There is one thing I know about something as labor intensive as landscaping, that in order to get it done in a timely fashion we are going to have to pay to have someone do at least part of the project. To save some money we’ll do most of the demolition work ourselves.

The Plan
After sketching out the dimensions of the front yard, we came up with an overall plan for the front yard. We can’t afford to do everything we want all at once so we’re going to break it up into 3 stages. Here are some of the things we would like to incorporate into the new front yard.

• 2 different sizes and types of rock
• Additional parking
• A small wall in front to keep debris and the random dog out of the yard
• Minimal plant maintenance

Stage 1 – Remove all the existing decorative walls, the planter box attached to the front of the house, sandstone gravel and turf. Once that’s finished we’ll work with a landscaper to put in the new gravel and irrigation in.
Stage 2 – Figure out a paver solution for the additional parking section. I want to use pavers so water can go into the ground and not the street.
Stage 3 – Put in the stacked stone wall in front of the house.

Original Front Yard

These high-tech water smart sprinklers typically apply water more evenly, reducing dry spots without overwatering. They also apply water at a rate that allows it to be more readily absorbed into the soil instead of running off.

Cost Breakdown

The person at Sherwin Williams didn’t want to shake the paint at the store because he didn’t want the aluminum in the paint to create a static charge. Instead I flipped the paint the day before to get all the particulates to the top of the bucket. The day we painted I used a drill and paint mixer for 5 minutes to incorporate the particulates and latex.

Preparation for the area included laying down some plastic I already had to protect the carpet, emptying the closet, donning a paint ventilation mask and putting on the painters suit.

Suiting Up For Painting

Our house has two joined attic areas. The first one has all the duct work from the two A/C units on the roof.

First Attic Area – View 1





Attic Area With A/C Ducts – View 2

I did a horizontal application pattern with some overspray.

It took about an hour to apply the paint to about 500 sqft. of attic space. One thing to remember is to stay hydrated when working in the attic. It was at least 10-15 degrees warmer than it was outside.

First Attic Area Finished – View 1





First Attic Area Finished – View 2

The second attic space over the master bedroom has more room to maneuver but there is more electrical work to watch out for.

Second Attic Area – View 1





Second Attic Area – View 2

The second attic area took another hour to spray. I learned a couple of tips from the first attic area:

• Switch to spraying vertically near the bottom truss
• Keep the spray gun 8″-12″ away from the target area
• Use the camera to help identify where some areas were missed

Second Attic Area Finished – View 1





Second Attic Area Finished – View 2

One of the most effective things I’ve done in the name of trying to conserve energy and make my older home more efficient is seal the outlets on the outside walls with spray foam insulation.

These are the reasons a latex foam was chosen over the polyurethane type.

• There were too many warnings on the polyurethane spray foams about their flash point being 250° F when cured.
• The latex one didn’t mention any such thing when it was cured.

Latex Spray Foam Insulation

WARNING: When insulating an electrical outlet box make sure the power is off to that outlet until the foam insulation has cured. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions.

Doing the outlets that are on an exterior wall will provide the most impact. The outlet shown had some gaps as large as 1/4″ around it. I felt the cold air freely flowing through the outlet box by just putting my hand in front of it.

Gaps Around An Electrical Outlet Box

With the electricity off, the expanding foam was applied.

Spraying Expanding Foam

This is how I applied the foam:

• from the bottom to the top
• for each side done foam was applied from the back to the front
• foam was purposefully allowed to expand over-filling the cracks in the front

Electrical Outlet Box With Foam

A finger was used to smooth the foam around the outlet box.

Once the foam has cured, the power was turned back on.

The materials used were:

• 8 smaller washers
• 4 larger washers
• set of 4 furniture glides
• 4 rubber bumpers

I was able to find all the stuff I needed at my local Ace Hardware.

Parts To Make Box Wood Floor Friendly

The antique box is a combination of galvinized steel and wood.

Antique Box

Washers were used for spacing to clear the bottom of the box. In retrospect the glides could have been extended down instead of adding washers for spacing.

