RenovateDSM.com - Book page - Comments

Rule is more restrictive in Iowa

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:03:13 -0800

The EPA renovation rule is not as restrictive as Iowa's rule. Contractors need to be aware that disturbing more the 1 square foot of paint (either interior or exterior) cumulatively must be certified by the State of Iowa in lead safe work practices!

heat tape

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:31:07 -0800

Would this help to prevent the ice dams? I see this on a few houses near the edge of the roof, so I assume it keeps the snow and ice to build up. Anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks Susan

Spray Foam Insulation

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:50:48 -0800

Spray foam is not necessarily a good idea if moisture gets trapped between wood that is surrounded by spray foam. If wood gets wet and can not dry out it rots and then eventually fails. Installing foam in walls of historic houses is also not recommended because moisture can be trapped and rot with sill or any horizontal surface. To avoid moisture being trapped in an insulated wall it is absolutely imperative to establish a vapor barrier on the inside (warm) wall. That means painting a vapor barrier on the wall or if the plaster is gone, installing a vapor barrier before installing plaster board.

Metal Roof

Anonymous — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:00:16 -0800

We had a metal roof put on our house from bakeris roofing.. looks nice and will last longer than I will. They put in a power fan with a humidistat. It pulls air through the roof vents to keep the humidity down, so it sounds a bit strange walking by and hearing the roof fan on in this wonderful weather. They also put in some additional vents along the hip of the roof as well. Now that attic has insulation on the floor but basically it is just there, no real access or desire to go up there anyway.

When they put the roof up there, they did put the vapor barrier and the usual stuff, but this is metal and they also fixed that so hopefully with the ice dams it won’t wick under. I have some interesting icsicles out there. It seems that the warm days we did have , the ice went that way.

It looks like it is going to be cold through next Sunday. I have a Davis weather station and I put in the attic a probe that tells me the temperature and humidity… it is 39F and 73% humidity. The fan will kick in when the humidity gets to 80%.

Ice Dams

RenovateDSM — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:01:51 -0800

That is an excellent question... for those of you who are reading this and aren't familiar with "ice dams", they occur when water works its way back up under shingles via the freeze/thaw cycle. When the ice and snow on your roof melt, it resulting water can defeat the shingle system and find its way into the interior of a building.

The most common cause of ice dams is an inadequate roof insulation and air sealing. Believe it or not, you actually want a cold roof surface in winter! When warm air from your house warms the bottom of your roof surface, the bottom layer of snow melts and runs down the roof surface (as it is supposed to). However, when it reaches the uninsulated eaves where there is not warm air from your house heating the roof, the water refreezes.

The refrozen water causes two main problems. First, when water freezes (the "ice" part of the ice dam), it expands. This expansion can lift your shingles and push your gutters and soffits away from your house. Second, the "dam" part of an ice dam creates a barrier that prevents water from draining. The melting water from the warm roof above is held in a pond against the shingles, which are not intended to serve as a pool liner. The resulting water can then leak into the roof cavity and into the structure below.

Short term solution would be to chip-chip-chip. I don't know of any other way to deal with existing ice dams, other than to perhaps close off all heat to your attic area and see if that can keep the roof surface cool enough to prevent new ice dams from forming.

The long term solution, of course, is to rework the insulation system to allow for adequate ventilation above the insulation in your rafter system. The cold air needs a path from the soffit all the way through to the ridge of your roof (typically at least 2") in order to provide enough circulation to keep the roof surface cold enough to prevent ice dams. There are several products one can install that create a standoff distance between the fiberglass insulation and the roof sheathing.

The problem: in many older homes, the rafters are 2x4. This is not enough space install fiberglass insulation with an adequate air space for ventilation. In this case, there are two options: fully insulating the cavity with spray foam insulation and furring out the rafters to create more space within the rafter system. Both options are probably quite spendy. I don't have enough specific experience with spray foam insulation to say definitively whether it will solve an ice dam problem.

Typically, and I believe required by code nowadays, an ice and water shield is installed below the bottom three feet of shingles on a new shingle installation. This barrier is essentially the same as a pool liner that provides an extra barrier to prevent water from infiltrating the roof system. It is not a solution for the primary causes of ice dams, just an extra layer of protection for once they form.

I'm working on a page for RenovateDSM that details how to air-seal and insulate behind the wing walls of a finished attic space.

Ice Dam

wtangman — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:06:20 -0800

So now I've joined the ranks of DSM homeowner to have ice dams. I have lost my brother-in-law labor force who chipped off the ice dams over Christmas and now the ice dams are back. I'm dreading the warm-up and the resulting flood inside my house. Any ideas on what to do to either prevent the impending flood and to prevent ice dams from forming?

