Cohousing-L Mailing List: re: ability to heat upstairs W/O installing heat, upstairs

[Rod Lambert (rod]

Here in EcoVillage at Ithaca in the Second Nbhd. we have several homes 
that tried the no heat upstairs idea with radiant slab in the floor 
below. You get mixed results with occasional uneven heat. We consider 
the occasional small discomfort (4-5 deg.) worth it. The primary source 
of heat is by a connecting end stairwell. A more central stairwell would 
probably reduce it significantly. We did install the flex lines under 
the floor so that we could hookup as desired but haven't been motivated 
enough to bother.
Incidentally we are a successful example of a custom home neighborhood 
where residents had heavy input into their homes on a daily basis in 
some cases including major sweat equity. The costs were largely on par 
or better than the costs in the more conventionally built first nbhd. 
with the homes providing a much better "fit" for each individual.