After a few minor fixes, we passed rough inspection and insulation was promptly ordered.
R-value: the measure of resistance of heat flow through a given thickness of material. The theory: the higher the R-value, the greater resistance to heat flow, and the greater the energy efficiency of a building wrapped with that material.
The R-value is stamped prominently on the vapor barrier side of the batt insulation
Our very diligent Village Officers recently adopted the latest building energy code for our new and remodeled homes. As an environmental & energy (low-key) activist, I find this to be very good news. In the long run my heating and cooling bills will be lower due to less energy wasted in my warmly wrapped house. On the flip side, as a homeowner with a budget for renovation, this was a bigger hit than it would have been under our last code.
We live in a very cold climate for many months. The new code requires an R value of 22 for the walls. This means that standard batt insulation does not fit in 2×4 wall framing. Homeowners will have to make a choice of keeping the 2×4 framing and using a spray foam application or using a 2×6 wall with R22 batt insulation. We went with the bigger walls. The R38 batts in the attic will be augmented wtih blown in insulation to make up an R49 value for the roof.
Finally, the addition is taking shape! Looking east out of our future master bedroom. Filling in the walls starts to give a better sense of scale.
The shape of the ceiling in the master bedroom is better defined. The height to the ceiling is 10′-6″. It feels grand.
The west wall of bedroom will be more defined when drywall is hung…we will not be able to see into the closet or the landing beyond.
This is the time to do a final walk through with your contractor to make sure you have outlets and switches where you want them. This is also the best time to figure out where you want towel bars, toilet paper holders, robe hooks, etc. in your bathroom. We all know there is nothing worse than having a towel bar pull out of the wall because it was screwed into drywall only.
This is where we want a grab bar
You may not ever need it, but it is best to anticipate a location for a grab bar in showers and bath tubs. Secure blocking is a must!
If you know you will have a swinging glass shower door, now is the time to make sure it has something to securely attach to!
And finally, don’t forget to add chases, speaker wire, etc…while you have a chance. This is a typical detail I use when a television is going to be installed. There is an outlet for the TV that will be behind the unit so you don’t see a cord running down the wall to an outlet near the floor. I also call for a pvc pipe to house cables from the TV box, the Apple TV, the XBOX, the HDMI cable, etc…that will run between the television and the electronic paraphernalia usually located in a media cabinet of some sort below the TV.
Also, this is a great time to photograph all the walls so in the future you may be able to avoid puncturing a pipe or wire when installing your future TV!
A Dream Under Construction 