I acted as the general contractor doing much of the work ourselves, and farming out such work as electrical, insulating, all new windows and drywall.

You might have to try to move some of the insulation in the water heater to look at the connections, but if nothing is visible sounds like it could be a bad water heater, it happens sometimes.

That's 64 more square feet of framing, insulation, drywall, siding, paint, etc.Also, dimensional lumber is produced in two-foot lengths and panel goods are four-foot wide... most efficient use of materials will use wall and floor dimensions that are equally divisible in these increments.The boxes ain't always pretty, but they are more cost effective!

This helps borrowers insulate the risk of that loan to just the property itself.They carry extremely low interest rates.

But bear in mind that different cities treat permits differently, and in your city the permit office might be a total bear to wrestle with.Even so, for a bedroom addition... yeah, get the permit and make sure that the GC is bringing in the necessary electrical sub, insulating correctly, etc.

Better insulation in the attic.Better windowsMore efficient furnace.Check and repair door seals.Check and repair any air leaks you find.  

Do people normally place insulation in an outdoor porch in FL? 

Ripped out the old cast iron plumbing, new roof, siding, insulation, drywall...

One of our tenants applied and the program installed new windows, attic insulation, and a swamp cooler without any charge.  

I have a second floor bedroom in a colonial style home (with a third floor full attic that’s not insulated).