Moving

Save Money With an Insulation Upgrade

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: Jeanne Huber
Published: September 10, 2009

Beefing up inadequate insulation is one of the quickest energy-payback projects you can do, resulting in lower heating and cooling bills and increased comfort.

Even if you live in an older home, there’s no reason you need to shiver through the winter or roast in the summer. If your house doesn’t have enough insulation-common in homes built before 1980, when energy awareness began to take hold-bringing it up to current standards will make it more comfortable all year long. Plus, you’ll save anywhere from 10% to 50% on heating and cooling bills. The amount of savings for upgrading insulation depends on many factors, including where you live, what type of heating system you have, and how much insulation you add.

How to compare different types of insulation

On each type of insulation, a label states the R-value per inch, a measure of resistance to heat transfer. The bigger the number, the more effective the insulation. Where space is tight, such as within wall cavities, you need a high R-value per inch. In an attic or under a floor, where there is more room, you can boost the insulation value of a lower-rated material simply by using a thicker layer. As a rule, the more insulation you add, the more money you’ll save. But there is a point beyond which you can spend more on materials than you’ll recoup in lower energy bills. The tipping point varies depending on where you live. Consult the Department of Energy’s zip-code specific recommendations (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs%2bwalls/insulation/ins_16.html) for the right amount of insulation for your climate.

Adding insulation in the attic

The attic is a great place to start, because adding insulation there is quick, easy, and cost-effective. (To make any insulation upgrade more cost-effective, it’s a good idea to seal air leaks (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/8-easy-ways-seal-air-leaks-around-house/) first.) In the Northeast, for example, upgrading attic insulation from R-11 to R-49 would cost around $1,500 if you hire a pro-half as much if you do it yourself-and, depending on the type of heat you have, save about $600.

To determine how much to add, look up the recommended amount for your area (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs%2bwalls/insulation/ins_16.html), then subtract the value of your existing insulation. If you don’t know, you can figure it out using the Home Energy Saver online energy audit tool (http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/no_regrets/insulationold.html).

There are two ways to improve attic insulation. In unfinished space, you can simply add layers to what is already on the floor. Or, if you’re thinking about finishing the attic, you can put the insulation against the roof. Insulating the roof is the better method if heating and cooling ducts pass through the space, or if you live in a humid climate and want to cut down on musty smells coming from the attic.

If you’re doing the job yourself (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/when-it-pays-to-do-it-yourself/), blanket-type material is easiest to work with. Just be careful not to compress it or it won’t be as effective. If you’re hiring a contractor, go with loose-fill cellulose or fiberglass, which fills crevices better. You’ll pay a pro around $1 a square foot to blow in material; DIY batts cost about half that.

If you’re insulating the roof, sprayed foam polyurethane (http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11600) works best because it molds to rafters, blocks water vapor, and has a high R-rating per inch. Expect to pay about double the cost of loose-fill insulation.
No matter which method you choose, federal tax credits (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/tax-credits-adding-or-replacing-insulation/) of up to $1,500 are available to defray the cost of materials.

Adding insulation to walls on main floors

It’s fairly easy to add insulation in stud bays where none exists. (To check, cut the power to a few outlets on exterior walls, then unscrew and look behind the cover plates.) A contractor drills small holes through the inside or outside wall and blows in material. Costs range from around $1.25 per square foot for loose-fill fiberglass, cellulose, or rock wool to $4.40 for polyurethane foam, which insulates about twice as well.

If your walls already have some insulation, you probably can’t add more without tearing into the drywall or plaster. That’s not cost effective unless you’re remodeling, so the best strategy may be to wait until you need to replace siding (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/siding-guide-options/). Then you can add insulating sheathing underneath it.

Basements and crawl spaces

Even though hot air rises, homes lose heat in all directions. So besides insulating the top and sides of your house, you also need to insulate the bottom, where as much as 30% of energy loss can occur. As with the attic, you have two choices: Insulate under the bottom floor and treat the crawl space or basement as outdoor space, or insulate the walls and treat the area as indoor space. In that case, you would close off all exterior vents except those needed for combustion air or exhaust.

Though floor insulation is more common, wall insulation has many advantages, including cost-it takes about a third less material to insulate the walls of a 36-by-48-foot basement as to insulate the subfloor above. A key detail, not understood by all builders, is to place a layer of rigid foam insulation against the foundation to keep moisture from condensing against the cold walls. If you want to finish the basement, you can cover the foam with a stud wall, fill it with unfaced fiberglass insulation, and cover with drywall.

