Insulation

I am interested in hearing about methods and materials people have used to insulate their chalets. That would include floor insulation and insulating the tectum in the A-Frame. Please comment...

TV Reception

This info may be of use. I am in an older chalet with no cable TV

While I enjoy the great outdoors at Innsbrook, I also like being able to catch the news and the ball games on TV. The rooftop antenna on my chalet picks up VHF-Lo channels 2,4, and 5 quite well. VHF-Hi channels 9 and 11 are a little snowy and UHF channel 30 is pretty snowy.

After 2/17/09 all TV stations in St Louis will be broadcasting only in digital using UHF frequencies.

2.1 UHF 43
4.1 UHF 56 (24 after 2/17/09)
5.1 UHF 35
9.1 UHF 39
11.1 UHF 26
30.1 UHF 31
46.1 UHF 47

Currently they aren't broadcasting digital UHF using very high power.
Perhaps they will turn up the wick after they shutoff their VHF
transmitters.

I hooked up one of those DTV converter boxes to the rooftop antenna
(which has some UHF elements) and had very low signal strength on 2.1,
5.1 and 30.1. None of the others came in. The digital signal was subject
to a lot of dropout. To continue getting TV, I think I'm going to have
to put up a deep-fringe UHF antenna, either a long yagi or a screen
reflector type with 8 bow-ties. An amplifier will probably be needed
too.

Satellite is an option for those with an open view of the southern sky.
But many chalets buried in the trees won't have that option.