We just had insulation blown into the walls of our house. Yes, that's right. Our 1943 built house has never had insulation. Ironically, 1943 was the last December with temperatures this warm, so maybe they opted out of the insulation, expecting the weather to hold. Or maybe they were just poor; this house was originally built for factory workers. We have heard that the parents slept in the living room while the 4 kids split the two bedrooms. Or most likely, "global warming" and "building green" were simply not on the minds of the builders or homeowners 75 years ago.
It's been on our mind though since we moved in. One of the benefits of our house is the breezeway, aka, the family room when there was a breeze outside. I have felt a draft sitting in the middle of the room with the windows and doors CLOSED because of the wind coming through our walls. The cabinets have also served as plate warmers or plate chillers depending on the season. Butter left on the counter is either melting or solid as a rock depending on what is going on outside the house.
It really hit me when we went to visit Dave's family in the frigid midwest and it still felt comfortable in their house! I'm so used to drafts and chills and uneven room temperatures that I was SHOCKED to be warm inside a house in the winter.
Next week, they are changing out the last of our old windows, replacing them with double hung windows that we can open. I am thrilled by this prospect.
Of course, if it wasn't 80 degrees today, we might be able to test out how well our new insulation is working. Maybe this weekend, it will get cold again and we can stay toasty in our newly warm house.
Cozy! But of course it would be warm when you finally make this kind of decision (and investment!) Congrats on your new insulation! =)
ReplyDeleteHey, come visit--it's dropping into the 20s tonight and won't crack 40 again for a few days.
ReplyDeleteWe've got uncontrollable steam heat, though, so bring lots of lotion and a humidifier.