We write about our many home renovation and energy conservation efforts as well as new products or services we try.
In many cases our efforts results in five or more articles which constitute a project, with one article leading to the next.
Find the project(s) of interest below and select the link to its first article.
We continually add more projects as we work on them in our home.
Energy Conservation:
And, remember to amble over to SavingsGrid.com, with hundreds of money saving ideas through energy and water conservation are available, and more such as a free 100+ Easy Ways To Save Electricity At Home eBook simply for signing up to the SavingsGrid newsletter.
Air Leak Sealing - The Series
Dehumidifier- Energy Saving
Energy Audit – The Series
Exterior Solar Blinds – The Series
Home Energy Savings - In a Recession
LED Light Bulbs – A19 & PAR20 LED Review
Retractable Screens – The Series
Solar Charged Mower (2009) – The Series
Solar Charged Mower (2008) – The Series
Solar Air Heating – The Series
Solar MicroFIT Assessment - The Series
Tankless Water Heater – Strange New World
Home Renovation:
Basement Ceiling Water Leak – The Series
Bathroom SnapStone Tiles – The Series
Eves Trough Replacement - The Series
Garden Makeover – The Project
Floor Tile Renovation – The Series
Foundation Wall Crack Repair -The Series
Kitchen Makeover – The Series
Replacement Front Door – The Series
Robin and Babies – Part 1 – Their Baaaaack!
Where can I find out information on retro soundproofing between the main floor and basement of a 2 apt bungalow. I know that full soundproofing is out of the question but minor alterations may be possible.
Thanks,
Hi Tom,
That is something that my wife wants me to do ourselves. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet (and won’t for a while…..limited funds).
However, there are specific types of insullation that some in the same type of package as pink fibreglass bats which you can get at any building supply company and install between the trusses / joints of the bottom of the basement ceiling. These are not fibregalss materials.
You would then need to cover them up as well.
Dan
After posting on your Notre Dame page, I took a general look around your site – congratulations on a very meaningful coverage of ideas of interest.
One area which I did not see covered (although it was impossible to all the ideas that you addressed) was remodeling for senior citizen assisted living. We have done a bit of that in the last year, not that we need assisted living right now, but we know that we will since the years are passing by so rapidly.
Best wishes
Hi John,
First, thank you.
Second, you raise a good and an aspect of home renovation that will only but continue to increase in general need due to the baby boomer bulge.
We have some articles on how we have tried to make our home more universally accessible as we have a special needs / physically challenged family member.
If you look within the Accessiblity category (http://dailyhomerenotips.com/category/accessibility/) we have so far 11 articles on home renovations we have done related to improving accessibility in the home.
They wireless wall switches, for example, allow the light switch to be placed any hieght or placement on the wall as it does not need any wires.
The article on toilet heights would be another one applicable for senior citizen remodeling. Those extra 2 inches in height can signficantly help a physically challenged person.
We do have strategically placed hand rails by the toilet and bath tub in the bathroom used by our special needs family member, but no article yet.
Thank you for the idea and in March onwards I’ll do my best to include a few more articles in that regard.
Dan
Hi, Again, John,
PS. Regarding assisted living, many of the home energy conservation suggestions within our Energy Conservation page (http://dailyhomerenotips.com/energy-conservation/) would be within the sphere of assisted living home adjustments.
Cost wise, 100+ cost absolutely nothing to do and a further 75+ cost next to nothing. Retirees needs to watch their spending as much or more than the employed part of the population.
As well, most of the suggestions we received on that list are very simple to do. Again, as we age our bodies are not as ‘nimble’ as they used to be in our younger years. However the vast majority of the home energy conservation tips on that list are very, very easy to do.
I hope this helps.
Dan
thank you so much for you hard work on energy saving.
I love your front door replacement project tips. I also really like that particular front door you featured. Would you mind telling where you found that door?
Hi Aimee,
You know what? I can’t? Why? it’s because since we had sooo many gosh darn issues with the 1st replacement front door the retailer and manufacturer gave us an upgraded front door which was slightly different from the first. So, I can’t tell you where you would find it.
Dan
Hi Tom, we do cellar conversions over here in the UK and we use a material called Astrosafe, it is available in the US too so you shouldn’t have any problem finding it, it is easy to use, lightweight and a good thermal and sound insulator. it does not cause any irritatioon like fiberglass does. We use it on alll of our basement and cellar conversion projects.
Great website! I arrived because I was searching for ideas on energy conservation, but ended up browsing for well over an hour. Really good range of subjects covered. I’m impressed!
I have several air condition, heating
vents in the walls of my home. The vents are located in the walls between the studs. One vent is located in the wall near the top of the ceiling and the other vent directly below the other,(between the same studs) at the bottom of the wall near the floor. What is the purpose of these two vents? should they both be open at the same time?
Thank you,
Laverne
Hi Laverne,
That does sound strange.
My initial guess would be that the top one is the cold air return and the lower one is the actual heat / conditioned air to enter the room. However, most often they are placed not within the same stud space to prevent the heated / conditioned air being sucked right back into the furnace / central air conditioner.
I wonder if the prior owner of your home found that particular room cold and installed a second vent (likely the top one) themselves, rather tackling the cause of the problem through increased insulation, sealing the air leaks, etc.
My other ‘guess’ is that perhaps the person who installed the vents was thinking to open the bottom one in the winter (as warm / heated air rises to the top) while open only the top one in the summer (thinking that the cooler conditioned air would filter downwards).
I hope that helps.
Dan
Regarding the soundproofing between floors, I would recommend blow-in cellulose (or fiberglass, but it is more expensive). Small holes can be made in the ceiling to fill the space between the floor joists using a blower, then these holes can be patched. The results are quite noticeable (I’m told, haven’t done it), and cellulose is cheap. The labor is the expensive part.