Footings

RenovateDSM — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:47:59 -0800

There is no such thing as a standard distance between footings - there are simply too many variables to account for. My recommendation would be that you work with a design professional who can account for your local code requirements, design parameters, and individual site conditions.

Some of the variables that need to be considered include:

Load requirements (how much weight will be supported)
Size of the posts that will support the deck/sunroom (typically 4x4 or 6x6)
Size of the beam between the posts that will support the floor
Span between the house and the beam
Height of the deck/sunroom from grade
Fasteners (how will the beam support the joists and how is it attached to the posts)
Attachment to the house
Soil conditions
Design features (stairs, roof, pergola, benches, etc.)
Size and depth of footings

This probably isn't the reply you were looking for, but designing a structural element such as a deck is not something that a novice should do without strong guidance. Every year we hear about people being injured or killed when decks collapse.

footings

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:09:50 -0800

Can anyone tell me the standard distance between footings to support a deck that may later be converted to a sunroom?

Nomination List

RenovateDSM — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:33:24 -0700

Absolutely. I'm already working on it! Look for the nomination list here within a couple weeks.

Nominated buildings

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:10:08 -0700

Would you please post a list of buildings nominated. I cannot attend the Nov. 1 meeting. This would help in coming up with other buildings in the future. It could have been people thought that 'everyone knows' a building they saw as endangered would 'of course' be put on the list but wasn't. Pat M.

File those nominations...

RenovateDSM — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:00:11 -0700

Excellent ideas - I appreciate your enthusiasm.

Of those suggestions, only the Depot was nominated this year. There was a building from the River Bend neighborhood (actually nominated by me) that did not end up making it onto this year's list. That definitely doesn't mean they aren't worth preserving! It was interesting for me to read the nominations describing the fascinating stories behind some of the less-well-known historic buildings in Des Moines.

Next year's nomination process will start in early September. Planning for the 2009 list will start in July. Please consider joining the Des Moines Rehabbers Club and volunteering some of your time to make the 2009 project a success.

Others for this list.

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:29:59 -0700

Renovate DSM -

I do hope the house in Sherman Hill can be saved and rehabilitated, although knowing its history - I don't have much faith. I'm not sure how new flooring, new mantels, new staircases, new woodwork, a dry-walled interior, new exterior brick walls and a new roof will add up to a restoration project. I don't believe the end result would be worth the cost.

There two other buildings in the Sherman Hill neighborhood that are in much better condition that would be a more beneficial project to the neighborhood – the Port Well and the Wells Port on Woodland and 19th. Check out pictures before their fall from grace. They were beautiful and they are still standing.

Here are a few others from around town that came to my mind. Crane Co, 1440 Walnut - Fridley Building, 1321 Walnut - Peak House, 1080 22nd Street – Cummins Mansion, 2404 Forest Drive – Younkers Building, 713 Walnut – the Depot, 120 E 5th Street.

What happened to River Bend and Cheatem Park?

I know many people who

RenovateDSM — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:23:33 -0700

I know many people who harbor frustration over the house in Sherman Hill. I think that is actually one of the reasons it was nominated (by several people) and ultimately made the list as a finalist.

I respectfully disagree with you regarding the condition of the structure and its potential to resume a prominent place in the historic fabric of the Sherman Hill neighborhood. I have personally been involved in the rehabilitation of structures that started in much, much worse condition. The front facade in particular is all masonry and in extraordinarily good condition considering it has not been maintained for 20 years.

My concern with this building rests much more on the potential cost of a substantial rehabilitation, which would certainly be cost prohibitive for most people given the size of the structure. It would most likely qualify for State historic tax credits of up to 25% of the eligible costs of rehabilitation. Even so, a quality job would probably be in excess of $120 per square foot. Most people would not be able to take on this project using "sweat equity".

I'm curious which buildings in particular do you think should have been included on the list? This type of discussion is one of the main purposes of creating the list!

Des Moines most endangered list

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:31:39 -0700

I am very disappointed in this list. Especially the 2 in Sherman Hill. Sherman Hill has received help for years, the neighborhood is thriving - move on Des Moines. I’ve seen and heard about the burnt out mansion in Sherman Hill for too long. I lived in Sherman Hill for 14 years and saw that dump sit there with the owners doing nothing to save it hoping to make a mint someday. I say let it fall down – there are only a few bricks and few pieces of wood left anyway. What would be historic about it if it were rebuilt? - the location? "Once, a really nice old house stood here and now we are investing our time and money to build this replica to remind us... "

Excellent examples

RenovateDSM — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:35:35 -0700

Thanks for posting these photos! When I wrote this article, I had already torn out all the knob and tube in my own renovation. These photos show both the "knobs" (used to turn corners with the wiring) and the "tubes" (which serve as a sheath to protect the wire when it penetrates through studs and joists).