Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[BCMtnHound]

I don't like mosquitoes inside and I don't like my cat outside...so screens are pretty handy.

Screens are a barrier to your cat escaping? Lucky. Our’s figured out that a good push next to the edge would pop out the gasket retainer. Even lowered blinds won’t deter her from getting onto the window sill and trying the screen. Drapes so far have stymied her.
Screens are a must here, between the skeeters, flys, stink bugs, and wasps.

[skaredshtles]

Pulling tubes on the front porch is frowned upon.

Oh... that's right. Wyoming. Carry on.

[Flounder]

I put in a couple of Marvin triple pane tilt turns in our renovation a few years ago. They tilt and turn to the interior and have screens on the exterior. Did it primarily for egress requirements but like the set up other than window treatments can be tricky. No way to have the windows opened and covered. These are in the gable ends looking at the neighbors 15 feet on either side. We just keep them closed at night, other windows provide plenty of ventilation.

[Huskier]

Dealing with a woodpecker assault on the homestead. They are fun to look at and watch but holy shit RIP my trim, it looks like someone is using my house for target practice.I thought trim was the same Hardie plank material as our siding but it turns out it's wood. Debating whether it's best to hire someone to replace the trim boards with a fiber cement product or just add filler to the existing damage and come up with some kind of detergent going forward.

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[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

I'm not lying, some of my best woodworking has been with bondo. That or the two part minwax stuff.

Flickers are brutal on exterior siding, outside of shooting them, you can hang a CD or portable shaving mirror next to the hole, also a giant toy spider or hawk silhouette, something that will scare them off to knock a hole somewhere else, hopefully on a neighbors house.

[skaredshtles]

Flickers are brutal on exterior siding, outside of shooting them

Definitely do not do this.

[old goat]

We have casements. Originals from 1930 in good shape. Pellas (wood) on a 1987 second story which rotted. Andersen replacements for the Pellas 2 years ago which are fine so far. I like that they catch the Delta breeze when they're open in the evening. Screens are inside, no problem with window coverings. The Andersens are some kind of composite, like composite decking, which seems like it will last.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Definitely do not do this.

Yeah, migratory bird, federal charges.. I like Flickers, they're a real pretty bird. They used to pound the hell out of our neighbor's metal chimney cap in the spring. I hated those people so it made me happy.

They seem to be easily discouraged, I have to chase them away from our house from time to time, but they seem to get the idea and leave.

[Thaleia]

Screens are a barrier to your cat escaping? Lucky. Our’s figured out that a good push next to the edge would pop out the gasket retainer. Even lowered blinds won’t deter her from getting onto the window sill and trying the screen. Drapes so far have stymied her.
Screens are a must here, between the skeeters, flys, stink bugs, and wasps.

Yep. And if you try to make the edge harder to pop out this happens lol

[XXX-er]

thats pretty easy to fix right ?

[Thaleia]

Totally. Just get's a little tiresome having to fix it for like the ninth time cause someone dared leave the window open wider than an inch..

[jackstraw]

Anybody know how to terminate shingles on a shed roof?

I've got the drip edge on, but now I don't know how to terminate the high point. Pull the drip edge off and put it over the shingles? Or do you double up the drip edge with a larger piece of drip on top? ...that seems shitty.

[Foggy_Goggles]

I'm assuming you are referring to a roof wall intersection?

Ice and Water Shield 2' up the wall, 6x6 flashing, another layer of Ice and Water Shield, shingles, Through the Roof on the exposed nails, 6x6 Counter Flashing, siding.

That's how my Mountain Roofer Homies to it. Many people skip the Counter Flashing on top of the shingles.

[jackstraw]

No, just a shed roof...on a shed. So the high point where it terminates at the fascia.

I saw this sketch online, but I don't know what they are taking about with the blue one...ice n water shield?

[Foggy_Goggles]

Yep, "self adhering flashing" is ICS/Vycor/Grace etc. Everyone makes it now. It like that detail. Really the ICS is an extra level of protection which is nice because the gaskets on the screws will eventually fail. Nerds like me will get the edge metal custom bent up. Most will make some D style of F style in stock somewhere work.

[jackstraw]

Right on, thank you

[singlesline]

What's the skinny on Heat Pump Water Heaters in northern climates?

Water heater is near EOL (2009 mfg date, unknown maintenance history but I'm gonna guess it is full of crud and has no anode rod left) and I might just want to get it taken care of. Local utility is offering an $800 rebate and the feds are offering 30% of total project cost.

