The heat of Tampa

My goal is always to make my home a little more comfortable.

  • Living in Tampa, FL is tough.

I moved to the city because of a boyfriend. He needed to live in Tampa for work. We have since broken up and I never left. I really like what Tampa has to offer. You have the Tampa Bay lightning, you have a big venue that hosts a ton of musicians, there are bars, restaurants, shops, and all sorts of fun events. Tampa is a happening area. The only con for me is the hot weather. I hate hot weather. I thought before I hated snow and cold, but the heat is worse for me. In Tampa it can get to the triple digits and when you factor in the humidity, my god it is brutal. I hate it. I am constantly overheated and just wanting to kill myself. I have done what I can though. I bought myself an above ground pool and I basically live in it during the summer. I bought a bunch of trees to give me shade cover. I also bought a top of the line AC system. My idea is that if I have a good quality AC unit, I will be happier with the weather. I don’t skimp and do energy savings either. I own a smart thermostat and I don’t let it save me money. Keep it cold all the time. I don’t want it to ever come into a warm home. I use the AC basically 90% of the time. Owning a heater isn’t really necessary in Southern Florida.

 

Tampa Florida Air conditioning professional

Last room to remodel in our old house

We moved to Birmingham, Alabama after my husband’s job took him down south.

We picked out our house and I have been slowly remodeling it.

I started out removing the popcorn ceilings and painting every room. My husband redid all the flooring. We replaced the lights, outlets, and switches. We also sanded the wood walls and painted white. The master bathroom was gutted and remodeled. The kitchen got a huge facelift as well. The last space is our main family bathroom. I feel like that space needs to be remodeled asap. I am pregnant with our second child and I think that getting that last space taken care of is necessary. I don’t want a newborn around a bunch of dust and debris. Our oldest is about 1.5 years old and loves to be outside. So he will be good. I think the family bathroom remodeling will go pretty easy. I want to replace the laminate floor with tile. I want to change the tub and the tile around it. I also want to get a new vanity, countertop, and sink. The window should be replaced as well. Other than that, I feel it can stay. I want the same closet, paint colors, electric and plumbing set up. I don’t think anything major will need to be moved either. I am hopeful it will be a few months of work and some upfront money. It would be nice to upgrade that space to make it a more usable house. I might even splurge for bathroom ventilation.

Cooling representative in Birmingham Alabama

Heated flooring was a good choice

I debated on heated flooring for the longest.

I live in Fort Worth, TX.

While it doesn’t get that cold here, there are chilly points. So having a heating system is a requirement. I have gotten by with a ductless mini split in a few rooms. I have the heating going just to keep everything comfy. I am not a fan of ductless heating though. It takes up wall space and isn’t that powerful. I was always eyeing up my flooring and thinking about something different. One year I got it in my head that it was the time. So I ripped up all my old rug and was sold on a tile that hid dirt perfectly. I read that heated flooring works especially well with tile. It keeps the heat the best. Also redoing the flooring is the best time to add a radiant heater. Other than that, it is only positive to this system. So I made the choice that it was the day for heated flooring. I had a Fort Worth heating business do it for me. They did the radiant heater installation and all I had to do was add cement board for them and then the final tile overtop. The heating system is safely tucked away under the floors and out of sight. I don’t really need to call for maintenance or anything like that. What could they do with it sealed under the floors? I now have a quiet, energy smart, and cleaner heating system. I removed all my ductless heaters to free up wall space. My rooms feel warmer, look better, and my energy bills are so much nicer. It was a smart upgrade.

Fort Worth Texas Cooling

Air purifier for tighter thermal envelope

You can get a small one for a single one or have one installed in the ductwork to do the entire house

I love opening my windows to let a fresh breeze in the house. In Sioux Falls, SD there aren’t many opportunities to do that. I wait all year for the weather to be moderate and I turn off my heater. I then open the windows and doors to get that stale, stuff air outside. Having the fresh air blow inside is downright shocking. The smell is what I always notice. It is so much cleaner than what I deal with. It also just feels like better air. I know it is the best thing for my air quality. During the winter everything is sealed up so tight that nothing new is coming inside. On the hand this is better for the heater, but on the other hand it is a detriment to my air. I have started looking at air purification plans to put some cleanliness back into my air. I can’t open the windows during the winter. It just isn’t possible. The temperatures get too low. So I need to take care of the issue in the house. I bought HEPA filters that catch more dust, dirt, and hair than the normal filter. That helped a bit. Next was getting the air purifier. You can get a small one for a single one or have one installed in the ductwork to do the entire house. That is what I opted for. I will cut out that nothing this means I have to do monthly air filter changes and call for service on the system. It is expensive but I feel it is worth every cent.

Sioux Falls South Dakota heating company

Furnace in Minnesota isn’t powerful enough

We own a gas furnace for our home in Minnesota.

I am not a fan of it. I don’t think a gas furnace works great for our area. The furnace works through ductwork. So every room in the house is the same temperature. Then the furnace relies on forced air. That heated air rises to the ceiling more often than not. This means my flooring is super cold but my ceiling is quite warm. The forced air creates dirty air quality, cold spots, and uneven heating. It costs a lot to heat my home and it isn’t all that great. I have thought about removing that gas furnace with something else. The trick is, what kind of heating system would work for my area though? I deal with severe cold, snow, and long seasons. So what is powerful enough for it. I am thinking about maybe getting a boiler system. They are said to be big, bulky, and hearty heating equipment. They last around 50 years. They don’t require much maintenance. They can hook up to the home water heater, flooring, baseboards, radiators, pool, or be a snow melts system. They are so versatile. Isn’t that neat? The only con I have found is that they take up a lot of space when installed. I can put it in my basement no problem though. Another con is that they are initially quite expensive. It makes sense though. You pay more to get more with this system. A boiler might be ideal for Minneapolis living. I need to find someone else who has owned this system before though. How do they like it?

Steam boiler in Minneapolis Minnesota