[Greenbuilding] Refurbish or Replace

[Chris Green]

Zach Douglas wrote:
> I guess you just have to create new circuits and leave the old ones where the
> are buried in the walls.
>   
Not necessarily. You could remove the interior paneling, the boards 
under them, and what-not, then scab on some 2x2's or 2x3's to the studs 
to create the equivalent to 2x6" or even 2x8" cavities which will then 
be filled with insulation. That will be a lot of work, but can be set up 
so that the work is done efficiently and go faster. One drawback to this 
is that you will lose some interior floor space.
While the walls are open, your electrician can remove the old wiring and 
install the new. Opening up at least one 4' wide area will give you and 
anyone else an idea of what's going on inside the walls, if anything.

> Some follow on questions:
>
> If I do refurbish the house..
>
> A. Concerning the roof (shingles apparently wearing out, some boards
> rotting, possible water damage, and the old insulation)...  would I have the
> roof of the house completely re-done? Or would it more likely be just
> replacing some damaged boards and resurfacing? 
You can simply find and replace the damaged boards. However, I would 
also recommend that you also cover the roof with a something like 
Thermastrand radiant barrier ply. This is plywood with an aluminum 
surface and will reflect a lot of that big Texas heat that would 
otherwise work its' way into the house. As much as 97%, according to 
their ads. This in turn will lower your cooling costs quite a bit. By 
25%, again according to their ads.
Since I used to work in their plywood plant, I know the company tends to 
underestimate their products' real world performance, but the 97% figure 
might be a little high.

Thermastrand is made by Ainsworth Lumber Co., and should be readily 
available now from a local supplier. I don't presently know if anyone 
else makes something like this at this time, but your local suppliers might.
http://www.ainsworth.ca/

The plywood will also make it harder for water to enter into the attic. 
You should probably also lay down roofing paper over top the boards and 
under the ply.
The pairing of plywood and sound boards will make for a much stronger roof.
While you're up there, installing some hurricane ties might be a good 
idea. You will want to also tie the bottom of the stud walls to the 
foundation to complete the circuit.
>  I might have some water
> damage and there is the old insulation and new pink fiberglass insulation..
>   
If the fiberglass has water damage, it won't work as well as it should, 
and may have mold present. Look for black or dark gray, soiled-looking 
areas in the insulation. Wet fiberglass tends to collapse and become 
non-insulating. Better to go with something like blown-in boron-treated 
cellulose or Roxul mineral wool.
> could those/should those be abated if the roof was off and being re-done?
>   
Unless you want to change the roof line, or if you have broken trusses,  
it shouldn't be necessary to take the whole roof off. Just the damaged 
boards. Any  broken parts can be left in place and new trusses or 
whatever placed next to the old. This is called 'sistering'. That 
advice, of course, depends exactly on how the roof is built, and how the 
tradespeople want to tackle the repair.
> B.  Tell me about a tin roof..  this seems to be more durable than
> shingles.. and I have been under the assumption it is cheaper?
>   
The lifespan of the metal roofing is much longer than for asphalt 
shingles. And are recyclable. The price depends on which metal panels 
you choose and which metal they're made from You can choose between 
aluminum, painted steel, and even copper. The copper is breathtakingly 
expensive, though, since raw copper is $3.05US/ pound and up.
You can get metal panels in a wide variety of colours and, again, some 
are designed to reduce the heat flow into your attic.
> C.  I have very large windows in most rooms.. they are nice but as mentioned
> they are old 'casement windows' and not really at all efficient and in need
> of drastic repair if they were kept.  Would I likely be able to get windows
> the same size or would I end up having to go with smaller windows if I
> modernize them..  we know from trying to buy curtains that they don't seem
> to make standard windows as big as these from the 40's.
>   
I would have thought that windows are actually getting bigger. Perhaps 
go to the window manufactures website (Marvin, Pella, and so-on) and 
download their catalogs. You'll probably find a close match to what you 
currently have, or something you like better. Some companies make an 
effort to create heritage style windows because there is a good market 
for renovators of houses just like yours.
> D.  I'm thinking to create more space that perhaps I would just extend two
> rooms in to what is now the back yard.  As part of that the leaky laundry
> room would be removed.  Is this feasible.. just remove a wall and make a
> room larger?
>   
Yes, but the process might be complicated by the presence of a 
load-bearing walls. However, any competent designers and carpenters will 
know how to deal with this.
I recall you live in Austin. If so, you'll be happy to hear that Austin 
is earning a good reputation internationally for promoting and 
accomplishing green building. It should be easy to find a knowledgeable 
designer and tradespeople who can help you with your project.
They may be able to advise you on how to make the living space more 
efficient so that it won't be quite so necessary to add more space. Tey 
may also make suggestions to improve the energy efficiency such as 
adding some solar shading, perhaps a vine-covered arbor over the 
south-facing windows which will reduce the heat that enters the building 
in the summer while allowing the sun to warm up the interior in the 
winter. For vines you could grow grapes and/ or climbing yellow roses. 
(they grow up here in my town, and smell wonderful when they're in bloom. )
If you do go for additions, perhaps you'd consider looking into straw 
bale infill for the additions, if these can be made to match the rest of 
the structure. There are some experienced SB builders in the Austin area.
These are general suggestions based on some assumptions about your house 
as to shape and orientation relative to the suns' path. Any more 
specific advise would require having a look at photos of the house and 
yard, or better yet, at the site itself.

Honestly, in my experience from doing work like this, it will take 
longer to design and execute a whole-house renovation on an existing 
structure than to just tear it down and start over again. But renovating 
should still be the greener option. You can change the building quite 
radically and come up with something equal to, or even better than, a 
new house if everything goes well. YMMV, of course.


Cheers,

Chris Green.