Oh, well. That was then, this is now. You are no longer the person who made those mistakes, either mentally or physically. You have the money to fix the mistake, and it isn’t even a huge one compared, say, to replastering the walls without fixing the rotten sills. Spend the money. Accept it as the cost of the lesson, and let it go. You’ve earned it.

Enjoy the new power, more outlets, no surges and the safety!

Make sure you don’t cover the soffit vents when you put the insulation back in. Proper attic ventilation can save you from trouble in the long run.

It’s also a good idea to get a blower test done, and find all the places air leaks into the attic. Plug ‘em up. Do this before putting the insulation back in and after the electrical work is done, since they’ll be putting holes in things

Have fun!

In any case – sounds like you really can do quite a bit of the insulation removal and reblowing yourself.

Any other additions up there that you are going to make when you do this before you put the insulation back in? Solar tube type lighting? Solar powered attic fan to vent out the summer heat?

It’s not like you are lamenting an expensive tiling job that you had recently done only to rip it out to install a new jacuzzi tub or something similarly non-essential.

Plus, “old home with updated electrical” can be very attractive to buyers when the time comes for you to sell.

In other words, chalk it up to lessons learned and don’t sweat it.

I’d look at redoing the insulation yourself. As others have pointed out, blowing insulation isn’t that difficult. I’ve done it with my dad before and its pretty simple. You can rent a blower from Home Depot or Lowes.

Sounds like your insulation contractor really screwed up. If you haven’t yet then I’d look into filing a complaint about the contractor that did your insulation. If nothing else it would serve as a warning to other customers.

JIm

Don’t think of as a set back in your financial status. Think of it as a status, a mark, a symbol that you can now pay for things in cash instead of on credit. That is success, my friend. That is achievement. That is responsibility.

I’m proud of you! I hope I’m complaining about something I have to pay for with money that is in the bank after I get my credit cards paid off! You have every right to complain, of course, I would DEFINITELY be upset about that first contractor you had… but that’s life. You had foresight!! You saved yourself from debt, and now you can save your house from harm! Congrats!

The other danger (aside from the awful thought of fire) is that at any point Allstate could inform us that they won’t cover us anymore. In our case, we would only be out about $400 for the previously blown insulation – a benefit of having a very small house!

On a personal note, get rid of the wiring ASAP. This is a safety issue and your house needs to be brought up to code. I walked away from a great house because of wiring like this. I was an electrician but I was not willing to take on the expense and work.

Also, if you are even moderately handy do the insulation yourself. It will save you a ton, you know the job is done right, and you will get a lot of personal satisfaction.

For all the good you’ve done me, I advise you go play a game of Wii or some other fun stress reliever, go for a walk if your leg is up to it, lift some weights, etc. Keep your chin up big guy!

Cheers, Mike

All told if I remember correctly it was around $200 to do it ourself? Good luck!

The was an article in the Wall Street Journal in the last day or two talking about how sales of vegetable plants are way up at garden stores while sales of flowers is starting to drop noticeably.

I am on the verge of starting my own garden. I can still afford to buy the food I want at the store, but I want to be able to cook some green beans and then tell everyone at the table that I grew them myself. I feel almost like these gardens are some form of reverse victory garden …

Regardless, I’m opting to replace nearly all of the plumbing and electrical which is ancient and inadequate. It will cost a small fortune, but will be a good long term investment.

Just to give you something to put it in perspective, I am closing on my new house next week. I have not yet sold my current property (costing me almost $900/month to carry). I have already spent $4000 on various professionals to inspect the new house (it was a foreclosure so I have no guarantees about the property whatsoever.) On top of that, my wife is pregnant with our second baby, and her work contract is done as of July 31.

Am I stressed? No. I know that the house, with a bit of work, will be an *excellent* investment, and it is in a beautiful area where I feel my children are safe. I have faith that my current property will sell, and on top of it all, I have a cash reserve (as inspired by you!) to help me carry it off.

I like the quote above from Fight Club! Great movie btw.