The only reason we could afford such a large house with so much property was because the property had been left abandoned for several years.
It was in really bad shape.
There were broken windows, a leaky roof, water damage and all sorts of problems with the plumbing. The electrical wires weren’t up to code. The water heater was rusted through and all of the appliances needed to be replaced. My husband and I are both quite handy and looked forward to tackling the renovations. We basically gutted the house down to the bare studs. We called in a licensed electrician to replace the wires and an HVAC contractor to inspect the boiler in the basement. We assumed that the boiler would need to be torn out and replaced. The contractor surprised us with the news that the heating system was actually in good shape and simply needed a thorough service. He said we could expect the boiler to remain operational for quite a few more years. There was no way we were going to keep the big, ugly, ancient radiators in every room. Having the floors ripped up gave us the opportunity to install radiant heating. We now have a series of pipes that link to the boiler and are concealed under the ceramic tile and hardwood floors throughout the house. The boiler heats up water and pumps it through the network of pipes. The heat radiates across the surface of the floor and warms anything that touches the floor. This style of heating provides wonderfully consistent temperatures with no drafts or stratification. It avoids introducing air contaminants, operates silently and requires very little maintenance. Not only is the boiler and radiant flooring extremely energy efficient but allows the many advantages of zone control. We’re able to adjust the temperature of each room to our needs and preferences.