House has a heat pump already, so as I understand it, in the winter you're essentially using the house heat pump to warm the air and then the water heater pump cools the air back down to heat the water. In theory you still come out ahead on efficiency vs normal electric (and you come out way ahead in the summer).

Water heater lives in a closet under the stairs so I would need either a louvered door or some venting to get the requisite air flow, but I don't think that's a big deal. Other issue is that overhead clearance is limited by the stairs so the current tank is a medium-height unit at ~48". Seems like all of the consumer heat pumps are more like 60-63" which might be pushing it to still have room for valves and expansion tank. Can you move an expansion tank to be next to the water tank rather than above it?

There's a recirc pump, but that should be plug and play. If the rebates let me do it for anywhere close to the cost of a normal electric machine, it seems like a no brainer even if you have to rely heavily on the "hybrid" mode in the winter.

Alternatively, are tankless systems worthwhile if you don't have gas and you have pretty cold input water in the winter? Infinite showers sound nice, but not if there are a bunch of caveats.

[TAFKALVS]

I have a heat pump setup, it’s in my basement. It practically ends up being like an air conditioner with how cold the air blows out of it. I think it in a primary living space might be make for a cold spot in the house…

If you put it on “high demand” mode it’s pretty much the “endless shower” thing like a tankless. Ours has the traditional heat elements plus the pump. When you’re in high demand mode, it’ll run both. Good for if you and the wife want to fool around in the shower, or if you want to run the shower and the washing machine, or fill a bathtub and not have the water cool as you’re filling it. Or I guess if you have a teenagers.

Otherwise we run it only on heat pump and we’ve never had it go cold or luke warm within reason… (can’t run a load of wash or dishes and then expect to take a 30 min searing hot shower.)

It does have condensation that dribbles out like a mini-split unit, I’d make sure you have a plan on how you’ll drain it.

Overall we really like it and I wouldn’t go back to a standard electric hot water heater.

[AlpiNord]

I’d think you’d want to find an alternative location for room around the heater than under the stairs. Ideally, near your heat system to leverage any ambient heat. Mine seems to benefit by being in the same room as my solar hot water tanks in the winter. Mostly in eco-mode. (For summer, I don’t need the heat pump to be on unless there is an extended overcast period.)

I think an expansion tank just has to be in the proper sequence and position is secondary.

One tankless downside is water hardness. But as I understand it, they can be flushed periodically with something like Haymaker descaler. You’d want to set up your ports to plug and play the flushing loop and pump.


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[Flounder]

Agree with Tafkalvs and Alpinord. Got one in our basement and it cools it down a quite a bit. For a couple of weeks spring and fall I’ll run it in hybrid mode because the basement is getting too cold. This is swing seasons when the house heat pump is on. After Thanksgiving I usually fire up the oil boiler and the water heater makes great use of that residual heat. Happy with ours but I don’t think I would be if it was in habitable space. They do make a fair bit of noise which could be another issue.

[singlesline]

In theory I can vent the output side, right?

Main air return duct is on the other side of one wall so the cold could be sent right back into the hvac.

Guess it would also make sense to move other "hot" things in there if possible. Rack of network hardware + home server can put off a lot of heat.

Can’t really think of where else it could go. No basement (crawlspace). Door opens to mudroom off the garage next to laundry room so a a cold spot there isn’t the end of the world.

[old goat]

All I know about heat pump water is from watching this old house but the units they install always seem to be hybrid heat pump/gas.

[mcski]

All I know about heat pump water is from watching this old house but the units they install always seem to be hybrid heat pump/gas.

They also look way too much like a command center for my liking. I’ll stick with the old tech and skip the dedicated mechanical room

[old goat]

The houses they've been doing lately are ridiculous. The mechanical rooms look like the inside of a nuclear submarine.

[TAFKALVS]

Agree with Tafkalvs and Alpinord. Got one in our basement and it cools it down a quite a bit. For a couple of weeks spring and fall I’ll run it in hybrid mode because the basement is getting too cold. This is swing seasons when the house heat pump is on. After Thanksgiving I usually fire up the oil boiler and the water heater makes great use of that residual heat. Happy with ours but I don’t think I would be if it was in habitable space. They do make a fair bit of noise which could be another issue.

Yeah, another good point. Not quite server room box fan but pretty loud. It’s essentially a window mounted A/C unit sitting on top of a water heater… the OCD in me would key in to the noise quickly if it was in my living space and drive me fucking crazy.