall in the basement.

Finally, I measured the offset for the transition from furnace to main trunk line, went back to the duct store and ordered the transition.

And now after waiting until it got warm, I’ll have heat on Monday. (At Least its not summer yet!)

Kitchen Remodeling. Everybody always says that kitchens and baths are the most commonly remodeled portions of houses. The Kitchen is associated with dreams and fantasies and the remodeling industry is filled with offers to get your dream kitchen. Consumer Reports offers your dream kitchens for less. Get everything you ever wanted in the room that has become the heart of the home, on a budget. More awake time is spent in the kitchen then in any other room in the house (that’s a totally unsubstantiated statement/opinion). Party goers often end up in or near the kitchen in the search for social lubrication and snacks. Beyond all of this, the kitchen is one place in a home where efficiency and effectiveness yield great comfort (along with a sink big enough to hide the holiday dishes, and countertops that go on forever). Kitchen design is filled with work triangles, work surfaces, work zones, all intended to let contemporary humanity spend less of our precious time efficiently in the kitchen.

I like kitchens and cooking, and I admit that I have kitchen dreams. I want good counterspace, sweet appliances, a gas stove, and efficient space planning (ok, throw in a convection oven while we’re at it, I’ve never used one, but they sure do seem great).

I also want crisp contemporary cabinets! Combine this with my personal sense of quality and we may have found my undoing. For a few months I have looked at the various possiblities: Ikea – Nice from the outside, reasonable aesthetic, but very cheap feeling on the inside, environmentally aware, but still big box. Home Depot cabinets to match any price range, but all some version of “country kitchen”, not environmentally considerate, big box, factory made, not much in the way of creative aesthetic. EastBank Interiors – Similar to home depot, except represented by Cliff, a pretty nice guy with a little showroom in SE PDX.

Finally, in an article in the New York Times Thursday Home Section, I spot some really nice work by Henry Built. Turns out they are in Seattle, which almost qualifies as local. There stuff looks great, and the Times article suggests that the featured NYC apartment was done on a tight budget. So far so good. I drew up my kitchen elevations according to their standards, with a few design extras for good measure, sent them off for an estimate and then visited their showroom for a little research. That’s when I realized I was in Trouble… the stuff was way too nice, and having my hopes on them was merely setting myself up for disappointment.

Oh well! I guess I get to chase another of my making dreams in the adventure of constructing my own cabinets. Can’t wait to share that story!

Originally, I was going to start this blog for the specific purpose of sharing my experience and thoughts while going through the process of renovating a house. Maybe this blog will be slightly more then that; for now, this is catch up on what I thought about writing 6 months ago.

So I bought this house, in June, which it turned out was good timing, as my roommates had just done the same thing and my whole living situation was changing. The bad part, it needed to be extremely remodeled. It was almost liveable as it was, basically, I am roughing it in my own house (and it has only gotten worse). So, amidst worries about running out of money and keeping my business going, I have begun to tackle some stuff:

Kitchen: The most major of two major projects, its a complete redux. I am trying to put in a sweet kitchen. Its really hard to find cabinets with the right mix of price, contemporary design, and quality construction.

Front Porch: This is also major primarily because it involved removing the structural supports (usually called columns) and attempting to raise the floor of the bedroom above to eliminate a sag, adding structure, replacing the flooring, and finally putting the columns back with new bases, and no more rot.

Other upcoming projects include a new side porch off of the kitchen, a new half bath, a new furnace, new plumbing, and electrical work, in no particular order.

After years of observing the interweb, I have decided to contribute something. What follows, if you follow, in the coming days weeks months will be a public journal of my life.

You can expect to read here about the renovations on my house, bicycles (especially my cyclocross adventures), design comments, and anything I see fit to post into the public eye.

Its not grand as taking a walk in the space station but its my life and I’m proud of it.