We have been considering ways to upgrade our old farmhouse. It was built in the 1880s and remodeled 1940-41.

Now that we own our own home (after renting it for a number of years), I feel torn about what I have wished for and what is good for our budget and what is good for our environment. Do we really need to add more square feet? Can we modify what we already have and still get that breakfast nook I long for? ...that separate shower, rather than standing in the tub with our head hitting the ceiling in the upstairs bathroom in our one and a half story house?

When I contacted a designer known for green remodeling, the first thing she asked me is if we had done an energy audit.

We had done the $40 audit where they just do a walk-thru and visually inspect the house about a year ago. When the auditor came and looked at our old water heater he said “So that’s why your gas bill is so high in the summer time.” As part of the visit he gave us some weatherstripping and insulating materials for doorways and wall outlets. Since then we have installed a new gas water heater and a new furnace. My husband also put more insulation in the attic. That was a challenge and a little comical because the access to the attic is a hole in the ceiling of a very small closet. My husband was in the attic (with very little head room) pulling and I was at the bottom of the ladder pushing these bags of insulation up through the narrow attic access hole.

A month ago we went ahead with the more expensive energy audit because if we are going to do any major remodeling we should know what else we can do to improve the energy efficiency of the house. They did a blower test and used an infrared camera to show where warm air is escaping from the heated portions of the house. One thing that showed up that we hadn’t considered before were some cracks in the plaster (from earlier water damage when the old roof leaked) where warm air is now going up into the unheated attic. This is wasted heat and could also contribute to ice dams on the roof.

I would love a new kitchen but we now think we will focus first on insulating our foundation on the outside and looking at new windows as our next steps. I am leaning toward fiberglass replacement windows as a better option than vinyl.

The other question about the kitchen is -- will it be more cost effective to totally tear off the old kitchen than to strip it down to the studs and remodel?? The flat roof has leaked for many years (is there rot in the walls?) and some kitchen floor joists were notched in a way that they would need reinforcement.

So many things to think about!!