On 8/22/2019 1:40 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
On Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 2:32:10 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
On 8/22/2019 5:28 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
On Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 8:01:35 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:

Â* 'Lectric here is around a dime a kw/hr all in , we heat water with it
. Propane varies , usually around $2-2.50 /gallon . But I don't care ,
we heat with wood and it's "free" - well not really , but gas to cut and
split plus my labor is cheaper than any other alternative out here . And
our woods are healthier for the culling I do .
How many cords do you use each year?

Cindy Hamilton
Â* Depends on how cold it is , last year we burned about 5 cords .
That's a lot of wood. I shudder to think how much we'd need in Michigan.
Our heating costs are pretty low, though. Around $100/month for the
four coldest months. The air-conditioning is more expensive.


Â* You're right about AC costing more , just got our bill from the mail
box - our highest ones are June July and August .If I had to buy wood at
a hundred bucks a cord our total heat bill would be similar to yours ...
a qualifier here , much of the wood we burned last year was not seasoned
, I figure if it had been it would have been under 4 cords . I'm trying
to get ahead of that curve this year - I will be purchasing some
firewood , it'll be offcuts from a railroad tie operation at a lot less
than $100 a cord . It should give me enough of a boost to get the rest
of this year's and all of next year's wood cut/split/stacked .


We're
still adjusting to increased space and as we're still working on the
house I expect the amount of wood needed will drop . I noticed last
winter that as I installed more sheetrock the consumption went down .
We're down to just the kitchen/dining area with no finished ceiling - it
is insulated though . It will get tongue and groove boards , I'm trying
to decide if I need plastic sheeting to block airflow heat loss too .
This is a vaulted ceiling that's over 11 feet to the peak because I felt
a regular 8' ceiling would feel oppressive - it's a single 24 x 24 foot
room . I'm pretty sure we lose more heat there than any other single area .
You're right about the ceiling. Nobody wants to feel like they're living
in a cigar box.

Cindy Hamilton

Â* IMO that vaulted ceiling really adds a lot of character to the house
.. Our finish out is going to be quite retro , similar to the style of
the midtown Memphis houses constructed in the late teens and early
1920's . Plinth blocks and 3 piece baseboards (base , cap and shoe mold)
, door headers with crown mold (small) and other trim . Our master bath
has a clawfoot tub that was made in 1911 , the vanity is a solid oak
washstand that I have modified with a top set bowl andÂ* faux hand-pump
style faucet . I had to modify the top drawer for plumbing , but it's
still usable and functional . Bathrooms will get retro black and white
mosaic tiles , the rest of the house will get prefinished 3/4" solid oak
.. Oh , and all doorways will be minimum 36" cuz we ain't gettin' any
younger ... there are 2 French door units onto the deck big enough that
if I need to I can ride the Harleys right into the house . If I had to
pay labor for this project this place would be a 900 sf cracker box ...
but I managed to learn a little from a lifetime of construction work .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !