A Little Ridculous

The house we rent was built in 1920. It's quaint and has lots of character, great moulding, beautiful wood floors, and tons of windows (that are properly covered, which is non-negotiable for me). But one thing didn't exist in 1920: insulation. And that makes our house cold.

Okay, maybe insulation did exist. I really don't know, but I'm pretty certain that there is none in our house.

At two stories, with high ceilings downstairs, it's impossible for our house to be a consistent temperature. Our thermostat is set at a brisk 62 degrees. It's a little warmer upstairs--like 65, but if the thermostat is set any higher, we'll sweat profusely while upstairs. And the dining room? Well, it's all windows and about 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else in the house. On New Years Eve, I think our guests were frozen by the end of dinner. They were just too nice to complain.

What have we learned?

1. The house we eventually buy will have double-paned windows.

2. We're blowing extra insulation into the walls of our someday home.

3. A pier-and-beam foundation, although attractive, doesn't create for a warm home.

4. We'll continue to carry our little space heater with us, wherever we go. (Currently, I'm typing at the bar, and it's sitting on the stool next to me.)

So, after complaining about the super hot days during the summer and yearning for cooler days, I'm over them. I can't wait to have my breath taken away because the interior of the car is so stinkin' hot. Come on, summer!