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Cathedral ceilings make heating a home very expensive.
I have heard that mantra said many times. I remain unconvinced.
We have two ceiling fans that operate year-round and low speed. There is no temperature gradient. The temperature near our ceiling is no warmer, nor cooler than it is at 3' from the floor.
All of this air, can be seen as a thermal-mass that holds warmth. But that in itself does not make it harder to heat. Give it heat and it holds that heat, just as any other thermal-mass does.
Yes, you are right. I deleted the post to which you are referring. :-)
You had some very good points in your thread though and even if this thread about building some of those points could serve as ideas such as the chair thing for stairs.
You had some very good points in your thread though and even if this thread about building some of those points could serve as ideas such as the chair thing for stairs.
Maybe I will just put it in a new thread . . . coping with two story homes, lol.
I never thought about it before I moved in, but the cathedral ceiling in my home has proved to be one its most problematic features. I've painted every inch of this house myself, but I have to pay someone to do the cathedral ceiling. I can't change the lightbulbs even standing on a ladder and I live in terror that the smoke detector (which is wired together with all the others in the house) would go off because of a kitchen mishap. I have to get someone in here with an extension ladder on a regular basis to put in a new battery probably three times more often than necessary because heaven forbid it would decide the battery lacked juice in the middle of the night! I also have to have a special extension duster to clean cobwebs out of the corners and I can't clean the stuff on the plant ledge unless the guy I get to change the batteries takes it down for me and returns it after I wash it. They money and effort involved personally doesn't pay off for me, even though I agree it is an attractive feature of the house.
OMG yes. My smoke detector went off in the middle of the night and even with a pretty tall ladder I couldn't reach it. I wanted to shoot my realtor and builder who insisted it was necessary for resale. I can't even remember how I got it to go off. The new ones have electricity and are only supposed to go off if the electric does and the battery doesn't work (or if there is an actual fire of course). And I painted all my bedrooms and bathrooms........but had to hire a painter for the kitchen/dining/LR/hallway area. I had a ceiling fan with a light but didn't live there long enough have to hire someone to clean it and change the bulb.
Truthfully I'm not sure how much painting I'll be doing any more but the fire detector thing is a pain. Plus it totally takes up any attic space you thought you might have wanted.
Personally I just don't like them, they don't feel cozy but if other people want to deal with all the issues fine.
I just got the estimates for a modular home, a modest 1000 SF. That is without the cost for any labor, a foundation, water/sewer hookup or well/septic, or indoor plumbing or electricity. I was taken aback, to say the least.
Oh no you didn't~~~~
You don't start something like this and not tell us how much the estimate was for
You don't start something like this and not tell us how much the estimate was for
The company I contacted gave me an estimate of $120K—130K (depending on the model), for 1150 SF house with 2 small bdrms (maybe 10 x 14), a smallish living room (14 x 18) and 1 smallish bath, no separate dining room, nothing included but the house itself (no plumbing pipes, electrical circuits, etc.) They provided a "menu" of other things like small deck, mudroom, etc as add-ons. So with the price of the lot (in-town = pricier), the finish labor, the plumbing, heating, electrical, hardwood floors, etc, we're looking at $300K+. There are newly built small homes for less than that. And there are other companies to research.
I have heard that mantra said many times. I remain unconvinced.
We have two ceiling fans that operate year-round and low speed. There is no temperature gradient. The temperature near our ceiling is no warmer, nor cooler than it is at 3' from the floor.
All of this air, can be seen as a thermal-mass that holds warmth. But that in itself does not make it harder to heat. Give it heat and it holds that heat, just as any other thermal-mass does.
We have 14 ft. ceilings in our tri-level home.
The heat works hard to fill up the space and rises...... we don't live near that ceiling.
There is no ceiling fan in the room where the ceiling is 14 feet. The family room - which is where we live - is essentially the basement. It's freezing there even when the heat is cranked.
I can show you my December and January heating bills to prove it.
The heat works hard to fill up the space and rises...... we don't live near that ceiling.
There is no ceiling fan in the room where the ceiling is 14 feet. The family room - which is where we live - is essentially the basement. It's freezing there even when the heat is cranked.
I can show you my December and January heating bills to prove it.
Why not live on the top floor in winter.
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