December 03, 2013
The Joys of Owning a House
As heating season started, our furnace did not. It wasn't completely nonfunctional, but it would only fire up once or twice a day. It would run until the thermostat turned it off again, and then it wouldn't start again for anywhere from ten to forty hours.
I did some poking at it, but as a matter of Operational Risk Management, I didn't want to actually take apart a device that could very easily burn the house down and/or cause the house to explode. So we called a local HVAC contractor.
It took a while to get him over to visit, what with it being the start of heating season. Once he was here, it took about an hour of diagnosis to discover that the fan motor for the secondary heat exchanger was sticking, probably from bad bearings. It could be replaced, for $400, but the furnace itself dated from the early 1980s. So we decided to spend about $3000 on getting a new, high-efficiency model installed. The old one was also high-efficiency, but the new one nevertheless promised additional energy savings. The gas efficiency is about the same for both models, but the new one's fan motors are better, and for a forced-air heating system the fans use a surprisingly large chunk of electricity.
Anyway, it took another two weeks or so for them to free up two technicians to spend all day installing the new furnace. They also sprayed expanding foam into a number of passages from the basement to the first floor, around plumbing and whatnot, and then spread some sealing gunk over every joint it the ductwork in the basement. The solvent stunk up the house for a couple of days, but the effect was quite noticeable: our basement is now at least five degrees colder, because less heated air is leaking into it.
As long as we were having the furnace replaced, I wanted to get another project done. The front of the second story had a sash window that was single pane and terribly drafty. I hired a carpenter/handyman that had done some good work for my future sister-in-law to install a new, double-pane window up there. He did a fine job, and I ended up paying him $15 less than the estimate because the window opening was perfectly square, meaning he didn't need to spend any time shimming. Finding anything perfectly square in a new house is unusual enough, let along in a house that's in the neighborhood of 110 years old, and was built cheap in the first place!
So anyway, the house is better heated now, and the upstairs is less drafty. I'm pleased going into this winter.
Future projects, some for me, some for professionals:
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I did some poking at it, but as a matter of Operational Risk Management, I didn't want to actually take apart a device that could very easily burn the house down and/or cause the house to explode. So we called a local HVAC contractor.
It took a while to get him over to visit, what with it being the start of heating season. Once he was here, it took about an hour of diagnosis to discover that the fan motor for the secondary heat exchanger was sticking, probably from bad bearings. It could be replaced, for $400, but the furnace itself dated from the early 1980s. So we decided to spend about $3000 on getting a new, high-efficiency model installed. The old one was also high-efficiency, but the new one nevertheless promised additional energy savings. The gas efficiency is about the same for both models, but the new one's fan motors are better, and for a forced-air heating system the fans use a surprisingly large chunk of electricity.
Anyway, it took another two weeks or so for them to free up two technicians to spend all day installing the new furnace. They also sprayed expanding foam into a number of passages from the basement to the first floor, around plumbing and whatnot, and then spread some sealing gunk over every joint it the ductwork in the basement. The solvent stunk up the house for a couple of days, but the effect was quite noticeable: our basement is now at least five degrees colder, because less heated air is leaking into it.
As long as we were having the furnace replaced, I wanted to get another project done. The front of the second story had a sash window that was single pane and terribly drafty. I hired a carpenter/handyman that had done some good work for my future sister-in-law to install a new, double-pane window up there. He did a fine job, and I ended up paying him $15 less than the estimate because the window opening was perfectly square, meaning he didn't need to spend any time shimming. Finding anything perfectly square in a new house is unusual enough, let along in a house that's in the neighborhood of 110 years old, and was built cheap in the first place!
So anyway, the house is better heated now, and the upstairs is less drafty. I'm pleased going into this winter.
Future projects, some for me, some for professionals:
- Add insulation
- Replace front and back doors
- Repair cracks in concrete driveway and walkway
- Add bookshelves. Many bookshelves. Many many bookshelves
- Remove disused gas heater in basement & re-route gas lines
- Replace two-conductor wiring with three-conductor wiring
- Upgrade house service power from 100amps to 150amps
- Cat door in bathroom [I'm joking. Somewhat.]
- Second bathroom, probably in the basement
- Exterior outlet on the front of the house
Posted by: Boviate at
09:24 PM
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1
This implies that you plan to spend considerable time in your current residence. Thus, have you decided not to continue working toward additional academic degrees (at other locations)? It is possible, of course, to work online at a number of institutions not sited near your home. What are your plans for the future, in addition to marriage?
Posted by: Uncle at Wednesday, December 04 2013 10:47 AM (nbwv6)
2
In American History departments, according to the last survey I looked
at, about half of all tenure-track jobs are taken by PhD's from just ten
schools. Half of the remaining jobs go to people from ten other
schools. The remaining 25% of academic jobs go to the graduates of the
other 160-some (History) PhD-granting schools in America, as well as all the other
schools in the world.
Which is to say, I applied only to a number of very selective programs. None of them saw fit to select me.
Thus I am looking for a more permanent (and remunerative) job than the one I am currently holding. If that takes me elsewhere, so be it. But as Hil has a local job, I'd have to find one worth moving us both.
In addition, while you and I come from a very geographically-dispersed family, Hil's family still has very strong local roots. We can't seem to go to the city market without bumping into at least two aunts or cousins, or maybe her sister. Thus, again, I believe I'll need to muster a compelling argument to uproot her.
Finally, all of the things I'd like to do will either save money through added efficiency, reduce risks, or increase my comfort. And I like all three of those things, even if the full cost of the improvements will probably not be recaptured when we sell the place.
To put a lie to that "finally", I have one additional consideration: it is a rather small house. The previous owners managed to raise several kids here, but there's only two bedrooms per current code, and putting an expansion on is probably uneconomical.
Which is to say, I applied only to a number of very selective programs. None of them saw fit to select me.
Thus I am looking for a more permanent (and remunerative) job than the one I am currently holding. If that takes me elsewhere, so be it. But as Hil has a local job, I'd have to find one worth moving us both.
In addition, while you and I come from a very geographically-dispersed family, Hil's family still has very strong local roots. We can't seem to go to the city market without bumping into at least two aunts or cousins, or maybe her sister. Thus, again, I believe I'll need to muster a compelling argument to uproot her.
Finally, all of the things I'd like to do will either save money through added efficiency, reduce risks, or increase my comfort. And I like all three of those things, even if the full cost of the improvements will probably not be recaptured when we sell the place.
To put a lie to that "finally", I have one additional consideration: it is a rather small house. The previous owners managed to raise several kids here, but there's only two bedrooms per current code, and putting an expansion on is probably uneconomical.
Posted by: Boviate at Wednesday, December 04 2013 09:12 PM (CeQ+R)
3
A fun fact: we're only the 3rd family in this house since 1903. (1st one 1903-1951, 2nd one 1951-2009 I believe.)
Posted by: Hilary at Wednesday, December 04 2013 09:21 PM (CeQ+R)
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