Enthalpic

Apparently lead paint tastes good. I would try it at least once.

ridethecliche

I'm starting to think that you're a beagle.

topflightpro

The hotel I booked back on Jan. 1 for Worlds in Richmond called last night to say they've cancelled my reservation because they overbooked. There are no longer any hotels with availability within easy walking distance to the course. I'm quite pissed right now.

globecanvas

It's a big pain, especially with windows, otoh it is super common. Just gotta get the loose stuff off and repaint. Or go big and replace the windows, which would probably be a nice energy upgrade if they are old enough to have lead paint on them (and look to see if there are any state programs that can give you a tax break or other help with buying new energy-efficient windows). Much better to do it now than when kids are on the way.

shovelhd

In other words, we resold your room for 2x your great rate. Eff you.

big john

Any campgrounds nearby?

grolby

Yeah, I think for now it's going to be repainting! But saving to replace. These windows are pretty shot anyway. I'm not really all that concerned for the moment, we got lucky in that pretty much all the other windows in the house are replacements. And being casements, these have screens on the inside, which should protect our cats (who are weird and do lick windows from time to time). But we'll keep an eye on it.

carpediemracing 

I think the hotels have been booked for a while now. A friend who used to help with Bethel lives in Richmond so we're staying there but I have no idea how we're going to actually get to the course/etc.

globecanvas

Just checked briefly, there are 0% loans available in Mass for replacing non-energy star windows with energy star. FWIW.

tetonrider

anyone catch this train crossing from paris-roubaix?


here are the U23’s from flanders in a similar move:


playing with fire!

TheKillerPenguin

On the one hand I'm glad I don't own a house because of all the work that goes into maintaining it, but on the other hand I wish I owned a house so I could work on it and make of it what I want. Hard to justify repainting a living room and upgrading the windows when you're renting :-/

carpediemracing 

Also there's some window, let me get the flyer, it's worth a bit more R value. You can actually feel the difference in their display booth thing.

I can't find it, prob threw it out. They used the windows in the Empire State Building.

Probably a better value is to check for gaps in insulation etc and then do the plastic over the windows thing when it's cold again.

My first house was plaster wall 1940s and had zero insulation. Zero.

valygrl

Once you've spent the money you earmarked for cosmetic or functional upgrades for unexpected repairs such as replacing a sewer main, the glamor of home ownership begins to fade.

gsteinb

we're in the process of preparing for an open house this weekend, and getting ready to buy again. pros seem to outweigh the cons overall.

Edonis13

My fiancee is signed up for her first race this weekend. This should be interesting....

grolby

Haha, thanks GC. This porch is already non-conditioned space, so we're not really losing any more energy through those windows or it would be a bigger problem. We are going to take advantage of the Mass Save energy program to get the rest of the house better insulated. Like you, CDR, our house is from the 1940s and the walls are totally uninsulated. Happily the attic is better off, but still pretty bad. We're going to be able to get cellulose blown into the walls and the attic better sealed and insulated for not too much money.

I know that the shine is going to wear off of the home ownership thing soon enough, and we still have most of our really expensive planned repairs ahead of us, but for now I'm going to take advantage of being so excited about it. I figure it should stick for a while.

globecanvas

Yes, definitely better return on effort in terms of energy savings. But sealing drafts doesn't do much to remediate the lead paint on the windows

This is my wife's field of expertise so I have a lot of absorbed knowledge. Which can be a lot more dangerous than actual knowledge.

globecanvas

Our house was built in 1880 and when we bought it you could literally see through many places in the exterior walls. With the shades drawn it was like being in a planetarium. We insulated and changed all the windows but in hindsight I wish we had done much more intensive energy upgrades while we were already disrupting the envelope of the house.

carpediemracing 

I had insulation blown in, did a layer of insulation (R30?) in the attic, windows, some other stuff. During that time I had the old oil tank (550gal) pulled out, a new 275 gal in, and a converted coal-to-oil furnace out and a new furnace put in. We used the same number of tanks per winter, about 2 tanks, for an 1100 sf house, a little less with the new tanks. In other words we used to burn 1100 gal a year (most of it in the winter) and went to 500 or so gal annually.

Also when I first bought the house I was clueless. I tried to find a thermostat that had a lower setting than 55 deg because I wanted the house at 50.

One morning I woke up and there was a half circle of snow that had blown in under the kitchen door overnight. It wasn't melted, it was still powdery. The house was a good 32 degrees inside that day. I can't believe I never had a frozen pipe in the 16 or whatever years I lived there.

We installed double pane windows in the porch. We could hang out in the sun in late fall and early spring, it was nice. Before we couldn't. Not much insulation otherwise and no heat.

Now, in our 1984 house, we set our thermostat in the winter for 68 mainly for Junior, formerly about 63 (before Junior), and I get cold at 60. Getting old.

When we first moved here I was working in that hardware store, mainly for spending money. I spent a good $1500 a month for the first year? on house stuff, misc stuff, one thing after another.

Homes are like bikes. You can always do stuff to them, they're never done. THe journey is the reward.

gsteinb

so who's sock puppet is that?

globecanvas

The usual rule of thumb is that it's the first person to give a non snarky response. So...

harolddelaney

my topic got deleted sad face.

thought it was developing into some good dialogue though. what's the problem?

mattm

People get touchy when names are named, I would guess.

harolddelaney

i wanna know who JJ is.

furiousferret

Its as if the mods have never read the 33. That was maybe a 6 out of 10 on the fire scale.