I was seriously tempted to post in General Efficiency Discussion after seeing redpoint5's thread on solar PV, given how quiet this section is, but I think this topic might be just a bit too much of a stretch.
I have a few questions on which I seek the advice of fellow ecomodders. Let's start with some pictures of my 20% completed home exterior renovations.
My wife and I purchased our first home in February of last year. It was basically bottom of the market, and needed a lot. We've been working on as our only full time hobby since closing. Siding is probably the most critical repair. In places it seems only the paint is holding it together, and if we let it go another year we may be replacing most of the sheathing as well.
We've mostly finished one side - still need to transition to the soffits, there's exposed house wrap, and I may want some opinions on how to do that. Our basic process is:
1) Rip things down to bare sheathing, remove windows, replace sheathing where it has damage
2) Wrap house with tyvek
3) Put in new windows with nailing flanges
4) Flash and seal windows and doors
5) Side from bottom to top
6) Seal all seams and gaps
7) Paint
The next side I'd like to do is the front of the house. Unfortunately, we have a chimney there, as well as the penetrations for electricity, cable internet, and our heat pump.
When I called the power company and asked what to do about the electrical meter, I was told they could come by in the morning and shut off the power, I could then start removing the old siding, and when I was finished with the new siding (preferably no later than 2pm) they would come by again and turn the power back on.
QUESTION 1)
So, I'm trying to figure out how to do this properly. Best I can gather, with vinyl siding most exterior fixtures use J blocks. For most other types of siding it appears the electrical box typically screwed directly to the surface of the siding.
My best guess is that I can do demolition around the electrical box and leave only a small square of siding where it attaches to the house, have our service disconnected, remove the meter and remaining bit of siding from the the house, slap a 4'x4' square of house wrap centered where the meter is going back on, attach a block of some sort to the house (what should this be made of?), and then put the meter on the block. I think this is something I could accomplish in a morning, and we could then proceed at our own pace with the rest of that side.
Thoughts? Is this a reasonable way to do this?
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Regarding the chimney -
It's a pretty ugly old block chimney, and it isn't used anymore. Over winter I pulled the oil boiler out of the basement and sold it, then closed up the chimney hole. The chimney's only functional purpose now is to fill in the hole it would leave in my roof if I pulled it off the front of the house.
QUESTION 2)
What should I do with this old chimney?
1) Pull it off the house, patch the roof
2) Paint it again in some less offensive color and hope it doesn't peel off
3) Put some kind of veneer over it - maybe a brick veneer? Example:
4) Actually brick around it.
5) Something else??
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Regarding the deck -
The deck is pretty rotten in places. I can either:
1) Remove the deck. Toss it all in a burn pile. Maybe leave the metal roof, put down some pavers? Probably not the best idea as I believe the deck adds value to the house.
2) Replace the deck.
Given all we've had to dispose of, I've come to appreciate the full life cycle of a material. For example I don't think I'll be laying down any more carpet, because it ends up in a land fill. So I'd like to take that into consideration when selecting new materials.
I have a few options for deck materials:
a) Rough cut hemlock from the local saw mill. Not sure if this is a great idea as it could be a splinter hazard, I'd need to sand it smooth. However, material cost is around half that of dimensional lumber, and it's gorgeous. It will also need to be treated to stand up to the elements.
b) Dimensional lumber, which will need to be treated with something.
c) Pressure treated. Can't say I'm keen on this because I'm not for burning PT lumber, so it ends up in a land fill. It may be less expensive than dimensional lumber after considering the treatment, however.
d) Some kind of composite board.
e) Something else??
QUESTION 3)
What kind of material should I use for my deck? And, if it's something that needs to be treated, what kinds of wood treatments are available that would not prevent it from being burned safely, which are not a pain to work with, and which also actually preserve the wood? Maybe linseed oil?
Thanks all!
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