Spacing Gliders With Washers

I was lucky with this box because there were already holes in the galvanized steel bottom. It would be simple enough to drill holes if necessary. The holes are a little large so a washer was added before tightening the gliders into place.

Washers Added To Compensate For Hole Size

Rubber bumpers were added to the glides because I didn’t want the box to slide around on the wood floor.

Rubber Bumper On The Glider

The antique recycle bin adds a little more character than something new. Its got a cool warning about unauthorized use being “punishable by law” on it.

Finished Antique Recycle Bin

I kind of had an idea where some problem areas might be, but I did a full walk around outside and the inside walls that touch external walls. These were the areas I found that needed fixing:

Gap around an exterior spigot.

3 holes where a contractor pulled electrical
from the inside to the outside porch.

Gap on the side of the house.

Gap around the plumbing
under the kitchen sink.

I used Dap Multi-Purpose Foam Sealant to fill in the gaps and holes. This was about $6 at the Depot.

Dap Multi-Purpose Foam Sealant

Filling the gaps and holes was just a matter of shaking the can for a minute, inserting the tube into the nozzle, jamming the tube into the gap or hole and letting her rip.

About To Fill Gap Around Spigot

Jamming

Applying Foam

It was a matter of minutes to seal the gaps with the foam. It stays in it’s wet form for a few minutes allowing you to scoop off any excess.

Pre-excess cleanup

If the gap is fairly large you might have to apply multiple coats to bridge the area. I had to do this with the gap on the side of the house where the stucco met the roof.

Filled Side Of House Gap

Use water to clean-up. Make sure to clean the tube and nozzle area of the can if you plan to use it again.

I started this project off like any of the others I’ve done by doing some research on the topic. I wanted to identify common usages, overall understanding of the technologies involved, factors I’d have control over and break down by cost what I could accomplish to conserve power.

In an average American household energy consumption breakdown is;

50-70% HVAC
10-30% Lighting, appliances and other devices
20% for heating water

HVAC

Heat Transfer and Insulation

Heat flows naturally from higher temperatures, warmer spaces, to lower ones.

The R-value of insulation is the thermal resistance value. The R-values are added together when calculating multiple layers of insulation.

The overall R-value of a wall can be different from the R-value of the installed insulation. The joists become a thermal short circuit because of the conductive properties of the wood. So the heat will pass through the path of least resistance which is the joists.

Radiant Barriers

Radiant barriers consist of a thin reflective material such as aluminium. This film is usually applied to one or both sides of a substrate. An example of this is the Prodex which is a foil – foam – foil product.

A radiant barrier works by reducing the heat transfer by thermal radiation.

HVAC Conservation Tips

I came across these good tips from a variety of sources like Nevada Power that cost little or no money. Some are specific to my region.

• Install programmable thermostats

• Recommended thermostat settings

  • Summer – set thermostat to 78 – 80 degrees when home and 5 – 10 degrees warmer when your not home or asleep

  • Winter – set thermostat to 68 degrees when home and back to 58 degrees when sleeping or on not home more than 4 hours

• Use your window blinds to help control the heat

  • Summer – close the blinds during the day to help keep out the heat

  • Winter – open the blinds on the sunny side of the house to help heat it, and close them during the night or on cloudy days

• Close doors to rooms that are not being used

• For A/C units on the ground, make sure they are free of debris

• Do not turn off your A/C in the hot months when you’re not home. It will most likely take more power to restore your home to a desirable temperature because the home has been accumulating heat all day.

My HVAC Usage

There are two A/C units, one for downstairs and one for up. I keep the filters clean by rinsing the reusable air filters every month. Also, there is a service contract where a company comes out and does a 50 point maintenance before summer and winter.
My Variable(s):

• Each unit has a programmable thermometer

Next I’ll look at lighting, appliances and other devices.

Sources:
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/  Oakridge National Laboratory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_barrier - Wikipedia
http://www.nevadapower.com - Nevada Power