Archive for the 'Home Maintenance' Category
The Great Air Conditioning Debate
This summer has been hotter than normal for CT. On average, in the Hartford area, there are 18 days a year that are 90 degrees or more. So far this year we’ve had 26 days of 90 degree or warmer weather. And we’re not even half way through August yet. Sheesh.
When buyers are looking for homes, particularly during the warmer months, they often focus on central air. The house they buy should have it. In reality, there are many homes in our area that do not have central air. A quick look at the CT MLS tells us that there are currently 3,885 single family homes for sale in Hartford County. Of those, 1,823 have a central air system. So 47% of the current inventory available has central air. If you look at the breakdown based on construction year, 63% of the homes with central air conditioning were built in 1980 or later. Not really surprising. And not great for people that tend to gravitate towards older homes. They’ll most likely have to do without central air. Or suck it up and put it in themselves.
And this is what brings us to the Great Air Conditioning Debate, which was recently underway at the Bergquist residence (and I’m sure a bunch of other homes in the Hartford area). We live in a big, old house that does not have central air conditioning. Usually we are able to manage the heat with a series of open windows/run window fans/close windows/close curtains procedures that we’ve trialed and errored over the years. But for some reason this year our systems aren’t working that great and the entire house has just been really steamy. Our home office is located on the third floor, the hottest part of the house. After about 11:00am we have to abandon it and move our laptops down to the first floor. Sleeping has also been restless.
In early July we called “Uncle” and brought out the 2 window units that were sitting in the basement. Last year we didn’t even need them. They’re now installed in our bedroom and the home office. The rest of the house remains gross.
All of this discomfort has caused Kyle and I to start discussing the thought of putting in central air. It would be great to have cooler, less humid air. It would contribute to our resale value somewhere down the line. Window units are a hassle and don’t really fit well into our oversized windows. Also, it would be nearly impossible to effectively cool our house with window units.
The main detractors for us seem to be the overall installation cost and the somewhat wasteful nature of the system. Old houses are more expensive to retrofit to central air. It would cost us somewhere between $20,000-$25,000 to put central air into our house. That’s a good piece of change. Additionally, I can’t really wrap my head around the idea of paying that much for something that’s only used about 30 days a year. We’re actually big fans of fresh air, so if temperatures weren’t approaching the 90s, we would prefer to just have our windows open.
Neither of us had central air growing up and we’ve made it this long without it. Do we really need it that much? We’ve decided no. We’ll keep running our systems and that will be good enough. Even if I am a little bit whinier on the hot days. And the overarching reason why we won’t get central air? The curmudgeonly native Vermonter in both of us won’t allow it. Who can’t deal with a little heat? 
If you’re going through this, or went through this at some point, feel free to share the outcome. Until then, stay cool! Whatever your strategy…
Our Kitchen Remodel- Revisited
Our kitchen remodel finished up a little over 3 months ago, so we thought it would be a good idea to revisit our decisions to see if we’re still happy with them after actually using the kitchen for a bit. Planning everything out on paper and watching it be built is one thing. Living with it is another…
The Good…
1. The layout is working out really well. We are easily able to both work in the same areas at the same time and not feel cramped. The seating area is out of the way, but still feels connected to the preparation areas.
2. The butler’s pantry is a thing of beauty and ties the kitchen through to the dining room. It’s great for storage and just really pretty to look at.
3. The placement and amount of lighting keeps things bright and cheerful. We seem to be able to turn on just the right number of lights in the right locations whenever we need them.
4. The sink and the stove were worth the money and we’re glad we splurged on them. They function really well and more than meet our needs.
The Not So Good…
1. White cabinets. I (Amy) would never do white cabinets again. They don’t do well with my slightly anal retentive personality. I feel like I pick up on every imperfection, whether it’s a smudge, scratch, ding, etc. and obsess over it. Having a kid and a dog that spend a lot of time in the kitchen doesn’t help matters, as they’re the ones usually doing the messing up. It makes me slightly crazy. Next time we would probably go with a light colored wood.
2. Our dishwasher. The racks in our dishwasher are disappointing. Everything is spaced very narrowly and just doesn’t accommodate our dishes very well. We ended up buying new water and juice glasses because we could only fit a few at a time with our previous set. I find a lot of the time we’re hand washing dishes because they won’t fit in the remaining slots of the dishwasher. Luckily our sink is great and we don’t mind using it.
3. Trash can in a cabinet. We’d never had a trash can tucked away in a cabinet before. I always thought it would make things dirty and smelly. There wasn’t really anywhere else to put the trash can in the layout, so it was designed into a cabinet. Our fears were confirmed, it makes things dirty and smelly. We need to empty the trash twice as often as we used to in order to keep things under control. Not ideal.
So, some good and some not so good, as is to be expected with any project. We’re happy with how things have turned out overall. Although in hindsight, this may have been the year to install central air instead…
Hartford Preservation Alliance Awards Event
The Hartford Preservation Alliance will be holding their annual Awards Event on Thursday, May 13th, at 5:30, at the Design Center in Parkville (1429 Park St, Hartford). There are 12 Awardees this year, including a number of projects that loyal readers will recognize. The event is open to all, and tickets are $25 – hope to see you there!
In addition to their annual Awards Event, the Hartford Preservation Alliance works throughout the year as an advocate for Hartford’s historic architecture and buildings. They also take on an education mission, organizing various events in the different neighborhoods. For example, tomorrow morning (May 8, 2010) at 10:00 AM they will be leading a walking tour through the Ann Street Historic District in Downtown Hartford. For a complete list of upcoming activities, visit the 2010 Calendar.
2010 Awardees
Common Ground
410 Asylum Street
“The Capitol Building”
Jan & David Klein
Kate & Christian Winkley
79 Girard Avenue
Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (NINA)
291-293 Sargeant Street
Archdiocese of Hartford
809 Asylum Avenue
“St. Joseph Cathedral School”
Hartford School Building Commission
1304 Main Street
“Barnard Brown School”
James K. Grant, P.E.
Lifetime Achievement
Connecticut Preservation Action
Preservation Advocacy
Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism
“Being Modern in Hartford”
Molly Knorr & Mark Drusedum
1144 Prospect Avenue
PMC Property Group
210 Farmington Avenue
“The Ambassador”
Ross Zachs & Mike Miller
76 North Beacon Street
Antonella Bona
139 Fern Street
Congratulations to all the awardees – and thank you for going out of your way to preserve Hartford’s historic buildings.