Not a moment too soon...

Well, the insulation work was done this past week, but I had to travel for work and was fighting through a tough cold the entire week. Not fun.

We got Pro Pink loose-fill insulation blown into the cavities between the first and second floor, which was my main concern, as we were getting serious drafts under the floor on the second floor that were actually cooling that level quite a bit more than was comfortable. We also had the kneewalls on the second floor insulated fully and covered with housewrap on the non-finished side of the wall. The access panels were given a foam insulation backing, and the hood vent ducts from the kitchen through the crawlspace and out through the roof were wrapped in foil insulation.

All in all, it took about a day for them to come in and do the work, and it was reasonably priced, in my humble opinion.

This all comes not a moment too soon, as our most recent gas bill arrived today and is near $400. That's ridiculous, since we spent less than $300 last year for the month of November. So I'm hoping to death that the insulating we did will put a serious dent in that number. I am concerned, though, about the fact that the roof did not get any insulation, because they couldn't access behind the drywalled ceilings to inspect for it. Personally, I don't think there's a lick of insulation up there, but I could be wrong. I'd like to know and find out if it could be insulated. I just wonder how much heat is escaping through the ceiling/roof of the second floor finished space. We shall see, I suppose.

Now, on to getting that basement family room finished already...Lord knows it's been sitting there for a while now...

It's gettin' hot in here...I hope...

So, after assessing the insulation quote we got, and then (as previously mentioned) finding out that the HCBA had run out of funding for its Energy$avers grant this year, we decided that insulating the first floor brick walls can wait. First of all, it would cost us as much as it would to insulate the portions of the second floor that need insulation, in effect, doubling our ultimate bill. Secondly, I'm not entirely sold on the effectiveness of insulating the gap between the lathe/plaster and three wythes of brick. I mean, these bungalows were built originally to be energy efficient, in a sense...the brick is thick enough to keep the air out, and I'm not sold on the fact that foam is going to make a major difference, honestly. Maybe I'm wrong...if I am, and there's some evidence out there that supports it, please, let me know. I'm just operating on common sense here! :)

So, we're gonna get the floor in between the first and second floors filled with ProPink blown-in insulation, the knee wall on the slanted side of the roof insulated and house-wrapped (though I need to ask them about what that might do to the storage in the crawlspace--make it cold? make it "damp"? That would be bad. Also, there are two areas that we currently do not have access to in the corners of the dormered side. They'll cut an access hole in the wall to each and insulate behind there and under the floors there too. The only "disappointment" is that they can't get access to the flat dormered roof...I was hoping to have that insulated as well...particularly in the hopes that it would help to soundproof it, since we hear the rain falling on the roof a lot of times, and that's kinda distracting, particularly at night when you're trying to sleep. But they couldn't do it, apparently...oh well.

All in all, I'm hoping that this, coupled with weatherstripping the stupid casement windows up there (I HATE casements, especially since they have no storms and the screens are on the inside of the windows), will help us out on our gas bill, and possibly on our electric bill in the summer.

The insulation company did tell us that a lot of the upstairs is insulated and that the kitchen addition is insulated also. So that's good.

In terms of the Energy$avers grant, we're hoping that next year, we'll be able to use it to replace our water heater, furnace or see about installing some sort of energy-efficient central air system. The grant is awesome, and I'd like to get as much money out of it as I'm eligible for -- which is probably what everyone did this year, and that's why they ran out. It's not greedy...it's smart! :)

Anyway, the insulators are scheduled to come the week after Thanksgiving, so we might even get to feel some positive effects of all the insulation this winter. And that's good! So we'll see how it goes...I will certainly keep you all posted!

Another sleepless night...

...because the wind didn't subside much, so I didn't sleep very well. The siding banged off the A/C unit pretty much all night.

But, this morning, Nyberg came out and secured it, and about five other pieces they found to be loose, with nails and caulk--just a temporary fix, but a much-needed one. We'll probably have to get new siding in the spring or summer, at this rate.

Also, I've discovered a major, major draft upstairs, and of course, it's in the baby's future room. So, I'm going to have to resolve that problem. In the crawlspace there, the hood vents from the kitchen oven below travel out the roof at that point. Problem is, it's not well-insulated. In fact, it's pretty much exposed. I have a roll of insulation outside in the garage that I'm probably going to have to go out and get and staple or tape around the holes and the vent pipes. I cooked breakfast this morning and checked, and the pipes don't even warm up much at all, so I'm not concerned about heat--they're just exhaust pipes anyway. But, it leaks a lot of cold air into the upstairs, so it needs to be fixed.

But, at least the wind damage from the other day is gone. That's a relief.

Who's trippin' down the streets of the city...

...smiling at everybody she sees? ... Everyone knows it's Windy.

