New house requires new heating and cooling system
My husband and I couldn’t wait to move out of the city.
We were tired of our cramped apartment, constant noise and no privacy. The traffic and lack of property was frustrating. We bought an older farmhouse way out in the country. We now have a huge plot of land, a two-car garage and a wide front porch. We were thrilled with the idea of sitting on that porch and sipping lemonade in the summer. I imagined hanging my freshly washed linens on the clothesline to dry. I couldn’t wait to have the windows open and welcome a fresh breeze during mild weather. Because we moved in during the late fall, the weather was already rather cool. We needed to shut all of the windows and start up the furnace. That’s when we learned that all of the windows leaked air and there wasn’t sufficient insulation in the walls. The furnace couldn’t keep up with demand, and the house was always cold. Since the heating system was super old, we decided to invest into the installation of a new system. The contractor tried to upsell us central air conditioning but we declined. When the weather warmed up and we opened our windows, we discovered that our neighbor is a sheep farmer. The horrible smells, noise and bugs caused by a herd of sheep doesn’t allow for open windows. We can’t even tolerate sitting on the porch. The house quickly became overheated and sticky, making it impossible to get comfortable or sleep. Although our budget was already tight from purchasing a furnace, we had no choice but to invest in central air conditioning.