[quote=bearishgurl][quote=faterikcartman]. . . As for my wife and I, we like it COLD in the house, so while we like natural light, we don’t want heat coming through the windows.[/quote]
faterikcartman, all things being equal, if you like the property (I know decent ranch-style properties are harder to find) and the room you will spend a lot of time in will be too hot for much of the year due to the sun burning thru a window, consider purchasing the property anyway and immediately installing “Low E” window(s). They have a slight green or grey tint (dep. on mfr) and argon gas between the panes and make a WORLD of difference in keeping the heat out of the home. There are federal tax credits available on the purchase of most models of these windows thru 12/31/10 (tax year 2010).[/quote]
I think we would be looking at the opposite issue here. We are looking at a house where the majority of windows and the backyard face north, not south. Moreover, there is already a huge covered area in the back.
My wife likes the house but I was worried we might get stuck with an expensive white elephant if such an orientation is a huge negative. Some here thinks so and won’t own a similar situated house again.
Given our personal interests I guess I won’t let that slow us down, unless some have some experience that suggests the value on such an orientation would be lower than an identical house with a different orientation.
[quote=Eugene]Unless you’re close to the coast, a south-facing family room is a negative (it can get too hot and you will end up running higher cooling bills).[/quote]
One of the nicest aspects of our last house was our perch above neighbors in homes just south of us, and the broad view of south side of town. But man, the window-rich/super-tall family room just baked in summer. There was no covered patio in the backyard, rendering it unpleasant.
Our new place is oriented differently — solar seems a near waste — so while darker, it’s far more pleasant to be outside when hot.
[quote=Eugene]Unless you’re close to the coast, a south-facing family room is a negative (it can get too hot and you will end up running higher cooling bills).[/quote]
One of the nicest aspects of our last house was our perch above neighbors in homes just south of us, and the broad view of south side of town. But man, the window-rich/super-tall family room just baked in summer. There was no covered patio in the backyard, rendering it unpleasant.
Our new place is oriented differently — solar seems a near waste — so while darker, it’s far more pleasant to be outside when hot.
[quote=Eugene]Unless you’re close to the coast, a south-facing family room is a negative (it can get too hot and you will end up running higher cooling bills).[/quote]
One of the nicest aspects of our last house was our perch above neighbors in homes just south of us, and the broad view of south side of town. But man, the window-rich/super-tall family room just baked in summer. There was no covered patio in the backyard, rendering it unpleasant.
Our new place is oriented differently — solar seems a near waste — so while darker, it’s far more pleasant to be outside when hot.
[quote=Eugene]Unless you’re close to the coast, a south-facing family room is a negative (it can get too hot and you will end up running higher cooling bills).[/quote]
One of the nicest aspects of our last house was our perch above neighbors in homes just south of us, and the broad view of south side of town. But man, the window-rich/super-tall family room just baked in summer. There was no covered patio in the backyard, rendering it unpleasant.
Our new place is oriented differently — solar seems a near waste — so while darker, it’s far more pleasant to be outside when hot.
[quote=Eugene]Unless you’re close to the coast, a south-facing family room is a negative (it can get too hot and you will end up running higher cooling bills).[/quote]
One of the nicest aspects of our last house was our perch above neighbors in homes just south of us, and the broad view of south side of town. But man, the window-rich/super-tall family room just baked in summer. There was no covered patio in the backyard, rendering it unpleasant.
Our new place is oriented differently — solar seems a near waste — so while darker, it’s far more pleasant to be outside when hot.
