Aah!

What a difference! Why did I wait so long?

This week I did two big projects at home that I have been delaying (partly because I was not here, partly because when I was I didn't have the time to sit here and wait for contractors). But this week, I finally put-in a whole-house attic fan!

It is wonderful! The moment I turned it on, I could feel something that my home never had, a breeze! My home has lovely large windows in every room, but since my condo is backed by another identical to my own, and is flanked by one on each side, there is no natural ventilation. It was a dead-air zone.

The fan, creates low pressure in the stairwell, pulling the warm air in the place and forcing it into the attic, this draws the cooler air from outside my home in. It also creates this lovely breeze! I had a lovely sleep with the windows open the night it was installed and for the first time in weeks, I needed to cover-up with the duvet. I love it here in the mountains where temps in the daytime can soar to the nineties and then drop to the forties overnight.

Yesterday I had the insulation installed. Having been built prior to the oil embargoes of the seventies, insulation was not one of the big priorities here... there was only about an inch of insulation in the attic. I now have 18" of blown-in insulation in my attic, an R-Value of about 40.

This work is going to pay for itself in no time! For the first time since I have owned this place on a summer day, the A/C didn't kick-on until after 17:00! In the morning, I opened all the windows and turned on the fan for an hour. The house cooled down and stayed cool all day!

Aah! I'm lovin' summer!

Wherever you are today, I hope that you have a great weekend!

Don Bergquist - June 21, 2008 - Lakewood, Colorado, USA