{Saving Energy and Our Attic}

With our low economy, we have to look UP for saving some money! Better insulating our attic as best as we can. That's exactly what we did; investing in the attic, in order to create a more energy efficient home and lowering our Carbon Footprint!

 On Monday, March 18, husband Pieter started with building a floor in our attic. That served two purposes: making it possible to walk on; without falling through the ceilings and also making it more energy efficient. We already did have Eco friendly white cellulose on our attic as an insulation.

Remember that in my post about {Our Hallway} I left the following note under the last photo: Looking up to the ceiling where a foldout staircase leads to the attic.

THAT will be another project...

Okay, here you will see what this was all about.

Behind the light you see the cord for pulling out the fold down staircase that leads up to the attic.

In the hallway you see two sheathing boards, that Pieter had cut in half at Home Depot in order to fit them through the opening, up to the attic.

Two by two, brought in through the front door; the shortest distance from the little trailer, behind our Toyota RAV4.

Wearing gloves, I did hand them up to Pieter, who grabbed them from the attic, reaching down.

Many Sheathing plates we handled...

Lots of dust we 'ate' for weeks!

For those of you, not familiar with the construction way in Georgia, USA as well as in many other states, this is under the roof. A very sturdy construction of solid red cedar beams. 

They just nailed plaster boards onto these red cedar wood beams and you could not WALK on them; only on the sections where the cedar wood beam is underneath!

So husband Pieter worked for weeks in order to hand cut those sheathing boards 

Using no nails but screws as to not damage the ceilings and creating lots of dust downstairs...

Many trips up and down the foldout staircase!

Here you also see the outlet and switch that Pieter first installed in order to have working light up there!

Pieter did compact and egalize the Eco friendly white cellulose to work it neatly under those sheathing boards.

Literally 'cutting corners'; many corners that is! Using a mask for the bulk of the dust but no matter how, you still 'eat lots of dust'...

Pieter did tighten up all those red cedar beams, many of which were rather loose.

He used screws for doing so.

Heavy duty time for his equipment...

He also had to crawl underneath those air-conditioning ducts... 

Pieter did not go all the way under the shallow part of the roof but he did place an upright plank to keep the insulation material neatly behind.

All the above photos I've taken on March 29 and this one is taken on April 9 when he was about done with this mega job. It took longer than estimated due to so many different corners to be cut out.

This is the short end of the 'T' section, looking towards our front porch.

That pipe is from the ventilation hood above my cooktop in the kitchen...

Now looking the other way of the short end of the 'T' towards our gazebo.

On the sides under the shallow parts of the roof there are the open cellulose insulation material 'beds' with only a plank in front to keep the material from spilling over.

Now we are under the long side of the 'T' section (shape of our home), facing the driveway.

This attic fan, Pieter installed already two years ago in 2011. You can read my previous post below: {Going GREEN with Attic Fan}

Stepping back for a better over view.

Now the attic looks neat and ready even for storage if necessary!

Turning around towards the bay window area (in the back).

It was quite a job to manage working around all those wires that are all over the attic like spaghetti...

Stepping back towards the driveway side and you can see again the opening down with the foldout staircase.

Quite a difference or not?

You see the tile floor in our hallway  down the staircase opening...

View from the other side towards the foldout staircase.

Pieter has changed the outlet and switch and installed better permanent light in all areas.

We were so glad to get rid of all the saw dust and I just managed to do a thorough cleaning down stairs, right before we left for our vacation in Curaçao! 

That was mission accomplished; quite a nasty job!

For sure such a floor makes a difference in insulation as well and it certainly will pay off.

Related link:

{Going GREEN with Attic Fan} | previous post by me

{Going GREEN with Attic Fan}

In an ongoing effort to lower the cost of energy, my dear husband Pieter did decide to install an attic fan after having worked in the HOT area under the roof. He had to climb up there for finding the wires to connect the newly installed ceiling fans in the living room and kitchen, as seen in {Our Energy Star ceiling fans from Wayfair + Superior Customer Service}. It was on May 15, that I took the first photo from the installation of this attic fan with thermostat (Home Depot). On May 17 Pieter completed it. We both are anxious to find out what the difference in energy consumption will be for next month's billing. Around 11:30 AM in the morning the thermostat starts the attic fan and we have since noticed that the air-conditioning has not been running much. Both of us wonder why a builder would not install such an attic fan right away... Maybe now, when energy prices become an issue, people will be more conscious about GOING GREEN. Let's hope so, because all together we can make a huge difference and it affects ones pocket in a positive way. The investment costs are not high at all; only the labor is rather intensive and working in the heat is not pleasant; even if a big fan is being used up there. All together we ought to lower our Carbon Footprint!

