Ask the Builder: Beware of how-not-to-do-it videos on YouTube

Tim Carter, Tribune Content Agency on Mar 8, 2024

My calculations showed you would need 228 extra 2x4 studs, 40 2x4x16s for the top and bottom plates for the extra walls, clear pine for the window and door extension jambs, and 50 rolls of 6-inch fiberglass. The total cost of these materials in 2024 here in New Hampshire with no sales tax was $6,125.

It’s safe to say the extra labor, overhead and profit to install all of these things might be around $10,000. The total upcharge for the super-insulated exterior walls would be about $16,000.00.

Look online and you’ll discover the 2023 average heating cost in the USA for homeowners was the following: $931 for natural gas, $2,354 for heating oil, and $1,359 for electricity.

The heat loss through the windows, doors, attic and floor will be the same. You’ll only reduce your heat loss through the walls. A 20% savings projection would be generous. This means you might save $186 per year if you heat with natural gas, $420 if you heat with oil, and $271 if you heat with electricity. If you use air-conditioning, you’ll save maybe an extra $150 per year.

It’s your turn to do the rest of the math. Tell me how many years it would take you to break even. If you heat with natural gas, it would only take you 86 years! The break-even calculation is much more complex because of interest and investment income you could have achieved had you not spent the money. The bottom line is: BEWARE of what you see on YouTube.

========

Subscribe to Tim’s FREE newsletter at AsktheBuilder.com. Tim offers phone coaching calls if you get stuck during a DIY job. Go here: go.askthebuilder.com/coaching