When we first moved in, we discovered that:
– Our electrical wiring was a mixture of copper and aluminum. We replaced the aluminum and upgraded the amperage for the house.
– Water delivery was all iron pipes. Code still requires iron for sewage. We have replaced the delivery pipes with copper using, using various remodels, and a water main leak in the front yard, to complete that replacement.
– The sewage line in the main bathroom has very little angle to it.
– The single-pane glass windows are mostly set in off-site (prefab) milled aluminum frames. We have 4 windows (all on the north side of the house) within the sunroom whose frames were built on-site as part of an early, remodel. They all bleed in the winter.

We had an “energy audit” about 8 years ago in order to qualify for available energy, efficiency of upgrades. Results included:
– Zero insulation in any of the exterior walls 2×4 framing (16” centers)
– 1956 1-3” blown-in rockwool in the attic with lots of penetrations in the ceiling from past remodels and installations (e.g., cable TV, etc.)
– Soffit vents (along the entire exterior rim of the house) without chutes that ensure air flow up to the ridgeline vent (original roof was wood shake and replaced due to fire hazard/insurance coverage)
– Then existing gas heater and water heater were so old they weren’t even “energy star.”
– Ducts were so leaky they didn’t even register as providing minimal air flow
– Then existing gas heater was heating the sunroom via floor vents fed by under the floor ducting.

The order of recommended for remediation:
– 1st: Replace heater, air ducts, & water heater
– 2nd: Attic air sealing & insulation
– 3rd: When opened (as in during remodels), insulate walls. And, using spray foam (2-holes, 1 at top, 1 at bottom) along exterior of exterior walls between each 2×4 was also suggested.

We did #1. We also added solar panels while the NEMS were more favorable to home owners.

We are now looking into the attic air sealing and insulation before we retire. And, I also wonder if spray foam along our western facing exterior wall may help keep that side of the house from overheating (as it often does by the end of a 80-100° day).

We are confused at this point about the right amount and kind(s) of attic work.
– Sealing the ceiling seems to be a given, so we are ready to do that.
– We’ve had rodents up in the attic with some minor damage to the ductwork so we also need to remove the existing rockwool and sanitize that space. One vendor wants to replace one duct. The others don’t think that’s needed.
– So far, every insulation contractor that we have talked to is recommending fiberglass batting in order not to block the airflow from the soffit vents to the ridgeline vents. And, in order to not have the insulation blown by the airflows (such as by strong winds).
– Code requires R-38 as minimum but insulation rebate requires at least R-44. I’m not sure which is going to be better for the future, given climate change and the summer’s temperatures
– According to one contractor, they would lay one row of R-30 batts between ceiling joists and another (R-19) row of batting perpendicular across the ceiling joists.
– And, a few contractors have recommended adding radiant barrier sheeting attached to the roof joists.
– No one so far recommends insulation of the attic over the garage, or they only adding enough to come up to the top of the joists. That design seems to me to suffer from the “fluffy” issue that you describe in one of your articles, defeating the R-value applied over the living area. Really not sure what to do.
– Finally, there are two entrances to the attic: one in the garage, and one in the closet of a back room . One contractor, an attic bag above each. Others have recommended sealing off the 2nd entrance. How can we identify how the bag would impact the overall performance of the insulation of the attic?

My best guess, is that the owner, who was a Civil Engineer from GaTech and who designed his own piping system to handle rainwater from downspouts etc., found out that the builder had put in galvanized and told him to swap it to copper. We won’t talk about the 2×4 rafters 24″o.c., nor the partial french drain in the basement…

Steven: Wow! Yeah, I’m sure removing that ceiling was quite a job. Removing any plaster is difficult, but making it thicker and putting copper tubing in it would definitely up the difficulty level.

One surprising thing we’ve found was a vast network of copper pipe embedded in 1+ inches of plaster in the ceilings. This occured over the parts of the house which have a wood-framed floor. This was apparently a more elegant solution than a couple of cast iron radiators. Above the radiant ceiling was 7 inches of rockwool and a foil barrier. The plaster was reinforced with metal lathe, rebar and of course the copper piping. They doubled up the flat roof 2×8 joists to 9 inches on center to support this ceiling. Removing that ceiling was not fun.

The amount of oil that must have been burned over the past 70 years to keep this nearly glass house warm with a radiant ceiling is staggering. We are in the process of bringing this MCM into the 21st century.