Here you see the cellulose on the attic, which is already a help in insulating the house. Pieter put in this beam newly, so he can walk over it, without having to 'toe' his way through the cellulose, in search for the nearest beam to step on. Our entire roof construction is made out of red cedar and is done in a very solid way; following Pieter's advice after he'd made the drawings for our home himself. The attic fan is being installed in front of those vents that are above the bedroom/garage side of the house.

My dear handy man and 'worker bee' in action. It cost him lots of t-shirt changes, because it was a brutal hot job up there. I am proud of him for being able to perform like this after his quadruple bypass surgery on September 3, 2010. When he saw his cardiologist a week prior to this job, he was told by him that Pieter was his best patient! Sure, he follows up with discipline and we both go to the Fitness Center to build up strength and it pays off. Never easy but that's life. It's not a pick nick to be on earth... But the satisfaction one has from things done with your bare hands is tremendous! It's all worth it.

Remember; he has to stand on those support beams as there is no solid flooring! Not easy to manage and he did hurt his knee while doing that for days on end. Hope it will only be a strained muscle...

Imagine if this would be glass wool, how it would itch...

So much for the invention of cordless drills to work wherever you want to!

Two days later by 8:00 PM I made this photo of the Attic Fan with thermostat being up and running!

A brand new outlet being installed with switch for new light. There was NONE; another neglect by the builder! Several times the people from the air-conditioning had to work on the attic and they too need light.

Light installed now on both ends of the attic. This is above our kitchen area. The silver colored ducts you see here are from the air-conditioning.

Next day, on May 18, the fan began running automatically and has done so every day. Good feeling for having it all installed before the heat starts really hitting us. Now it is already 90s in F or 30s in C and soon that will be 100s or 40s!

Are you ready for the heat too?

Energy wise that is...

Related link:

{Saving Energy and Our Attic} | post by me about energy saving

{Our Energy Star ceiling fans from Wayfair + Superior Customer Service} | post where Pieter had to find the wiring on the attic...

{Our Energy Star ceiling fans from Wayfair + Superior Customer Service}

The past weeks husband Pieter has worked very hard. As Rebecca from A Gathering of Thoughts would call her husband being a 'worker bee', mine for sure is one too! 

We'd ordered three white ceiling fans from Wayfair a zillion things home, I've done some Giveaways from them previously. I'd ordered from them before but this time they did excel in everything. First off, our Minka Aire Supra 44" Energy Star ceiling fan in white, with a blade pitch of 14° came with FREE shipping and at a great price. We decided to replace the Minka Aire Chantal Fortepierre 52" in medium maple with a blade pitch of 14° that was in our bedroom, with this white one. It was not available last year (from another company). So we were thrilled to find it here. I went ahead and ordered another smaller one for the kitchen in a 32" white and also for the office; all FREE shipping!

Pieter first moved the medium maple to our living room. There was no wiring yet but by getting up on the attic he did divert a wire from the lamp in the living room and got it hung. He also moved the lamp closer to the fireplace, as we can safely move our furniture closer, since we no longer use wooden logs but artificial gas logs.

Our Energy Star Minka Aire 52" Chantal Fortepierre medium maple in the living room now.

This one has a 14 degree blade pitch

That was the first ceiling fan project completed! I was mighty proud of Pieter, as this is the first time since his open heart surgery on September 3 of 2010, that he's done such kind of jobs. It was hot on the attic too and there is no floor. He had to balance on the red cedar beams and feeling his way underneath the fluffy white cellulose insulation. But it worked out well and one by one they got hung. By the way, Pieter's education in Horticultural Engineering included designing buildings. He's managed to do all the ducting; wiring; plumbing; masonry and carpentering for our Rose Suite, where he could put to use all he'd ever learned. For the Dutch Government he'd designed the first practical training college for mushroom growing and later he designed for Campbell's Soup the two state of the art Dutch technology mushroom plants in Dudley, Georgia and Hillsboro, Texas. Numerous other projects he got involved in as international consultant. BUT, since he's retired he's ALL MINE... And I do treasure this guy! They don't come around any better...

This is the Master bedroom with the new Energy Star Minka Aire 44" Supra from Wayfair. Both of us are very energy conscious, for keeping our planet Green we are Going Green.

