Not really off topic but...6

[greenpassion]

Well, my house was built in 1945. So I could tear my house down, and upgrade to a 1957 house!

[estación seca]

No. I mean when house shopping, be sure to wind up with a technologically modern house. I wish I had. Heating and cooling costs are drastically smaller. Structural problems, electrical, plumbing, rot, pest and termite issues are far less.

The advances in all aspects of house construction are far more dramatic than most people realize. The downside, which again most people don't realize, is newer houses burn many times faster than older houses, and escape time is very much shorter.

This would entail deciding on a housing budget, and either buying something older to upgrade within the budget, or buying something new.

My house is in an all-electric neighborhood, and was built in 1960. Every house was built by different builders from different plans. Mine is of concrete block, with no insulation in the block cells, and no insulation in the exterior walls. It has huge windows. I do have a nearly flat foam roof, which is almost the best insulation available.

In those days electricity was extremely cheap in Arizona, so heating and cooling a badly insulated house was a minimal expense relative to installing proper insulation. Not so any longer. Fortunately for me, I almost never feel the need to turn on the heat. The dogs often shiver in the house in the winter. I provide supplemental heat for the orchids in the sunroom.

On the topic of going with the cheapest bid: The old San Francisco Veterans Administration Hospital had new construction added in the 1960s. The government went with the lowest bidder. The new construction had no on-off switches for the fluorescent lights. This saved a huge amount of money on the construction. When I was there around 1980 the lights still could not be turned off.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Estación seca, I have a 1972-built house. By comparison to what you describe for yours, I feel "modern", but if I could afford it, I would either do a serious remodel, or start over, due to inefficient energy use.

[greenpassion]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Estación seca, I have a 1972-built house. By comparison to what you describe for yours, I feel "modern", but if I could afford it, I would either do a serious remodel, or start over, due to inefficient energy use.

I'm totally with you on that Orchid Whisperer. I've been trying to do tiny little upgrades for years, and I'm set back from that because of having to do repairs. The electrical wiring in my house is totally illegal. The list goes on. Too bad I don't play the lottery...

[greenpassion]

WOW!!!

[Dollythehun]

I use more electricity than my efficient neighbors...gee, I wonder why?

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I use more electricity than my efficient neighbors...gee, I wonder why?

LOL! I get the same letters from AEP! My usage is way above my neighbor's and they can help...yea, right.

[greenpassion]

[Mountaineer370]

There's another side to the coin of those modern, energy-efficient homes. They are built to be practically airtight, resulting in toxins in the indoor air you breathe that can cause health issues. Modern building materials emit formaldehyde fumes and other VOCs into the air inside your home. The fire-resistant chemicals required by law on certain items emit other carcinogens. The extreme airtightness also increases the likelihood of mold in your home.

You may be able to improve the indoor air quality by running ventilation systems constantly, which sort of defeats the purpose of energy efficiency, or keeping windows open whenever possible, which will help some, but is not possible for many months of the year.

It's a double-edged sword. Old houses certainly have their safety and health issues, too. Old houses can be improved with new insulation, new energy-efficient windows, updated electrical and plumbing, but of course that is expensive.

I'm not suggesting all new houses are bad and all old houses are good, only that we should weigh the pros and cons and make informed decisions when it comes to our homes.

[greenpassion]

I work in a large mental health facility that has been around for about a hundred and seventy years or so. It's a beautiful old building that looks like it could do some sort of the New England College or something. Anyway about four years back they decided to do some remodeling on the units, what we left with are windows that won't open at all. So there's no fresh air ventilation. And policy has changed so much regarding patient care of late, but they are not even allowed outside for fresh air more than once a day in the afternoon. Nothing in the evening. I think we are all getting sick there because we're all breathing the stale air is constantly just getting recycled and recycled. The question arose the other day how often do they clean the filters? I'm guessing there must be filters or hoping there must be right?