Michigan builder Don Ferrio spent 32 years teaching industrial arts, the last 24 at the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center. Since his “retirement” in 1997, the Michigan State University graduate, as founder and owner of Ferrio Construction, has specialized in new construction, remodels, additions and other home improvement projects.
Hearst Midwest recently reached out to Ferrio to gather some helpful tips on the types of energy-saving precautionary-taking measures Michigan homeowners might want to take as winter approaches in the Great Lakes State.
Ferrio has been a member of a local homebuilders association for quite some time “where we discuss new products and new ways to do things. Everybody’s solution is somewhat different. It depends on your external package, the thickness of walls and what’s in them.”
It used to be standard to insulate homes with fiberglass. Today there are better options.
“Most of us that build homes were using fiberglass as a primary source of insulation until about 20 years ago,” Ferrio said. “People that remodel now can use wet spray insulation or foam. Both are very good insulators. Putting foam in is better because air moves through fiberglass.”
The same principle applies to windows.
“Now we’re putting insulating foam sealant in between window frames and the framing of the house, between the 2x4s or the 2x6s, whatever the case might be,” he said.
Homeowners tend to be pretty good about caulking, and weatherstripping around doors and windows. What can get overlooked as a major source of allowing cold air into homes is basements.
“That’s because they’re not insulated,” Ferrio said. “There is a reason your basement is much cooler than the rest of your home. But a big recent change involves insulating the basement area, especially cement floors. The ground temperature is 55 degrees year-round, even in heated space.”
In a basement, Ferrio explains, there are floor joists sitting on blocks, usually 10-12 inches high, an area that is facing the outside.
Yet how many homeowners want to go to the trouble and expense of ripping out existing concrete floors to install insulation?
“Insulating walls is far more feasible than ripping out concrete and taking things apart,” he said. “Another thing you can do is caulk in and around holes used to run wiring and plumbing. A lot of air comes through these small openings. A lot of our cold in the winter comes from basements.”
Ferrio also advises making sure you’re airtight around bathroom fans, kitchen exhaust fans and dryers because “they take air out of the house.That air has to come from somewhere. Anywhere you have air exiting the house is worth checking.”
To pinpoint where your home might be compromised, home energy professionals use a blower door. It’s a diagnostic tool that determines how much air is entering or escaping from your home.
“A normal guy will say my drapes are moving, so something’s not right,” Ferrio said. “These electric thermometers used in these blower door tests measure quite precisely where all the leaks are. There are a lot of high technology things out there that can help with home energy efficiencies.”
Other basic tips include having your furnace serviced, testing your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, removing all garden hoses that are attached to the house and, as alluded to previously, caulking holes around plumbing, windows, doors, air conditioners, vents and any other openings to prevent cold air from coming in.
Ferrio has been a respected educator and skilled builder in the Bay City area for a long time. His remodels have turned many a nondescript residence into a dream home.
“I was never smarter than anybody else,” he said. “You just have to care and work at it”
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