what kind of heating works the best in wa

[mthomson]

Property taxes are a whole other animal here. I can't count the number of folks who have called me to list their homes because they're getting taxed out of them. Folks that own waterfront here in Gig Harbor, and have owned it free and clear for ages, but are taxed upwards of $20k annually.
I'm not sure that Cal's prop 1 or 13 or whatever it is is the right answer, but random, unchecked, seemingly unsupported tax hikes sure isn't helping anything.

[niemernyt]

thanks, janb. now I see I really have to do some homework, looking what the property taxes are in different areas. So, as I understand, there is no state income tax, but they literally kill you with property tax. Sound like a bad deal for almost anybody. I will definately look into this more.
Thanks again, I have learned a lot.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by niemernyt

thanks, janb. now I see I really have to do some homework, looking what the property taxes are in different areas. ....

actually this can be pretty ez, especially if you have only one county to research. Look on the county web site for GIS / assessor info, hopefully there is a page that will show the whole county levy districts, you choose the locations you are willing to live, then narrow selection by taxing district. If not, call the assessor and they will send you a sheet that lists the levy in each district. Have them also send you instructions or a map to determine the boundaries of taxing districts, as they can be a bit tough to discern, fire /and school (or other tax entity) may overlap differently. Also ask if there are 'special levies' and if you plan on building ask if there are "IMPACT fees" (a fee for converting bare land to residential). Some places don't have them. An adjoining town has over $20,000 in impact fees on each lot!. If another county is close by, it is worth seeing if adjacent areas are different taxation. (In our case 1/4 mile away the taxes are totally different... almost 1/2 price (adjoining county). It is a rural (distressed) county (so no park or transportation surcharges, less library, school, and fire taxes). Most importantly the assessor is not aggressive in price comparisons. They say they want to see 'sustained' values, before raising yours. In our county they look for 'sweet spots' within a reasonable area to your home to compare values. All of the comps they used for my place had much better views, road access, higher quality construction... We built our place 'on-the-cheap', as we have great local resources for 'used' / and 'overstock' building supplies. We paid no more than $5 for each light fixture and prehung doors were $5.00 each. We were well under $35 / SF costs, but are assessed over $200/sf.

Whatcom is a very interesting county, as it has ultra conservative (Lynden), probably more like rural Colo. AND ultra liberal (Fairhaven / SO Bellingham) like Portland, OR or Berkley, CA... Elections, building rules, and initiatives should be interesting. Unfortunately for the conservatives (and business owners / employers) they are not a majority, so they may get 'whip-sawed' within the county as WA does for the whole state.

Hopefully you are an 'employee' and not business owner. WA is not too friendly place to run a business. Taxes can stifle and high sales tax drives shoppers away (especially in Southern WA since OR has no sales tax). BC is no bargain for shopping, largely depending on currency exchange rate. But stuff is typically pretty high there. It is a great place for camping, skiing, hiking!!

[msta999]

Originally Posted by niemernyt

I am looking to buy a home in PNW, and wondering what should I look for in heating. Does radiant floor heat work the best or forced air?
I have noticed you do not see many stucco homes ( there are some) how does stucco do in that rainy weather? What else do you think is necessary to have , a covered porch maybe? Thank you in advance !

Go with a heat pump. You will have cheap heat in the winter and cheap AC in the summer. I saved so much by installing a heat pump it is not funny. If your going to be in Eastern Washington, then if you can afford it, go with geothermal/heat pump. My brother installs them in South Dakota and they are even cheaper to run than heat pumps. If your on the west side of the mountains, then heat pump is good enough. This house had base board with I first bought it and my electric bills were over 400 for 2 months (in 98). The heat pump dropped it down to under 200 in the winter. Even last year with higher prices, our highest bill for 2 months was 280. Everything in my house is electric. My house is 1550 sq ft.

m 2 cents.

[niemernyt]

I have heard of heat pumps, but do not know how they actually work. Do you need a backup system, or will it be sufficient? And if you use backup system, what kind of system?
We have a radiant in floor heat here in Colorado , we are happy with it( it does get very cold, - degrees at winter)forced air seems too dry, but it is always too dry here, almost no humidity ... thank you all for input!!! Have great holidays!

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by mthomson

Property taxes are a whole other animal here. I can't count the number of folks who have called me to list their homes because they're getting taxed out of them. Folks that own waterfront here in Gig Harbor, and have owned it free and clear for ages, but are taxed upwards of $20k annually.
I'm not sure that Cal's prop 1 or 13 or whatever it is is the right answer, but random, unchecked, seemingly unsupported tax hikes sure isn't helping anything.

I have neighbors that heat quite well with wood harvested from their property... it's not hard if you have the right trees and enough land.

Electric was very reasonable in WA... recently, the rates started to increase to the point where it is no longer bargain priced.

I would gladly deal with every aspect of WA living IF property taxes could be predictable... unfortunately, I'm in the same situation as JanB... my WA tax is $32 a day.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. WA voters passed an initiative to rein-in tax hikes. Unfortunately for the people, it was overturned by the WA courts... and shortly thereafter I saw my taxes go up 80%

[msta999]

Originally Posted by niemernyt

I have heard of heat pumps, but do not know how they actually work. Do you need a backup system, or will it be sufficient? And if you use backup system, what kind of system?
We have a radiant in floor heat here in Colorado , we are happy with it( it does get very cold, - degrees at winter)forced air seems too dry, but it is always too dry here, almost no humidity ... thank you all for input!!! Have great holidays!

Yes, all the heat pumps I know of are backed up by some kind of furnace. A heat pump is really only good down to 20 deg f. If you go geothermal, than, from what I understand, the outside temp is not an issue. The type of system you use for a backup is up to you.

[SBOGD]

I know for about 3 quarters of the year there isnt much sun up there, but could someone get away with running their house on solar and wind?

[StealthRabbit]

sure, keeping in mind the W-I-D-E climate options in WA.

The islands, east Columbia Gorge and eastern WA are best suited for Wind / Solar.

Get in contact with these folks, they used to sponsor the BEST energy fair in WA.
Sustainable Living Center | Home

another local source Solar Washington & Oregon Solwest Renewable Energy Resources and Fairs home