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

[Oliveau (Oliveau]

In a message dated 3/23/2006 12:54:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
hardman.alfred [at] yahoo.com writes:

So far  we have been told that not installing heat upstairs will not work, 
that it  will work, and t
hat at
worst we would have to plug in electric heaters  for supplemental heat for 
the upstars rooms. We'll be asking local  professionals about this, but we all 
thought that some of you may have had  some experience with this issue . We'd 
appreciate any help. Thanks.  Alfred.


Hey Alfred,
    Here are a couple of thoughts, but not exactly the  answer to your 
question :-)
 
1.  You local building inspector may require some alterations.   If your 
upstairs has "no heat" it may have to be designated as "unfinished  storage 
space."  If that's the case, it will have to be closed off with  door; i.e. no 
open 
spaces to the second floor.  This means  any stairways between the first and 
second floor will have to be like attic  stairs:  walls enclosing the stairway 
with a door at the top or  bottom.  More significantly, you will have to 
insulate between your  finished and unfinished spaces, which means the ceiling 
of 
the first floor (the  floor of the second floor) will have to have the required 
level of insluation  installed in them.
 
2.  Are you planning to install cental air-conditioning?  Here in  Virginia, 
we have enough "cooling days" that almost everyone installs central  A/C.  If 
you are then you have to install the ductwork for forced air for  both floors, 
yes?  If you installed a two-zone A/C system, it might be  cheaper to add and 
electric heating coil to the AC system and then just heat the  upstairs zone 
in the winter.
 
Hope that helps,
-Kevin Oliveau
Catoctin Creek Village