I haven’t said much lately about the work we’ve been doing on the house. The obvious reason is because we haven’t been doing much, but that’s not entirely true. We’ve been… orchestrating. Let me explain.

Before we ever moved in, we knew the house would need more insulation. It’s a basic fact – hundred year old homes don’t have enough (if any) insulation unless considerable work has been done. The previous owner had done some insulting, but more is needed – especially in the attic. Adding insulation was on the top of the list – until we realized we would need a new roof sooner rather than later. The existing roof wasn’t more than 10 years old, but it was installed incorrectly. It leaks in one of the valleys and around the chimney. Every time a strong wind blows through another shingle or two comes loose. There is no sense in adding insulation to the attic while the roof is leaking. It would only trap moisture and hide any new leaks if they developed.

A new roof and insulation doesn’t sound so bad, but to find the delay on the new roof you have to go to the other end of the house – the basement – and the 40-something year old oil furnace. There is nothing wrong with the furnace, but given its age and inefficiency, it’s a cat on its ninth life.

Here’s how it all ties together – the furnace is currently piped through the original chimney that runs out through the roof. A new gas furnace would be vented through a series of PVC pipes out the side of the basement wall eliminating the need for the chimney. Once the chimney isn’t needed, the roofers can knock it off the top of the house and roof cleanly over it eliminating the risk of a water leak around the chimney a few years down the road. Once the roof is water proof, insulation can be sprayed in the roof joist and we’re finally back to accomplishing the original goal.

What We’d Like The Attic To Look Like By Next Fall (click photo for source)

But it doesn’t end there. Once the attic roof has the insulation installed, the attic will be a controlled environment – meaning it will be heated and cooled with the house rather than whatever blows through the vents. This allows a second furnace and AC unit to be set in the attic. The house can then be split into two zones – the upstairs/attic and downstairs – for more efficient heating and cooling. We can also start working on finishing the attic at this point for a family room and/or bedroom(s).

So even though we haven’t been working on anything visible lately. It would be safe to say we have set up quite a trail of dominoes and once we install the new furnace next month things should start falling into place quickly.