We did have a problem with the glass and made a photo of the damaged part. Through Wayfair's customer service that got resolved in such a way that in a couple of days an entire new fan arrived! 

Unbelievable courtesy at this time and age...!

Our Rose Suite downstairs now has one too!

All three of those Supra 44" come with a 14 degree blade pitch

With the fans came natural wooden knobs for the pull chains... Clever idea from Pieter to spray paint them white while sticking them onto plastic forks!

This 32" Minka Aire ceiling fan hangs in the office, right above me... There was a lamp, like in the Rose Suite so the wiring was all there.

And finally the one in our kitchen. There was no wiring, but my handyman got it done by dividing an existing wire and creating one for this 32" Minka Aire Supra ceiling fan.

These smaller 32" Minka Aire Supra fans have a 22 degree blade pitch.

It feels great when cooking with this fan running; quite a joy. It served me well a while ago when preparing our supper!

In our bathroom, laundry room and in the gazebo we got this Westinghouse Wengue 30 inch and it has a steep 18° blade pitch.

How many degree is the blade pitch on your ceiling fan(s)?

P.J.C. Vedder's 1987 Design for NEW COMPOSTING SYSTEM (Phase I)  | post explaining Pieter's education

{Our 'GREEN' Bedroom}

As promised yesterday, today I will show you our bedroom itself. Maybe you get an idea for keeping the planet Green, by conserving energy... We at least tried to reach that goal. Too bad that those Historic Windows indoor shutters from Virginia are no longer available. We fell in love with them and had them already in our previous home in Georgia. My brother Harry than even made a set for us, for the guest bedroom; proving his woodworking skills successfully! So we were thrilled when we built this house in 1990 to find once more those solid oak Historic Windows indoor shutters. We painted them white however! But come on in...

This is where we left yesterday, the new 'Green' indoor shutters hung by Pieter himself. These are ready made Masonite bi-folds from Home Depot. 

Our floors are Bruce solid oak planks of 5" width and we're very pleased with that quality. Consumers Report gave them the highest rating at the time we were doing the research.
Our furniture we did ship 3 x across the Atlantic Ocean and due to the solid French oak, it survived each time, without any damage.

Here you see those solid oak (painted white) Historic Windows indoor shutters. The six panel is called 'Charleston'. The same hand crocheted filet lace valence, in French DMC, for the window as I had on the shades for the French door. We both love the unobstructed view without curtains and yet have privacy with the shutters and they're the ultimate for Going Green for saving energy!

When opened, they fold away to the side and they close with a magnet that you see at the top.

Closed view

Our six pound Tiggy Tiger, she loves the French Yves Delorme bed linens... We've been lucky with an Yves Delorme Outlet in Chattanooga, TN; a four-hour drive for us. They also sell the lightweight batiste down duvet and down pillows. We have on all our beds the European squares and the standard down pillows from Yves Delorme. That makes you sleep like a rose... while being watched by wooden Cherubs from Italy.

The double oak armoire with tassels from Yves Delorme...

The door to the hallway, of the same Masonite with six panels and matching the solid oak indoor shutters in Historic Charleston raised panels.

Our build-in closet with the very same Masonite bi-fold doors that Pieter got the idea from! Except that he needed to add a third one to each folding unit.

Above the TV hangs an authentique antique letterpress drawer for my silver, silver plated and other little treasures.

My Dad did clean them out, removing the ink and staining them.

Husband Pieter made with tiny hinges an acrylic sheet cover hanging from the top and being closed with clips at the bottom. You can see it entirely here: {My OPA - GRANDDADDY} click link

The door to our bathroom and again back to the balcony...

Our walls + ceiling are painted in Benjamin Moore® Natura® 2096-70 Early Sunset an eco-friendly choice.

The all cotton Vista area rugs in natural are from Solutions and are very practical and hygienic.

Hand crocheted filet lace rose doily in fine DMC thread and cross stitch alphabet letters are done by me. Not the tablecloth. The braid on the ombré silk in the shadow box, is of course mine and not Pieter's...

Hand embroidered silk doilies on the table are from China. Pieter did bring them back from his trip as Citizen Ambassador.

Our Balcony with teak table and chairs...

Vintage Woodworks balustrade in wood...

Home is where the heart is...
Heart shaped bird feeder with pull out drawer

Related link:

{Going Green for our Bedroom + Confederate Jasmine in bloom} | previous post about husband Pieter installing the French door's indoor shutters...