Jeanne Huber is the author of 10 books about home improvement and writes a weekly column about home care for the Washington Post

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

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10 Things To Consider When Moving To The Twin Cities

When you want to move to another city, there are things you need to consider and think over and over again to make sure that:

?    You are not making the biggest mistake in your life
?    You have a budget that can sustain you in the big city until you have found a job.

Usually, people fail to see the reason why they have to plan before they can move out from their comfort zone. Living with parents seem to be the most ideal plan but there is some point in your life where you will have to leave the home of your childhood and venture into the unknown. This is the most difficult phase because for someone who has been living with parents even way into the adulthood, they will have troubles living on their own, managing their own life and living alone.

If you are moving out because you are getting married, that is another problem but most people make their first move out of the house due to job transfer or getting a new job which is far away from home. So, they will have to move out to a place closer to the office so that they will be easier to go to work.

Now, there are ten things you need to consider when moving to a big city especially Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Moving to Minneapolis or St. Paul can be difficult without a proper plan.

Accommodation

Have you found your accommodation in the new place? Have you rent the new home? Do you like the new home? Is the home affordable to you?

There are the questions you should be thinking way before you move there. Of course, when you want to rent a home, you will have to take some time off and go there so you can see for yourself the home you want to rent to make sure that you are not conned by scammers agent.

You must make sure that you can afford to pay the rental of your new home. The rental must be compensated with the utilities and amenities included with the home. Sometimes, you might like a home but too expensive for your wallet so either you negotiate for a better price or you back off and find other places.

Transportation

This is easier if you have your own car but unfortunately, not everyone has the privilege to own a car so you need to make sure that it is not a problem for you to go to work if your home is slightly far from your office. If you can walk to your office then there is no problem. Other wise you will need to make sure that bus or train service is available.

Food

Food is never a problem especially when you have the money but you have a budget to follow so it is not like you can eat whatever you want. Make sure that you can prepare your own meals at home. Then, check out the local grocery store so you will know where to buy grocery and food. Look out for the prices as well. This allows you to make a budget for food. In times like when you are working, you will have to have lunch somewhere nearby or in the café so you need to spend some money but it is ok, as long as you have plan ahead on how much you can spend for lunch.

Entertainment

What’s life without entertainment? I am sure that while you are in the big city, you will have the urge to have a tour and check out nearby locations to see if there is anything interesting. Occasionally you might want to catch a movie with your friends and colleagues so make a budget for entertainment as well but plan wisely so it doesn’t interrupt with your bigger expense. Otherwise, wait until you are stable before you venture for some outdoor entertainment.

Utilities & Amenities

Check out if you have to pay for the utilities bills such as electricity and others. If there are some bills you need to settle, make sure that you settle the bill as soon as possible to make sure that you don’t accumulate the bills which might end up more than you think when you finally realised about the bills.

Housekeeping

When you are living with your parents, your mum would be doing the laundry, the cooking and the cleaning of your room but when you are living on your own, you will have to do everything yourself. Make sure that you schedule when to do your laundry like every once in a week or twice in a week. Then, make sure you tidy your home and clean up any mess.

Security Level

Is your home located in a secure area? An area that has access to the police station, fire department and hospital or clinic? These are very important as you might be living alone and if something happened to you, you need to know where to ask for help. You need to be friends with your neighbours so that in case of emergency they can look out for you and help you.

Packing & Unpacking

So, you have a lot of things you want to bring along yet there is little space in your new home. You will need to discard those you don’t need at all so that you don’t clutter your new home. Remember you don’t have your mum there to help you tidy up and clean up. When you want to pack your items, make sure you use boxes so it is easier for you to store all your things. It is also easier for you to move the boxes around. You can buy new boxes or if you have some spare old boxes from the old set of TV or any boxes you find.

Moving Company

Do you need the service of moving company? For example, you might need to use the lorry and you can hire a lorry from the moving company. They provide the lorry, you pack your own things and they will help you to load the items into the lorry and deliver them to your new place with you in the lorry or with you in front of them in your own vehicle. Of course, hiring the lorry would cost you more but if you want to avoid the hassle, you should get the help from a moving company.

Total cost of moving

Finally, the most important part is to calculate the average total cost for you to move out.
This is to make sure you have the budget or else you have to find ways to cut down the cost.

Once you have considered all these, then you are set to move out and live on your own.

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