Bring a little warmth.

Nothing like preparing for winter before the snow really hits.

Which leads me to a project that my husband and I recently worked on – insulating our house.  The hubby and I started this project a summer ago.  We were able to insulate parts of our house with recycled insulation which we blew into the house from the outside.  We bought all the insulation from a big box hardware store and could rent the machine that blows the insulation for free.  We went as green as we could and it was not a big cost difference.   We assembled a small army to help in the summer when we started this project two summers ago.  It took three days in the hot summer sun but it was worth the heating cost savings.  We blew the insulation in from the outside of the house.  By removing one shingle and drilling a small hole, we stuck the hose in and away we went.  This process took several holes, about every three feet or so and we had to do it to both levels of our house. Buying a home that was built in the 1920s means that the insulation could not be updated any other way.

So this bring us to the crawl space in our upstairs closet.  After last winter, we noticed that this room (our office) was COLD and still needed some work.  The plan was to line the crawl space with fiberglass insulation, so we rented the machine and blew in some new insulation again.

Probably the most entertaining part of this project was when my husband attempted to squeeze himself into the tiny crawl space.  After he gets all the way down the long, narrow and dark crawl space,  it dawns on me that we have no flashlights!  And I can’t get the darn machine to turned on!!   So, hubby had to pull himself out of the crawl space to help me with the machine, and so we took the opportunity to run to the store and treat him to a brand new head lamp!  And that head lamp is the best tool!

So after 14 bags we now have another space fully insulated.    It is a simple project, but it does take some time and planning.   Small areas can be done in a day.

Some simple projects to help our pretty house make it through the winter.  Projects on the horizon: the bathroom.  I think a fresh coat of paint and a little updating is next!