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My memory is a little fuzzy on this but there are pockets of areas in the triangle with radon issues due to the large formation of granite or other rock. A web search or a City Data search should yield more info. I seem to recall it being a thread on here at one time. There are formations in North and East Raleigh, some in NE Raleigh and Wake Forest. Not that this means there are automatically radon issues in these areas. More research is needed to confirm what I cannot recall.
As for the soil issues. Clearly an engineer should know such as the one you (OP) spoke with. However, I've lived here many years and not heard of Cary having more issues with foundation shifting than other areas. Not that this is a measure but just the first time I've heard this. Mike Jacquish, a realtor on CD should be able to help you as he lives in the community and seems to be very knowledgable. It might be worth you direct messaging him. I wish you well with your search!
I "think" there was a period of time (maybe during the 70s or 80s) that homes built in Cary seem to have more foundation issues than others. I've asked my home inspector about this and he said it was a combination of poor building (builders building as fast as they can) and the soil in that particular area. I had a client buy a home around Lake Pine Drive and after having it inspected, we got out of the contract, due to foundation issues. She later purchased in another n'hood.
As for radon, Raleighlass is right. There are some areas more prone to it than others. Wakefield has lots of radon. Testing with a monitor is about $100 and well worth it. Getting rid of the radon isn't that difficult. A fan in the crawl space is one way. If there is no crawl, drilling into the slab and running pipes to allow the radon to escape back into the air is another. Let me disclose that I am not the expert on this but I've had clients purchase homes with radon and have been there to see the solutions.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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We are in the process of purchasing a house in Chapel Hill, and our Realtor did not mention radon. I need to ask her about it. Here in Northern Virginia it can be a big problem. The house we live in now had a level of 4 when we bought it, and we got it mitigated. It's *usually* (but not always) more of an issue with a house that has a basement, and the radon level is *usually* (but not always) worse in the basement than in the upper levels of the house. I assume it's not an issue where we're buying (Southern Village) since my Realtor didn't mention it, but I'm going to double-check with her. We already did a home inspection and termite inspection, which came back pretty good.
As far as electric heat - I am one of those people who doesn't like it. I am always cold, and the electric heat does not blow out hot air, like a gas furnace does. Sometimes when I'm chilly, I will walk over to the vent in my gas-heated home and warm up there. Can't do that with a heat pump. But maybe they have gotten better. I lived in a condo/townhouse (built in the 80's) that had a electric heat, and it was pricey and just never seemed warm. Having said that, if I loved everything else about the house, I wouldn't let that stop me from buying it. I just prefer gas heat.
Lastly, I hear you on renting, Lew Lew. We went back and forth about renting when we get down to Chapel Hill. In some ways it seemed easier, as I felt like we don't need to be as picky as the rental unit that we get, and we could sit and wait for the perfect home to come along while we are living there. But the thought of moving my 3 kids into a home for 1 year or less did not seem appealing. I figured we'd not unpack everything, and it would feel temporary and unsettled until we got into the home we buy. And the thought of moving twice - ugh! On the other hand, if I weren't completely positive about the development I wanted to live in, I think renting can be a great option. And since your kids are going to be in private school, a move between school districts isn't a big deal. For us, we are doing public, so I wanted to be certain that whatever schools we are districted for when we move down there first is where we stay. There is no way, I'd move my kids to a new school twice.
72 degrees is 72 degrees regardless of how it's reached.
Not not really. Heat pumps put out air about 30-40F higher than outside air temps, you might be lucky to see 85F coming out in the winter time. Gas? I've never measured but just a quick guess from my parents house you're talking 120, 130 easy. Huge difference in how it feels. Even at 70 in my house, at night, with the heat on, the house feels cold with electric heat. During the day with the sun warming it up to 70 it feels warm.
Another plus for gas is you can completely turn it off during certain times of the day (like night or during the weekday mid-days). With electric if you do that the heat strips burn when turned on again and you run through just about the same electricity vs. running all night. With gas you can save a ton of $$ if you do the legwork and program it.
Not not really. Heat pumps put out air about 30-40F higher than outside air temps, you might be lucky to see 85F coming out in the winter time. Gas? I've never measured but just a quick guess from my parents house you're talking 120, 130 easy. Huge difference in how it feels. Even at 70 in my house, at night, with the heat on, the house feels cold with electric heat. During the day with the sun warming it up to 70 it feels warm.
Another plus for gas is you can completely turn it off during certain times of the day (like night or during the weekday mid-days). With electric if you do that the heat strips burn when turned on again and you run through just about the same electricity vs. running all night. With gas you can save a ton of $$ if you do the legwork and program it.
I understand the difference in temps coming out of the vent. I'm on propane and I know I can increase the temp in my house 5 degrees in about a half hour. At my last house I had heat pump. True, the air coming out of the vent was cooler than my current house.
However, there is no arguing the fact that 72 degrees is 72 degrees regardless of where it's measured.
