Hello from New Hampshire

I've been lurking on these forums for an embarrassingly long time (years, probably), but I guess I'm feeling loquacious lately! Hi, everyone!

I live with my partner on ~9 wooded acres in southern New Hampshire, zone 5. We live on a small river in a 250-year-old farmhouse. He has lived here for almost 20 years, but I just moved in this May. Since then we've planted several fruit trees, cut down many weed trees, started a garden with raised beds, grown a few pounds of rice in a mini-paddy, constructed a hoophouse, raised ducks and guineas and built them a nighttime coop from local lumber, inoculated mushroom logs, not to mention all the repairs/projects we've started to get the house itself in better shape (on tap for this weekend: more insulation for the roof). Most of the time, I'm working on my own here during the week, with frenzied bouts of four-handed labor on the weekends. I admit that I am really looking forward to snowfall and time to rest and read and actually finish unpacking my things!

This year in my mind was a big year for experiments, observing, and learning about this piece of land. We have the typical acidic, mineral-deficient New England forest soil, and I need to really work on correcting that in the garden next year. On the plus side, we have some 40+ year old blueberries that yield like crazy with no attention paid to them at all.

I love growing mushrooms and have already had success here with winecap stropharia and oysters (shiitake logs look great so far, too), so I want to expand.

Our resources seem to be wood and water and I think there are lots of ways to get better at using them. Permies has been an incredible source of inspiration, and I look forward to contributing/sharing/learning more actively.

Hi Zoe! Welcome to permies, although I think you were lurking longer than me, but everyone deserves to be welcomed even if it's weird hehe. Your place sounds nice, 40 year old blueberries, awesome!!!

Hello Also from New Hampshire - I realize you posted your "hello" 2 years ago, however I just HAD to respond, I could have written your hello myself... Ready? Hi we live in Southern (lakes region) New Hampshire in a 250+ year old farm house on 29 acres of land with a barn an a carriage house. The farm house has a porch, a summer kitchen and an ell attached; we have MANY (too many) to do list things to address and the list just keeps getting longer,

we have raised beds, fruit trees old and young, fruit bushes (blueberry, black & red raspberry, tons of rhubarb), the New Hampshire Champion White Ash tree - oldest and largest in the State of New Hampshire (go figure) there have been 9 generations of my husbands family here but I just married him well not "just" in 2009 still, I'm the new person considering. We have potbellied pigs, rabbits, cats, a English bull mastiff (aka lump on the couch) and tons of wildlife, along with a good sized pond.

We are trying to figure out the best method of insulating the house.... THERE IS NO INSULATION! Horse hair plaster, lathe, wood clapboard, mother nature hot/cold ! We had a energy audit done and we were on the bottom of the heap. We need it all. eeeek We are a 2 story georgian colonial with a dirt dry rock foundation/full stand up basement - oil burner, & tank, plus old cold keep and pressure tank for the well is down there, an exit to the outside (right now cant be used - not safe) plus all the electric and plumbing comes in down there and is disbursed up through the floors from there. 1st Floor then 2nd, up to a full attic also not insulated you can use as you can stand up; with a new roof we had put on 1 yr ago. We know about vapor barriers, we are just trying to figure out best way to insulate this crazy place before we address the HVAC - theres no point in changing/upgrading it if its not insulated.

So you can see why I said we could be you LOL... So folks anyone who happens to read this... any suggestions (economic DIY) for best way to insulate? My thought was attic take up floor boards lay insulation, then vapor barrier, then put the floor boards back down, then put hard foam board on the door and walls leading up the stairs to the attic; basement "ceiling" or floor of 1st floor: tack up insulation, try not to cover pipes etc so go over under as necessary; then vapor barrier, then add foam board to outdoor exit, & stairwell.

but this still leaves the walls of the 1st and 2nd floors uninsulated... what do you all think? is this enough? or should we look at figuring out how to insulate the outside walls? So 1st let me say this site looks to be just what I've been looking for. and 2nd any helpful advice is appreciated. Thanks!!