No pad and carpet in houses in Miami? (Coral Gables: for rent, tile)

[valicky]

I think wall to wall might still be popular up north. We have it in the bedrooms still. I hate tile, only have it in the bathrooms. Houses here do have much higher standards than in other places, but carpeting/tile isn't really a standard, but a preference. If you like wall to wall - get it. Nothing stopping you. Everyone's so concerned with what's "in." It's your home, you're going to live in it. Might as well be how YOU like it.

[fcacciola]

Originally Posted by midnightfapper

homes in miami are built to much higher standards than los angeles.

virtually everything here is cbs (concrete block) instead of wood frame. anymost everyone uses floor tiles instead of carpeting. cheap asphalt roofing shingles are unheard of, tile or concrete is the norm.

this is how it's done in most of the world.

i don't understand why anyone would want carpeting? even when i lived in los angeles, hardwood/marble flooring was the only way to go.

This is so good to know. I plan to relocate from Argentina and here we use cbs, not wood. I was kind of worried because I thought that all houses in the States where made of wood, which I totally disliked.

FWIW, here as well, tile or wooden floors are seen as way better than carpet.

[Reptoid Humidian]

If you DO do carpeting, I would strongly suggest you do NOT use any carpet padding, be it jute, waffle, foam, or otherwise. Just use glue-down low pile hotel carpeting and avoid shag carpeting. Using carpet padding in South Florida is just inviting expensive disaster. Waffle padding should NEVER be used by anyone anywhere. It'l turn a $1500 water damage into a $5000 water damage in an instant. The rivulets will cause the flooding to spread to other areas.

[valicky]

Do many people have flooding issues? It seems to be a regular occurrence going by the posts on here. I've lived here almost 40 years and the only time I've had a flooding problem was Hurricane Andrew in 1992. I guess it depends on where you live? I've lived in Westchester and Kendall and never have flooding problems, except like I said, Hurricane Andrew.
I remember putting down wood after Andrew and everyone saying how you can't have wood floors in Miami because of flooding. Seriously? If you like tile - great. But I wouldn't pick it just because of the flooding issue if I didn't like it. One flood in almost 40 years isn't worth living with flooring I don't like for that entire time.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Just the humidity alone will do in carpet and padding.

[valicky]

I guess I didn't have that problem either as the only time I open my windows is if it's cold and windy, maybe 3 or 4 days a year. My house feels really dry with the a/c on 24/7. I've been contemplating a humidifier for sleeping because it really bothers me then.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Did you mean to say that you want a humidifier to offset the dryness of the a/c or for those 4 days a year?

If the outside dewpoint is temperature is, say, 82 with a dewpoint of 73, I guarantee that if you cool your place to 65 degrees, your dew point will be at least 62 degrees. That's hardly dry. If you put a humidifier when the room is cooled down to a few degrees above the dewpoint, you're going to have condensation on the walls, floor, fabric and sheets and there will most likely be mildew. When you try to humidify a cold chilly environment, the walls just act like a magnet for that humidity instead of having it remaining in the air. You just can't have it both ways unfortunately..

[Reptoid Humidian]

If the outside temperature was 85 with a Santa Ana type dew point of 44 or something, then you could get away with humidifying the air somewhat at 60 some degrees. Your dew point cannot, however, exceed the inside ambient temperature, though, or you're gonna have a mess.

[Reptoid Humidian]

In the type of ambient humidity that Miami normally has, just cooling to 75, rather than 68 will increase the dew point and ambient humidity in the house. I would recommend setting it between 76 and 78 and using a box fan in conjunction with the a/c to cool the place. That way you can have the comfort of balmy cooling breeze.

[valicky]

I set the air to 71 or 72 at night and run the ceiling fan. That's when I feel my room is dry. Or dry for me. Right now it's 74 with 50% humidity. I have to check what it is when I go to sleep. I thought putting a humidifier in my bedroom might help. Would a box fan be better than a ceiling fan? I'd die of heat if I had to sleep in 76 to 78 temps. One word - menopause! I need it cold at night. Even during the day the highest I'll set the a/c is 75, usually 74.