Wouldn't it be cool to have a "Passive House" where human activity, the refrigerator, and your computer provided all the heat you needed? No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in Innovative
Well, Bad News. I got ahead of ourselves. Our agent sent us the seller's disclosure, after having to request it 3 times to finish the offer, and low and behold....structural damage noted to the foundation in the home inspection notes (relo company had to have inspection to buy from sellers). So, back to the drawing board. Ugh....can't spend another 1K to come back up and miss more work. May need to go back to all the houses on our list, and see what might still be viable. Our agent was livid b/c the seller's disclosure should be attachment on MLS, but obviously they are holding onto it hoping someone will bite...like we did. Unfortunately, we aren't local and this really hurt our chances of moving up there in the very near future, as we've already spent $4K in trips, and missed a ton of work to look. Thanks for all the info on the heat. I'll now know the answers when we figure out where we'll be living.
OMG that STINKS!!! That really steams me! I had a RE license in another state, and absolutely LOVE house hunting. Let me know if you see a listing and you want me to check it out for ya .
Seriously, though--did you love the n'hood you picked? Maybe you can keep an eye out for houses in that same n'hood?
We are in the process of purchasing a house in Chapel Hill, and our Realtor did not mention radon. I need to ask her about it. Here in Northern Virginia it can be a big problem. The house we live in now had a level of 4 when we bought it, and we got it mitigated. It's *usually* (but not always) more of an issue with a house that has a basement, and the radon level is *usually* (but not always) worse in the basement than in the upper levels of the house. I assume it's not an issue where we're buying (Southern Village) since my Realtor didn't mention it, but I'm going to double-check with her. We already did a home inspection and termite inspection, which came back pretty good.
As far as electric heat - I am one of those people who doesn't like it. I am always cold, and the electric heat does not blow out hot air, like a gas furnace does. Sometimes when I'm chilly, I will walk over to the vent in my gas-heated home and warm up there. Can't do that with a heat pump. But maybe they have gotten better. I lived in a condo/townhouse (built in the 80's) that had a electric heat, and it was pricey and just never seemed warm. Having said that, if I loved everything else about the house, I wouldn't let that stop me from buying it. I just prefer gas heat.
Lastly, I hear you on renting, Lew Lew. We went back and forth about renting when we get down to Chapel Hill. In some ways it seemed easier, as I felt like we don't need to be as picky as the rental unit that we get, and we could sit and wait for the perfect home to come along while we are living there. But the thought of moving my 3 kids into a home for 1 year or less did not seem appealing. I figured we'd not unpack everything, and it would feel temporary and unsettled until we got into the home we buy. And the thought of moving twice - ugh! On the other hand, if I weren't completely positive about the development I wanted to live in, I think renting can be a great option. And since your kids are going to be in private school, a move between school districts isn't a big deal. For us, we are doing public, so I wanted to be certain that whatever schools we are districted for when we move down there first is where we stay. There is no way, I'd move my kids to a new school twice.
Hope you find something soon!
This is why we did not rent when we came here. I love our home, love our n'hood very much, we have great neighbors, etc.....but our school assignments are really screwy and in the years we've been here, it turns out we spend most of our time in Cary proper or Apex (we're in Morrisville). So maybe it would've been easier to be over that way....but I really love Morrisville, and my kids have had the stability they need of a single home.
I understand the difference in temps coming out of the vent. I'm on propane and I know I can increase the temp in my house 5 degrees in about a half hour. At my last house I had heat pump. True, the air coming out of the vent was cooler than my current house.
However, there is no arguing the fact that 72 degrees is 72 degrees regardless of where it's measured.
I do understand what you mean, but my question really was in the feel of the heat. We have electric heat in Florida b/c its not really cold. Up north, where I'm originally from NO ONE had electric b/c you'd go broke, and freeze. I was just wondering there in the Carolinas (since its colder than Florida) if you felt chilly with electric heat vs gas. It was more about the blowing air. 68 in my gas heated home felt warm. I have to keep this house on 72 to feel warm with electric. So, I guess I answered my own question , but I'm not that familar with the climate there compared to where I've lived previously.
OMG that STINKS!!! That really steams me! I had a RE license in another state, and absolutely LOVE house hunting. Let me know if you see a listing and you want me to check it out for ya .
Seriously, though--did you love the n'hood you picked? Maybe you can keep an eye out for houses in that same n'hood?
Yes, we love the area. We are going to most likely go with one of the homes in Apex (near the Cary border). They were slightly more money, so we opted for the Cary house...but, alas...no go. We LOVED two homes in Wake Forest, but really couldn't get a grasp of the area. We loved Cary/Apex both times we were there, and really not for any of the reasons most would think. Its not for the shopping and convenience, but more for the proximity to Lake Jordan, the private school for our kids, the proximity to downtown Raleigh, and accessibility to RTP, Durham, the airport etc. I also didn't like Capital, and think driving it all the time, and shopping on it would wear on me. The two homes we are deciding between both have great pros and some cons. Isn't it always that you want to mesh the two together for the perfect house...but, it is what it is, and it doesn't work that way. I think we could be very happy in either home, and would be very happy raising our boys. I'm an eternal optimist and believe everything happens for a reason. However, when enough stuff happens, then I switch to "maybe its a sign we aren't supposed to move there at all". LOL But, I haven't reached that point yet. No matter where you go, there are some issues, headaches, problems, and you just have to enjoy all the rest of the good that comes with where you move. I'm just ready to be done before I'm bald from pulling out my hair and driving 8 hours with a 4 month old and 3.5 year old in the car to go "house hunting".
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, but I'm not that familar with the climate there compared to where I've lived previously.