Stupid windstorm. Woke me up at 3 a.m. blasting through. Dozed through most of the gusts of wind...really bad gusts of wind too. Then, all of a sudden, about 5 a.m., a loud pop or two (nails popping free) and a big bang against the air conditioner in our master bedroom. Here's what I discovered (of course, I discovered it while it was still dark outside and from the windows upstairs--these pics were taken around 8 a.m.):

Actually, when it first happened, at 5 a.m., I decided that I needed to secure the piece, because I feared it would snap loose and ricochet into our bedroom window, or fly out into the street in front or something worse. So, I got dressed, got my drill and climbed out the bedroom window onto the little bit of roof outside the dormer. Plenty of space to work, honestly...when there's not 50 m.p.h. gusts trying to blow you off the roof. After realizing that if I let go of the wall with both hands that the wind would knock me down (and likely off the roof), and further realizing I had only two hands, rather than three, I climbed back into the house and decided to deal with it when light arrived. Although I could probably go back out there and work on it from above, on the flat roof, my dad, captain do-it-yourself, told me that I should call someone. And when capt. do-it-yourself says to have someone else do it, it's pretty meaningful.

So I called Nyberg Roofing, who did our roof, and left a plea that if they could help out, I'd appreciate it. I heard back, and Stuart, who is great, is trying to get someone to come out here this afternoon. Hopefully, no more damage will occur. And, if they can get someone out here, I'll be thrilled...unless they charge me 30 billion dollars. Then I'll be pissed. :)

But, seriously, I am quite a bit worried about this thing snapping off...it's cracked halfway where the siding is bent, and it's not as though the winds have subsided any thus far. Plus, you can see the a/c unit facing you in the pictures, right? Well, the panel or two directly above that unit are loose as well, though they haven't peeled off. But they rattle and flutter in the wind, so they need to be nailed down too. Hopefully Nyberg comes through and quickly. I've got all my eggs in their basket, unfortunately.

New roof pic...finally...

Got around to getting the pics off the camera yesterday...only found one of the roof with its new color. You can compare...
Old roof:

New roof:

Really, I'm still not sold on the color, but oh well.

More soon.

A lull in the action...

Well, we sent off the final payment to the roofer. Again, if you're in Chicagoland and need a roofer, please email me privately and I'll give you the info. Or, maybe if I'm feeling generous, I'll post a link to their site here.

Otherwise, let's see...I've been meaning to call the window repairman, but work has been too busy lately. Need to schedule that soon though. I've been keeping busy most evenings working on my fish tank (the up-and-running 38-gallon, not the inherited 125-gallon, which is still empty and a project for the future). I'm having some trouble with some of the fish, so I've had to try to figure out what's wrong. It hasn't been easy...and I'm not sure I have it figured out. But, this is not a fish blog, it's a house blog.

Tomorrow, we pick up the china cabinet we're buying from a friend of ours. It will look good in the dining room (I'm guessing!). We've found a dining room set (wood) that we'd like, but we're hesitant about spending the money. We'll see...

My garden in back is doing nicely...I'll have to take a picture of it. Lots of new growth since the last photos, and the butterfly bush is attracting butterflies...I've seen one Monarch the last couple of days, and a few white butterflies and a few other brown with white and orange spots. We also saw a big yellow one a couple days back, but that was out in front of the house.

And, we saw two BATS, believe it or not! So freakin' cool...they were flying around in front over the street catching bugs at twilight the other day. I didn't think there was any way I'd see bats in the city nowadays! Really cool...eat them bugs, yeah!

So we have a veritable wild kingdom around here, it seems. :) I'll try to nab some photos tomorrow.

Roofers win, hands down...

The roof was completed late yesterday evening, and the wall painted and everything. I've not doubled back with our roofer as of yet, but we're expecting that everything in the billing process will go smoothly. Our roofer was fantastic and went above and beyond in terms of problems and solutions. I will definitely share his name here, assuming everything works right with the billing and payment process. Don't want to jump the gun.

I'll have roof pictures soon, I hope. In the meantime, Gina and I are prepping for our belated first anniversary trip to San Fran. So there's much on our plates right now for that, and less going on with the house. When we get back, hopefully we'll be all set to get the window repairman out here to do the work on our windows. Then it's further on to other things...including buying a new refrigerator with our HCBA voucher.

So, for now, sit tight...we'll be back "on the air" in about a week or so...

It's a race against time (Roofers 5, Bungalow 4)...

Water damage from yesterday's storms was mild, but annoying. The roofer offered to cover any damage (mostly to the 2nd bedroom light fixture/ceiling fan, where water came through), even though they were able to get tarps up over the entire house. This guy is the best...he's taken two bad situations--one of which he had no control over at all (the weather)--and made me and my wife feel good about things. That's why, today, the Roofers take a one-run lead over the Bungalow.

But, the clock is ticking. The roofer said they should be done today, barring anymore weather problems. I just looked at the radar, and there's a line of strong storms out west and north of the city, lunging forward, stalking my unfinished roof. Like I say above, it's a race against time. Let's hope the roofers win the race.

Good lord...Bungalow 4, Roofers 2...

You know, just when I thought it couldn't get better, it does. Yes, our roofer agreed to repair a serious boo-boo when we showed it to him this morning. Kudos to him for that.

