New York Renovator

I’ve mentioned the weatherization grant for which we were approved. It’s sponsored by my power company, National Grid, and my county (Oneida) in New York. You can read about the energy audit I had here, and a little more about the grant here. I am very grateful that something like this is available; even the smallest efforts have helped immensely. I received up to 10 of those fancy compact flourescent bulbs (they last as long as ten years and save scads of energy), and had some insulating done here. They would have insulated the walls of the house, but because there are bricks in between the studs, they coulldn’t. That would have saved me $7,000. Oh well.

So they pulled into the driveway this morning with their huge van that looked more like a New York Moving Company van. All their “stuff” was in there. The two workers were very friendly; they took all day but the job looks so good! And it costs me nothing! They insulated the rim joists, which is that area where the top of the stone foundation and the bottom of the wooden structure of the house rest. It’s a major heat sink. I think they did a marvelous job! I’m so glad I didn’t have to do it, lol.

I am especially happy about the rim joist insulation. I never would have done it so well like they did (with reflective foam board). They did accidentally spray foam on some of the wiring, though. I’ll have to replace the foam when I pull out that wiring, when I update the electric (someday, lol).

They also screwed thick foam onto my basement doors and my attic hatch, and re-cemented the hole in my chimney where the hot water tank pipe goes in.

They even cut holes for the lock latch and for the kitty cat pet door we have, for our kitty.

My daughter snapped these photos the other night. Not too bad for a newcomer to the camera! She called it “Fire Sky.”

I should have her read the camera manual (can you believe I still haven’t read it?!) and figure out how to use all the gadgets and buttons and settings. The photos turned out beautifully. A red sky at evening means a hot day for tomorrow. The photo makes a pretty desktop wallpaper for the Lenovo Thinkpad.

I haven’t had much time to post here. We went on a short trip to the Erie Canal Village on July 4th, and I’ve been preparing my photos for my blog post about that. And today, we have some sub-contractors doing some weatherization for me. I applied and was accepted for the Mohawk Valley Community Action Empower Grant, sponsored by my electric company, National Grid, and my county. I’d been on the waiting list since Februrary. An appraiser walked through the house several weeks ago, inspecting all the areas where the house wastes energy. Something like 100%, lol.

Today, a small crew came over to do things like add insulation to the rim joists in the basement (the connection where the top of the foundation and the wooden foundational sill of the house is a major air leak area), add foam board to my attic hatch and my basement doors, spray expanding foam around electrical wiring and plumbing holes, etc. It’s saving me quite a bit of money and the real great thing is that I don’t have to do it myself!

So, I have had a little time to work on jobs on my laptop, but I am trying to make the best of a very sunny day today by doing outside jobs. I’m repairing my garden fencing this afternoon. I’ve got two strapping young sons who are assisting me.

Your county may have some kind of similar program as mine. Check with your power company– maybe their website will have a link to a weatherization program. Or, call your county clerk or check the phonebook for social services. Most of these services are income-eligibility based. I got my grant because we have received assistance from HEAP in New York. At the very least, someone from the power company can meet with you in an informal consultation and tell you where your house is wasting energy. Anything helps!

I wish I had seen this site when my kids were small! (I wish we had the Internet when my kids were small, lol). Here’s a terrific crayon holder I saw at The Best of DIY.

What a terrific invention! I always hated those flimsy cardboard boxes that held crayons. They never lasted long, and crayons spilled out so easily. I used to keep my crayons in small shoe boxes (well, I still do!) but that’s messy. I just love this idea. The tutorial for crafting this crayon holder is at Skip To My Lou, another great site for ideas.

The Best of DIY is rapidly becoming one of my favorite blogs to peruse. I just love handy little stuff featured there, and it’s all homemade stuff, using old materials you already have around the house. Now if I can only think of a way to recycle all those ostrich feathers and FunFoam bits…

Photo from SkipToMyLou.

Happy Independence Day! Yippeeee! What a great day! On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was drafted and we became AMERICANS. You can check out a post I wrote about the Declaration of Independence at my other blog, New York Traveler.net. Have a great day, and be sure to read the Declaration of Independence today!