The river house project

Today the junk man comes into the river house to remove the last of anything with metal.  So that is the end of the furnace, the air conditioner, the laundry chute, the last of the duct work and the water heater.  He is also taking the accumulated metal pipes that Cole put into the garage.  On Monday, the crew will start on removing the chimney.

And then, finally, the rebuilding will start.  Hooray!  We are turning the corner!!

I got the final prints on Saturday.  I wrote earlier in March about the fiasco of a "friend" helping out by coming in without my permission to add furring strips to the wall studs so that I could increase the amount of insulation I could put in.  I had already decided I didn't want to do that, but he bought the wood and set Cole to the task behind my back, I guess because he thought he knew best.

Well, the numbers are in - and the furring strips are coming out!  Even with the friend contributing the wood (I wasn't buying what I didn't order), the extra cost of insulation would have been $258; the extensions for the five existing windows that we are keeping is $150 per window ($750); the new windows and exterior doors would all have been slightly more expensive, maybe $20 each for a total of $200.  So we are at more than $1,200 without any extra labor, and the savings on heat per year is only $9.80.  Here is the calculator I used.  Savings Calculator for heat costs  Yes, I am moving to the town with the lowest fuel bills in the whole state, so I wasn't getting much of a return for the extra insulation, but at double the savings, it still isn't a good idea.  $1,200 divided by $9.80 means it would take 122 years to get my money back, without considering the time value of money, and with no cost for the furring strips and Cole's labor to attach them.  I am 71 years old.  I'm in good health, but I'm betting that I'm not going to live to be 193.

I think it is just a man thing - or anyway, men of a certain generation.  They think they know best, even when they don't.  I am still a bit corked about the whole thing - can you tell? - but at least the figures provide overwhelming proof that I am doing the right thing.  My existing 4" studs will be just fine, and with new insulation will provide plenty of warmth in my new house.