So after talking to the home depot guys and finally getting up into the attic we realized we needed to increase the insulation up there and not do the craw space. we were measuring R25 and in CO we should be at R38 and above!!!!
with the tax credit running out on the 31th we had to get it done. We rented the blower which we got for free for buying 10 bags of the insulation but ended up returning 3 bags, we got everything Fri. night so we could do it on Sat. Like every weekend i try to cram to much into a day, sat was filled with driving to REI to stand in line at 8:30 only to find out we drew the ticket for entry into the garage sale at 1:30!!!! i was pissed, so we went home and started on the attic, we had about 1.5hrs till we had to drive back to REI to get in, we got about half done. then we went to REI to NOT get what we were hoping for so back into the car to get home around 3ish to finish up, we did and returned the stuff, cleaned up the house and got ready to head out for a dinner and movie to ring in the new year. i think i can all ready feel a difference in the house, now to wait for the energy bill next month to see what it says.
Ken always says he never gets to do house projects since i take over the yard so i had no problem letting him craw up into the attic and do the blowing as i watched from the ladder, im not even sure i could have safely hoisted myself up there since even on the top step i was just looking into the attic!
ok here are some pictures


the machine


the insulation getting moved around


good thing it was a long hose!


there was some gross itchy green stuff in there and we just added to it with the pink stuff


Go ken go!


all done!

Just one of the few things i did on my week off.

Nice! Good idea to save that project for the winter too. We had blown insulation added to our attic last summer and the guy that did it was sopping wet from sweat.

My home projects are just starting!

With all the snow we got a couple of weeks ago, it somehow found its way IN our house as it melted off!! So, we got the roof 'reinforced' so that if it dumps again and the weather gets warm right after, it won't seep in...

In the meantime, it has already damaged the dry wall from ceiling to floor in the dining room, AND warped HALF of the dining room hardwood floor AND into the laundry room!!

Estimators are coming for drywall, which shouldn't be all that much....however, I imagine my floors will need to be ripped up so the subfloor can be replaced. Then they have to replace the hardwood floors and 'feather' in to match the rest of the flooring throughout the kitchen and entry way! Oye!

Thank gawd for insurance!! (And that generous Christmas bonus! Whew!)

Claudia, that sucks sooo bad! i keep looking at our roof as i keep seeing houses all in the neighborhood having their roofs replaced.....the attic looked good and nothing jumped out at me for looking damaged. whats a Christmas bonus.....

If you bought the house with the original shingles and its more then 15 yrs old better get ready to replace them in the near future. Contractors when they build use the minimum unless the buyer is specific about roofing materials. Most are not. Demand shingles with at least a 30 yr warranty they're a bit heavier longer the warranty better the shingles. Stay away from the old 3 in 1 tab ones they're a joke gone bad.

Claudia, if they have to replace the (roof) wood insist on plywood not that flake board crap, you might have to pick up the difference in cost but if you plan on staying where your at it'll be well worth the expense.

The house is only 4 years old, but it was because an ice dam had built up, and it started melting in a way that wouldn't usually if we hadn't as much snow. The roofer said he sees this happen about once every 3 or 4 seasons after a big snow storm followed by warm weather.

Insurance will cover the damages but we do have a deductible.

I'm guess the sub-floor will need to be replaced but I will make sure they will use plywood. (I thought that's what is typically used! Thanks for the heads up!)