Hi Jennie!

I asked my Dad and we ran through each item. Here goes!

Upstairs bathroom. Can you figure out if the pipes are copper, galvanized or black iron pipe? There could be a plug which may be rust, if it is either galvanized or black iron pipe. If that is what it is, you need new pipes. The pipes “could” be PVC (that is a plastic), but that is a new material and would only be there if it is not the original pipes. If it is copper or PVC, look to see if there is a shut off valve which is not open all the way. This could be under the sink or at the tub. Is there an access panel next to the tub which exposes the piping? There could be a shut off valve in there which needs to be adjusted. Does the cold water also come through at a trickle? If yes, then check if there is some sort of filter on the spout at the tub. Usually these are only at the kitchen sinks, but you never know who did what to a home over 100 years.

Downstairs kitchen sink. Is the water flowing OK in there when you open that faucet? Or is it just a trickle in there as well? Taking 5 to 7 minutes to get hot water seems about right if it is 42 in there! All those pipes need to be heated up. But they are cooling the hot water down. So it takes time.

Fireplace. You can’t just remove the gas logs, a professional who can work with gas has to do that. They have put plugs in the gas lines to prevent leaking so you don’t have an explosion. You need to determine if this was gas logs put into an original fireplace which was built for wood, or was the fireplace built FOR the gas? It makes a huge difference. In general, you will have less heat escaping up the chimney the way it is now rather than opening it to use for wood.

Windows. Others have already covered that pretty well. You will see a HUGE difference in heating costs once you upgrade! You will want to learn about windows with double glazing, or triple, with gases inside. Could be $100 to $200 each. We did new windows at my Dad’s house 4 years ago through Sears and it was amazing the improvement! They had a local handyman do the installation. If you do it yourself, keep in mind that the window unit may be quite heavy, depending on the size! Plus the newer windows tilt in for easy cleaning; oh I LOVE them. If you can’t do these right away, you may want to consider getting the vinyl covering from Home Depot for this winter, as the news says home heating bills are going way up this winter.

Walls. Drywall or plaster, either one can be insulated. Not sure why you think one is better than the other I prefer plaster, hate drywall. Look into insulating all exterior walls for a start. As for Sophie, Home Depot sells plastic strips you can put on corners. I put them on 3 corners where my cats kept rubbing. On plaster walls. Don’t know if that will help stop her or not.

Floors. Is the second floor a double layer or a single layer of flooring? It sounds like there is wall to wall carpet on top? It isn’t clear what you want to do there.

Do you have a cellar under the house? Do you have central heating?
Have you been working out at the gym and lifting weights so you are able to doall this work?