Building a home but...bugs? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: apartment complexes, houses, buy)

[Jereld]

Hey everyone.

A few weeks back I asked about places to live in Atlanta, and now thanks to the communities help, my wife and myself are considering purchasing some land in Sandy Springs to build a home. With that said, we have one reservation...bugs. Well, mosquitos actually.

We are considering building a modern home with a lot of indoor/outdoor living space. The idea being there will be several walls of windows that open to outdoor living space. After doing some research it appears that Atlanta has a lot of mosquitos. Not something that I would have originally thought to consider, but since the plan is to have the windows open all the time...well you can see potential problem. I noticed in my house hunt that there are not a lot of homes that offer a similar blend of indoor/outdoor living, and while I originally chalked it up to a difference in preference, I am starting to think maybe there is a more practical reason. Considering we will also have a pool, that up's the possibility of mosquitos big time. I could buy a few bat houses, but I am not sure that would be enough.

There is of course the factor of heat....I assume most people run their AC in their home, and leave the doors closed. I have a large outdoor space in NYC and I leave the doors open all summer while the AC is running. But then again cooling a house is much different from cooling a small NYC apartment. Right now heating/cooling is taking a back seat to the mosquito question.

I am curious what your thoughts are.

Thanks again!

[ATLTJL]

I really don't think having a pool will add to any mosquito problem, because mosquitos need standing water to breed. Pools are generally in motion, not to mention chlorinated, and I don't think mosquitos breed in swimming pools.

Lots of plants, especially ground cover like ivy, I think contribute more to mosquitos.

Really, your bigger problem is that you really can't leave windows open all the time down here. Not only will it make your house a sauna, your a/c won't be able to dehumidify properly and you'll develop a mold problem.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I really don't think having a pool will add to any mosquito problem, because mosquitos need standing water to breed. Pools are generally in motion, not to mention chlorinated, and I don't think mosquitos breed in swimming pools.

Lots of plants, especially ground cover like ivy, I think contribute more to mosquitos.

Really, your bigger problem is that you really can't leave windows open all the time down here. Not only will it make your house a sauna, your a/c won't be able to dehumidify properly and you'll develop a mold problem.

And your ac will run constantly, so get ready for a $1,000 electricity bill.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by Jereld

We are considering building a modern home with a lot of indoor/outdoor living space. The idea being there will be several walls of windows that open to outdoor living space. After doing some research it appears that Atlanta has a lot of mosquitos. Not something that I would have originally thought to consider, but since the plan is to have the windows open all the time...well you can see potential problem. I noticed in my house hunt that there are not a lot of homes that offer a similar blend of indoor/outdoor living, and while I originally chalked it up to a difference in preference, I am starting to think maybe there is a more practical reason.

Screens. You'll want 'em. I spent a week at a beach house in northern California a few summers ago, and got eaten up by mosquitos because the house had no A/C and we had to sleep with the windows open. Ever since I'm religious about screens on windows and screen doors. You can get high quality sliding screen doors that don't impact the view and are made to match whatever sliding door system you install. I live in a modern house in the city and have been able to take maximum advantage of the nice weather this spring because I've got screens on every openable window in my house.

You definitely won't want to leave the doors open in the middle of the summer, but the spring and fall are incredibly comfortable and you'll get lots of use of indoor/outdoor space here. There are even days in winter when you'll be able to open it up.

[Tarzanman]

Atlanta isn't New York. Mosquitoes are not the only bugs that you'll have to worry about. You'll have to worry about bees, gnats, flies, ants, wasps, hornets. You will also have to worry about pollen in the spring (our pollen levels are legendary).

Besides that, cooling a house which has no units to insulate it on its top or to its sides is a completely different proposition than cooling an apartment which isn't getting heated on all sides.

And yes, you are looking at legendary power bills during the summer and spring. My guess would be approximately $300-$500 a month for the AC constantly running. God forbid that your house have two AC units and two thermostats.

[Fubarbundy]

Don't forget the tarantulas!

No, but seriously, you're asking for thoughts and to be perfectly honest have to wonder what planet you're from. Please don't take offense, it just seems in this day and age of sustainability what you're proposing is frankly preposterous. If your intent was to live like the native aboriginal population, or even the wise cracking settlers from which some of us are descended then that would at least have some practical atavistic if not luddite logic to it.

Grew up in MI, and there are plenty of mosquitos in summer. That's why it seems so odd to me that it would be such a revelation for you in NY to have to consider dealing with them. Anyway, again please don't take offense, was going to suggest looking into the earthship idea (there might be a couple sites in GA), but that's probably the opposite end of the spectrum from what you're asking about.

May the porch be with you.

[roxyrn]

We rarely have our windows open because we don't have screens and would have to have them custom made.
Without screens you are inviting in bugs as well as other critters (lizards, snakes, etc).
With screens you are going to be wallowing in pollen for a certain amount of time including the notorious yellow-green that floods everything for 1-2 weeks during the spring.

In NYC you get respite from the summer heat every few days with dropping temps (especially at night), but here you can have weeks where the temp doesn't get below 70 and the humidity stays up there, too.

[CMMom]

You can have your yard sprayed for mosquitos. Having our front and back yard sprayed costs less than $100 monthly. Definitely worth the money if you intend to spend time outdoors.

And, yes, prepare for gigantic heating/cooling bills! That's going to be a rude awakening for you, I think.

[lastminutemom]

Keep in mind, though, that many people find pollen just as bad (if not more of a ) problem. From Late March until at least mid-May (depending on weather) everything here is covered in pollen. Yellowish green, icky stuff.

As nice as it outside this time of year, true outdoor living is challenging. You constantly have to clean, sweep, etc the space.

Many of my friends have essentially glassed in their screen porches, putting in windows that easily open, so they can have the fresh air without the pollen mess.

PS -- the pollen you see is generally not what causes people allergy problems here. But a lot of people who move here from other places really struggle with allergies after a year or two here.

[CCATL]

If you're doing the building, definitely put screens on windows. Something that would also help, which a lot of people have down here, is making your indoor living space open up to a screened in covered porch, rather than directly into the backyard. Lots of houses, especially old houses, have the screened in porches because they acted as sleeping porches prior to A/C being developed - but they are still very popular and are great for when you want to sit outside during summer nights. Adding a TV, fireplace, etc. to your screened porch will create a great outdoor living space. Through this time of year, windows and doors are great to have open, provided you have screens. However, probably starting later this week and straight through the end of September, you're going to have the A/C running constantly and opening the doors/windows won't be much of an option. Like others have said, even if you could put up with your house easily approaching 90 degrees without A/C, the humidity will create lots of mold problems. Actually, in apartment complexes, many write into the contract that tenants MUST have the A/C running from May to October just to prevent widespread mold.

Additionally, as others have said, mosquitos aren't your only bug concern. You'll want them to try to prevent spiders, day AND evening/night mosquitos, cockroaches, palmetto bugs, lizards, etc. That said, this is Atlanta - if you never have a cockroach in your house, I will be quite impressed.