Is air conditioning recommended in Cleveland? (Lakewood, Cleveland Heights: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[mick over there]

I think it's a strange question, too. Let me explain:

I am in Tampa, soon to be relocating for work reasons to Cleveland. I am excited and looking forward to the challenge. We are planning on Shaker or Cleveland Heights and my wife is already up there scouting houses. We lean toward those beautiful brick 3 storied old 1920's places that there seem to be so many of up there. Nothing like most housing here in Tampa.

So my wife found a nice looking 3000 sq ft place with the right yard, street, neighborhood, etc. But it has no air conditioning. At all. So this Floridian says, "WHAAAAA???" I don't need to live in a refrigerator, I keep my thermostat at 76-78 most of the time. I have seen plenty of Cleveland houses with AC so this one takes me by surprise.

So, should keep looking? Retrofitting I am sure would be thousands.

[gentlearts]

We lived south of Cleveland for 40 years and always had air conditioning....sometimes for the heat of summer and sometimes for the humidity. I would not want to be without it, but perhaps since you are acclimated to FL, you would be alright without AC in Ohio.

If the house has forced air heating, adding AC wouldn't be that hard.

[Cleverfield]

Cleveland summers are not that bad. There will be some days that you definitely need it, but on most days the hottest it gets is in the 80s. I think we ran our air conditioner maybe 8 or 9 times the whole season. One thing the lake is good for is keeping us at more moderate temperatures .

[bjimmy24]

There will be a week or two in July-August where you would really like one, but in my opinion, it's better to just tough it out and go to the pool or hang out by the lake for those days. Don't need AC.

[Cleveland_Collector]

It's nice to have, but it is not a must like it is in the south. I know plenty of people who don't even have a window unit. I pretty much hate anything over 85 degrees and we do get our share of that weather during the summer (usually 90-95 at its worst). However, my AC usually stays off until mid-June. I would say the general "AC season" in NEO is about mid June through mid September. But, you will find yourself turning it off several times during that time and opening the windows as there are usually several breaks in the heat and humidity where the sleeping weather is quite pleasant.

If you find a house that you like that has forced-air heat, you can usually add cental AC for a few thousand dollars. If it has hot water baseboard or radiator heat, central AC would be an expensive and messy retrofit. In that case, I would suggest a few strategically placed window units for the few months you would need them. I certainly would not rule out buying a place simply because it doesn't have central AC.

[lindarogers]

The farther you are from the lake, the more you will want, not necessarily need, AC. The humidity can get bad especially if you don't get the lake breezes. I would definitely have at least a bedroom unit if you want to sleep comfortably in the summer. Lack of central air is no reason to count out a beautiful home of course. Side note ; For women, putting on makeup and doing our hair while we're sweating is a miserable proposition. Happy wife, happy life

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by mick over there

So my wife found a nice looking 3000 sq ft place with the right yard, street, neighborhood, etc. But it has no air conditioning. At all. So this Floridian says, "WHAAAAA???" I don't need to live in a refrigerator, I keep my thermostat at 76-78 most of the time. I have seen plenty of Cleveland houses with AC so this one takes me by surprise.

So, should keep looking? Retrofitting I am sure would be thousands.

I lived in Lakewood for dive years WITHOUT air conditioning and never missed it. The ONLY month where I had any regrets was in August. The breeze off the lake kept the climate very moderate.

I prefer a neighborhood with few air conditioners. In those neighborhoods, people tend to spend a lot more time OUTSIDE in the backyard or on the front porch. That builds better neighborhoods.

Since I have relocated to Chicagoland, everybody has an air conditioner and many leave it running when it is 50F outside. You rarely see the neighbors as they become heat intolerant.

As for putting air conditioning in, I don't believe it is not that expensive if you have a forced air furnace.

[MRV01d]

I guess I will be the dissenting voice...

You need air. It gets hot here and has all the humidity of a bad day in FL.

If the house doesn't have a/c, window units in a few strategic rooms are a good option. We use window units.

The people who don't have a/c here generally wish they had it. Before this thread I've never met a Clevelander who was all 'naw, I don't need no stinkin' a/c' and I've been here almost 20years!

M

[ohioaninsc]

You'll need it a couple months out of the year but I agree, a few window units would be just enough if you don't have central ac.

[Bimmer_Rich]

Central air is not needed, but a window unit is a most. Some years are blazing hot, others not so. Last summer would have been miserable.