Re: I'm looking for idea's to make my home energy efficient

Hi southlandmechse,

So my Kershaw County SC buddy thinks you live near the coast. Is he right? He's a big fan of woodstoves, and single malt scotch. Both will keep you warm, but only the first is truly family friendly.

Hi DC,

You've obviously done a lot of work in the high efficiency eco-friendly area. Lots of links and good advise. Perhaps you're geographically closer to the OP which would give you a better perspective on prices than I have. Up here in NE (SW CT) the prices are so inflated that I was quick to suggest that the budget was too small to accomplish much. FWIW - last year we got quotes for a kithcen remodel in the $70K range... (disgusting!)

So,

The experience I had, was with my first house. It was built in the 1910's. The previous owner had applied some 1980's fix-it technology to the repairs and created a real mess. Sure the climates are diffenrent, but the water is the same. We had to do significant re-repairs, and employed techniques that were not what I'd use if I were building a new home today. What we did was adapt to the rest of the structure to avoid propagating the damaging effects of temperature & moisture. The house wasn't as tight as it could have been, but the decay was thoroughly checked.

If you're not really up on the techniques, I'd suggest finding a **Certified** Home Inspector, and hiring and *retaining* him for the duration of the project. Make sure you find one that's got good references yout the local building inspector and your local bank or credit union. Then have him come in and do a baseline inspection, and then schedule 2 followups. One for mid construction, and the 2nd for when the job is done. He'll know he's getting 3 jobs from you, and that makes you a *good customer*.

Even if you do the some the work yourself, you'll get added piece of mind knowing the work is *correct* for the home, not just 'to code'.

BTW: Location? My friend says I owe him a bottle if he's right, I'll charge him a seafood dinner if he's wrong. You're welcome to join us either way... time & location TBD.