But, I guess I forgot to explain to him that he's working on a H-------- (my last name) Project. Therefore, anything and everything that can jeopardize smooth sailing WILL happen.

Of course, today's storms wreaked HAVOC on the proceedings. Yet, instead of just delaying the roof getting done, fate had to throw a curveball. Though our roofer got the tarps on the roof quickly, it wasn't perfect. We had water coming into the house in three damned places. The most disconcerting was the 2nd bedroom upstairs, where it was pooling IN the ceiling fan's light fixture. BAD. Very, very BAD. It also came in through the leak in the skylight in the bathroom and apparently in the master bedroom near the window.

So now, I don't know what to do...I'm seriously, seriously worried about the electrical up there, among other things. Truthfully, I don't know how I'll get any sleep...but we'll see.

Therefore, "bungalow" earns two points for today...

Who thought homeownership was a good idea? You're nuts! :)

Round One: Bungalow 2, Roofers 1...

So, the roofers have been out and did a solid job from what I can tell in terms of quantity of work done. Although I can't tell much, since I can't actually get up on the roof. Here's a pic taken by my mother-in-law mid-day to give you an idea of the madhouse it is, apparently, when roofers take over the outside of your house. :)

That said, they made a big boo-boo today (thus the score of Bungalow 2, Roofers 1)...we'll see how the owner responds. If he's as reputable and as good as I've heard and as his company's supposed to be (it was a recommendation too), then I'm guessing there won't be a single problem.

If he's an ass, well, we have pictures. ;)

Also, but in the good news department, we received our Appliance Voucher from the HCBA (really, from the city through the HCBA), so we can go out and buy a new refrigerator now! No more stupid side-by-side (some people like them, I can't STAND it, particularly the freezer). Hooray for that!

The roof, the roof, the roof is on the lawn...???

Well, here's the before picture...they delivered the roofing materials Friday for tomorrow's work. Can't wait. Here's the before pics, for your enjoyment.


As you can see, it kind of announces to the neighborhood, "Hey everybody, check out what's going to happen at my house!"

Actually, it was kinda funny that they dropped the materials off Friday (they hadn't warned us of that), because I was able to tell everyone that came to my belated birthday/housewarming party, "Hope you brought some work clothes with ya, because we're all getting up on the roof and replacing it together!" Folks laughed...mostly. :) I also got a kick-ass gift from one of my good friends at work...if I get around to it, I'll share that photo too. I might have to take orders from some of my loyal readership here. :)

Anyway, that's about it for now...I'll have more photos as the roof progresses.

Projects galore...

Well, we've decided to go with Cinnamon Frost (aka, "light brown"). I was never able to find any full-roofed photos using the colors, so I'll have to go on instinct on this one. Honestly, my instinct is not feeling very good about it. I have a feeling I'm not going to like it. So, here's hoping my feeling is wrong about this one. They're coming out Monday to do the work, which is exciting. :)

Haven't heard from our window repair guy. He was going to come out this past Monday to repair only our shattered window, but he never called. So, I'm assuming he's going to call when he has some free space in his schedule. Let's hope that's soon.

Meanwhile, I've been researching as best as I can how to install my 125-gallon fish tank that was left here behind the wall in the basement family room. Shouldn't be a terrible, terrible project.
Here's where I'm looking at installing it...on the wall that is behind the post in this picture. The wall part should be "easy" enough, even with the outlet down at the bottom. The utility room (boiler, furnace, etc.) is behind on the other side of that wall, and it has pretty solid clearance back there...it's fixing up the tank that likely will be more difficult (and costly).

Also, I need to repair the wall in the upstairs bathroom after the roofers come through and re-roof the place. There's a nice-sized hole around one corner of the skylight, where we had some leakage and I wanted to dig out the drywall and take a look at what was going on underneath.

So, as usual, much to do, much to do. I need to, again, make a list.

Time for a decision...

Well, we've chosen our roofer, and now we're waiting patiently for him to fit us into his tight schedule. Honestly, that's a good sign, to me anyway. It means that at least he's not looking for work--so his work must be good. Nevermind that I got him recommended from a coworker I trust and that his Angie's List ratings were exceptionally high and frequently high. Now, we just have to choose a color. It's currently between Cinnamon Frost (A), Sandalwood (B) and Timber Blend (C). I think we're going to go with Cinnamon Frost. Believe it or not, it's not an easy decision, since I don't know of any houses that I can look at with these specific colors.

(A) (B)
(C)

As for the windows...screw replacements! :) We could only afford to replace five windows...for the repairman we found, we get to keep our well-cared-for wood windows, and we get ALL 11 in the bedrooms, dining room and living room repaired to working order for $900 less than outright replacing only five. That's awesome! I still have to call though, to lock that in.

Otherwise, I've begun my fence-long garden...I've done about 5-10 feet worth of the strip along the fence. I'll post pics, as the flowers have even begun to bloom. I forgot how much I missed having my own garden...though this isn't really a "garden" like I had in Bolingbrook back in the day. But, it's ground with flowers in it, as opposed to pots on a balcony, so I'll take it.

That's that for now...pics coming as projects get underway.