Hi Christine, Well there wouldn't be much need for weeding or watering in that garden anyway.
One of those houses that you so love could be salvaged environmentally by stripping the inside off of the exterior walls and making them at least 6 inches thick to accomodate the best insulation that you can get. It might as well be rewired as well while it was torn apart. Alternately, foam panels could just be glued on the interior walls and covered with drywall or paneling or whatever. Also all drafts should be sealed.
The windows should be replaced with with at least double glazing, preferably with an infrared film between the panes. Even with doing all of this, the stone thermal mass would be on the wrong side of the insulation, and be wasted, except for looks. That's why I said that insulation would have to be fastened on the outside to do much good. Of course that would ruin the look that you desire, but it could be covered with stucco.
The old adage that they don't build them like they used to, is bullshit. I worked on a lot of that old junk, and wouldn't care to do it again, unless it was really special. I would much rather start from scratch, and use the best technology available. I hope that I will be able to show you a finished building in a couple of years that you could heat with a hair dryer when it is below zero outside.
I bet you would be happy if your monitor was lit by kerosene and your input was by abacus.
I guess our drought might be ending. We've had obut 6 inches of rain in the last few days, with more on the way. There was 13 inches of rain today in Corpus Christi near my son's apartment. The roads were impassable between us, and he couldn't make my birthday. Does anyone here know how to slow the aging process? Did you see the boy from San Antonio on your news that is physically like a 12 year old, but he is only five ?? He went through puberty at two!! His doctors are totally puzzled. It is not Progeria where their faces look wrinkled. He is just going through the stages super fast.
I am going to take a long nap now. I am coming down with something again. Damn, life sucks, but so does death!
Del |
