Next winter...what will you be doing differently?

Considering my trailer hitch is completely chrome, I think you might have found me a solution...........

 

We spent all of Dec and Jan in the Philippines this winter. I'm trying to come up with a plan where we can spend at least three months there next winter, and the succeeding winters. That will cut down on the wood consumption quite a bit. The thing I gota figure out and we kind of overlooked, and would do differently next year, is having someone take care of snow removal around the house while we're gone.

 

That sounds like a plan. Too much "stuff"?

 

People leave their camps winterized. Seems to hold up for well for generations. Big problem is keeping vermin out. They chew their way in. Might chew wires and make a fire hazard. The next is keeping the snow load off the roof. Some winters like this one, take a lot of roofs down. Need a good high pitch to them. Not easy to maintain two houses.

 

Plan to add a shed roof to the side of the garage. Son will be here. Together we have too much equipment. Would also like to insulate the glassed in porch. Want to have a sunny peace to sit during winter.

 

Your number 9, I have to absolutely do. Maybe even add a roof vent?

I need to cut more wood, stack more here at the house.

And #1 priority for me, buy efficient wood burning insert and install it in the fireplace.

 

Been there, done that. Now have a large enough stove. The next move would have been a pellet furnace. I'm happy at this point.

 

I need to get that pile of lumber out back turned into a wood shed.

 

-Work on ventilation in the attic. Ive got good ridge vents but the soffit venting is weak.

- See if I can move some of the insulation and try to air seal a bit better in the attic floor... its kind of a loosing battle however as its a cape and the joist cavities are open straight through to the floor in the conditioned space. The insulation contractors tried to densepack that to cut down on air movement but I dont know how effective that is.

- Get out the roof rake and start taking snow off the trouble spots any time we get 6 inches of snow. Not wait till after the dams start.

 

1. For the first time, I am going to top cover all year. I hope to build a lean-to type shed onto my existing privacy fence so its semi-permanent instead of plywood sheets laying on the stacks.
2. I'm adding a roof over the back porch (faces SW-miserable in the summer) which will give me more than enough covered stacking room right out the back door in the winter. No more moving wood from the back yard to the covered front porch which means a lot shorter trip with the wheelbarrow!
3. Making more kindling per cord, and mixing it in with the stacks instead of just a separate stack of kindling. I have a small stove and have to restart more than most here.
4. Getting a harness for my Lab and teaching him to pull a sled with wood. He loves jacking with wood with me...I think it will give him a good sense of "helping" instead of just chewing on splits I drop

 

I was in good shape this year for preperations. What was odd was the historic snows in 4 weeks time. Unless you live in a typical snow-belt area and you generally prep for 7ft or more per year, we were not ready for that.
Ice dams are my biggest complaint and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do this summer to get ready for next winter for ice.

 

I'm sure with ya on that Gas. I gotta see fire...

I might still add on to the woodshed with another section... not sure. Did most of my firewood projects last year and will prolly tweak things forever.

 

I added a 14X20 roof to my garage 3 years ago and poured a concrete floor under it a year later. I closed both ends a year after that. One of the most useful and practical project I've done outside. You'll be really glad you did it.
I want to close it in and make it an extension of the garage, but it also serves as our patio. The wife won't let me close it in until she has a covered patio off the back of the house...this summer.

 

Well, we know what your project is going to be! I already have the covered patio so I'm all set for that.
Son has an ATV, two snow sleds, bike, boat, and a trailer. Won't get all that covered, but can get a good deal of it. That 14 x20 is good size. I want to put crushed rock for the base. No water issues. It is up on fill about 14 feet deep. Want to expand on that area, but it cost a lot to fill in that area. I got lucky the first time when I wanted the garage. The road was being replaced and I got a lot of free fill. A lot of gravel and big chunks of road material.

 

Absolutely do not want to undersize the stove/ insert. I do know that our chimney location is not in the ideal spot, not centrally located in the house.

Anyways, here's the dimensions of the opening. I think I can fit pretty much any of the large ones. Buck has some nice ones, we like the bow style ones, but the wife likes the quadra Voyager as well.

Front opening 34" wide, 27" high. Depth 25", 27" wide back of fireplace dimension.

The house is 1700 square feet, open concept ranch.

 

Had a similar pump at the old cabin up north. We used to shut water off in fall and drain it, and turn it back on in spring. When I used the cabin a lot for snowmobiling, we insulated the walls of the well pit (8' deep) with Styrofoam sheeting and installed a light outlet that we'd leave on in colder months. That 100 watt bulb was enough to keep from freezing lines.