Replacement windows can be installed without harming siding
Q. Our house is 25 years old, and the original windows are very drafty, making the house hard to heat in the winter. I want to put in new windows to improve this, but I am confused about what is meant by replacement windows. Will replacement windows solve the problem? We plan to be in the house about 10 more years before we sell and don't plan/want to replace the vinyl siding. Do we have to replace the siding in order to put in replacement windows?
A. Replacement windows are windows that are made to order to fit existing spaces. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, so be sure that you select a manufacturer that really makes replacement windows. If you choose to replace your windows with wood windows, two good brands are Marvin and Andersen. Marvin also makes Ultrex fiberglass windows that are all-fiberglass or have a wood interior so it can be painted or stained. Andersen also makes Perma-Shield windows that are completely encased in vinyl, so they will never need painting inside or out. If you choose to use vinyl replacement windows, select a top brand like Kas-Kel or Gorell. Both are energy-efficient. Look in your Yellow Pages for glass firms that handle them. An experienced contractor or installer should be able to install the new windows without altering your vinyl siding.
Having heard horrendous stories of botched jobs by crews sent by the manufacturer's dealers, I would caution you to ask for at least six recent references, and call these references to make sure the installation was done well by efficient and clean workers. You can also decline using installers recommended by the dealer and have your own contractor do the installation if he or she is experienced. Replacing your windows will make your house more energy-efficient and salable when the time comes.
I want to seal off our front door for the winter to save heat. It's a metal-clad door that has been painted. The trim, inside and outside, is wood (stained outside, painted inside). I'm worried about condensation. How should I do this job to minimize any ill effects?
Also, our basement is a full-sized, poured concrete with four small windows. It does not leak anywhere. In the northeast corner, where the waterline enters from our drilled well, some moisture regularly collects on the pressure tank and accompanying pipes, puddling up on the floor - especially in summer. Consequently, it regularly smells moldy. I have sprayed all surfaces with a 15 percent bleach solution, which eliminates the smell, but only for a day or two. Any words of wisdom on this problem?
A. Where are you concerned about condensation occurring? Steel-clad door have a foam insulation core that makes them quite energy efficient - in the R-15 range. If the shimming spaces between the door frame and the jack studs and header forming the rough opening were foamed properly, there should not be condensation on the trim, either. I doubt that you have anything to worry about. Condensation on a pressure tank, the plastic pipe that connects it to the well and the copper pipes that services the house is common in summer, as the well water is cold and the inside air is warm and humid. This is why I have always recommended placing the pressure tank on 4-inch concrete blocks in a metal or plastic pan. The condensation is captured by the blocks and evaporates in the house while the pan prevents water from running on the floor. Plastic pans are available in hardware and plumbing-supply stores. Box stores probably carry them as well.
I am considering buying a bank-owned house in the Pocono Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The house was built in the late 1980s and has been vacant for four years. It is built on a crawl space consisting of six courses of 8-inch block on footings. The house has T-111 wood siding. There is batting insulation between the floor joists. The batting is soaked, and there is considerable moisture damage, though there is no sign of pooling water. There are four vents plus the access door. Some of the vents were closed due to potential animal entry. The main beam, which sits on the foundation at both ends and two columns, has mushroom-type growth. Many of the floor joists are brittle.
Some work was previously done to beef up the center section of the main beam; it has been sandwiched with an extra 2-by-10 on each side, and additional columns were added. There is an on-the-ground deck in the rear, where the box beam has failed, and the deck fell off at one end. The house has been neglected while it was vacant, and the gutters are clogged and growing small trees. This may have contributed to water splashing on the deck and up to the house, and some of the damage to the box beam.
I had two contractors look at damage. Both describe similar work to replace the floor joists and main beam: either sister or replace the floor joists, jack the house under the new joists, replace the main beam, then replace the box beam. All new lumber will be pressure treated. Where they differ is in how they want to re-insulate. One wants to put new batting between the joists, recover the gravel floor with a new moisture barrier and include a powered ventilation system. The other wants to permanently close the vents with blocks, put 2-inch Styrofoam insulation on the block walls (inside), either a new vapor barrier or slush coat of concrete on the floor, and include a dehumidifier.
Please comment on the repair work and methods they describe, the pros and cons of the two methods of insulating the crawl space and which one you recommend. I am wondering about the second method and the temperature differential that would develop on either side of the foundation. Would that be a problem? Would you advise staying away from a house with these problems? I am told it is not an uncommon problem in that area and for homes built in that era.
A. Will this house be a permanent residence or vacation home? It makes somewhat of a difference in the answer. Assuming it will be a vacation home, and you have no long-range plans for it, are you paying too much in comparison to other similar properties nearby when all the repairs are included? If you intend to keep it for a long time and will eventually retire there, how much you are paying for it plus the cost of the necessary repairs may be worth it, as values are likely to increase if there is limited land available for future growth.
The damages you describe tell me that there is no vapor retarder under the gravel of the crawl space. The moisture exuding from the soil has caused serious damage to the framing members, as the ventilation is wholly inadequate to handle it, especially and as a result of some of the closed vents. From your description, it seems that the best course of action is to replace all of the first-floor framing. It will be more expensive than sistering new members but a better solution. I would not put fiberglass batts between the floor joists; they contributed to the problem. It is best to insulate the crawl space walls with rigid foam insulation from the inside. The crawl space floor should be thoroughly covered with 6-mil plastic, but there may be need for several layers because of the gravel base; the stones may punch holes through the plastic.
The contractor you choose probably has access to plastic used in construction to cover materials. He or she should lay several thicknesses of that used plastic on the gravel and top them off with a new sheet of 6-mil plastic. An alternate is a concrete pad, but concrete is also porous, so plastic should be laid on the stones before the pour. The advantage of the concrete pad is that it will allow you to store things there, if there is enough headroom. Once either method to control moisture has been done, seal all the vents to keep summer moisture out; it is responsible for much of the problems. A power ventilation system is likely to aggravate the situation, as it will draw hot, humid air into the crawl space. A dehumidifier is not likely to be needed if the soil has been properly isolated from the ambient air of the crawl space. Assuming that there is plumbing in the house with some of the pipes in the crawl space - and perhaps heating ducts as well - sealing the crawl space and insulating the foundation walls should keep the air in it warmer.
Q: I have a moisture problem in my house and am wondering about the best solutions. I live in a ranch house with vinyl siding that was built on top of an old stone foundation. Thus our basement is always sort of moist. Our heating system is forced hot air, and when we first moved in the house it tended to be on the dry side in the winter because the heat was always blowing. We replaced all of our windows four years ago with double-paned Andersen windows.
Two winters ago we had huge icicles hanging off our roof and, in an attempt to ease this problem and make the house more energy efficient, we got new foam insulation. We were told that it couldn't be put on the sides of the house unless we were replacing the siding, so it was blown into the basement and attic. In the attic the foam was blown onto the roof, and in the basement it was blown onto the exterior walls. There is no insulation or vapor barrier between the basement and ground floor.
Most of our floors are wood with some ceramic tile. We have noticed a huge decrease in the amount our furnace runs and in fuel consumption in general. Unfortunately, there is also a huge increase in the moisture level in our house. Our windows all tend to have condensation around the edges, and the air in general is much more humid.
I have read about many possible solutions and am trying to find the best one. We have already invested a lot of money in the house and don't want to spend more on a solution that doesn't really work.
A few other things to note are that we tend to dry our laundry on racks in an attempt to lower our electric bill, and our stove was never vented to the outside because the electrician told us this would result in heat loss. It is against an outside wall, and I am assuming it would be easy to have it vented. Our bathroom was redone this summer and is vented directly outside. We tend to keep our heat at 60 to 62 in the winter, again to try to save on fuel. We have also previously had some of the hot air vents in rooms that are used less and in bedrooms covered with foil. Should we raise the heat, uncover all vents, start drying laundry in the dryer, vent the stove outside, use a dehumidifier, and put a vapor barrier on the ceiling of the basement?
A. Your house must be quite old to have been built on an old stone foundation, and its walls are not likely to be well-insulated. You have done a lot to increase the house's energy efficiency, but it has also caused the problems you are now suffering from because you have reduced the number of air exchanges your furnace, running so much more, provided. What kind of foam insulation was applied to the old stone foundation? If closed-cell sprayed-on urethane, the moisture coming through the old stones should be controlled, but if open-cell foam insulation, such as Icynene, was used, moisture can seep through it and continue to add to the load in the basement. In that case, a couple of coats of a top latex paint may help. Is the basement floor bare dirt or old and thin concrete?
Either of these conditions may also be responsible, and should be addressed in order to reduce the humidity in the basement. If bare dirt, 6-mil plastic should be spread over the entire floor area. If it's old-and-thin concrete in poor shape, you may need to lay a sheet of plastic over it and have another layer of concrete poured over it. I would not recommend installing a vapor retarder under the first floor joists. It could eventually cause structural damage to the floor framing if moisture is trapped between the plastic and the floor above.
Meanwhile, consider using your dryer, as long as it is vented to the outside. The kitchen stove may also need to be vented outside. Increase the heat to at least 65 degrees, preferably 68, and remove all foil on the vents to equalize the heat throughout the entire house. Using a dehumidifier in the basement is a good idea in summer, but it is not too effective in winter and uses a lot of energy. It is better to raise the heat in the whole house. The ultimate solution may be the installation of a whole-house air-to-air heat exchanger, but they are expensive to install.
• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.
© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.