Anyone from the south? Q about A/C

[penn]

Hey everyone!

I've been looking around the site this summer.  My husband and I are young marrieds that are graduating from University of North Texas this May and are beginning to think about life after school(!).  My parents live on about 20 acres south of Dallas and we have an opportunity to live in a mobile home on the property after we graduate.  But the wheels in my head have been turning and I've always dreamed of building a home.

I know there are many, many more questions to come, but I'm wondering if there are any of you from the south or Texas.  It is certain that we will need A/C.  Summers here soar into the 100's.  We haven't ordered the plans yet, but we're interested in the 1-1/2 or 2 story homes.  Is there a way to ensure installing A/C units?

Thanks!

Lauren

[glenn kangiser]

Hi Lauren.

We have lots of people from the south and many from Texas and even some of us Durn Yankees.

Glad to see you here.  You can do the A/C any way you want to suit your needs but in John's well designed easy to build houses, many have found area cooling with window type air conditioners mounted through the wall to be an economical option.

We have lots of success stories from people who have never built their own home before.

Jimmy Cason is one in Texas who built his own.  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=1071.0

[MountainDon]

 

We're in NM; gets hot here too. But usually a dry heat.

Window mount A/C's can offer a simple way to achieve zone control, room by room. Window units can be mounted in a specifically purpose built hole in the wall, even higher up the wall. Many new window units have remote controls so it's easy to control even though it's out of reach.

On the downside, window units are noisier than a central A/C system. Also not as efficient (the SEER rating). However, that is counterbalanced by the ability to control room by room.

The first thing I would do is design/build a well insulated structure. If possible plan things so the sun does not fall directly on window glass in the summer; large roof overhang.

There's great info on insulating for different climate zones at buildingscience.com. 


PS. we have central A/C

[penn]

Thanks guys!

Don-  How were you able to do central A/C?  Did you alter the plans a bit? Also, what's the cost of central A/C unit and vents, etc?  We're open to anything at this point, but it seems like a good investment since it's such a small home.

[MountainDon]

Ooops. A little misleading there... We have a regular suburban home as well as a mountain property that's under construction. The regular home has central A/C... most homes here in the dry heat use evaporative coolers.

Our mountain cabin may use a window unit in its own hole in the wall. It's 450 sq ft and an open floorplan. It's also at 8800 so we might not even need/want A/C there.

You can buy central A/C units and install them yourself except for the refrigerant. NM_Shooter did that on his home here in civilization. You could send him a PM or maybe he'll see this.

I'm certain that in the planning stages it would not be too difficult to adapt most plans to provide for the space required for a central A/C system. What sort of space have the dream wheels turning in your head come up with? How large, and so on. Will this have a normal furnace or heating system as well as wood?

For most locations, under building code enforcement, you would need some sort of modern heating system. You can use wood, pellets, etc but you normally are required to have natural gas or propane as what "they" consider to be the "main" source of heat. The A/C can be tied directly into something like tat if it's a forced air heating system. Otherwise you need some ductwork dedicated to the central A/C.

[Okie_Bob]

Hi Lauren, I just competed my place on Cedar Creek Lake which must be very close to where your folks are located depending on how far south of Dallas you are talking about. I'm 30 miles east of Corsicana.
You can see my place here http://www.bobdanaslakehouse.blogspot.com/ but, what I wanted to tell you about is sizing a window a/c unit.
First, you have to have at least a window unit here in Tx as I'm sure you already know. But, if you oversize it, you'll end up with a cold and clamy feeling in the house. They cool so fast they don't get all the humidity out of the air and that is what gives you that clammy feeling.
And you are aware of our high humidity and high temp. I can't say enough about all the things Don and others have mentioned. Placing the house on your lot, trees, and everything has a bearing on it. Don't go cheap on insulation, windows or doors. Spend a few extra bucks now and you'll be glad you did. My electric bills this summer are about $100 and I'm totally amazed. With 13 1/2 cents per KWH that is a bargin!
I'd be happy to show you all our house and anwers any questions you have. Don't just discard me cause I'm a Sooner!!!!
Okie Bob

[Sassy]

Hey, thanks for updating your blog, Okie Bob!  Beautiful place, I bet you are really enjoying it - the lake view & all - low energy bills - you had the icynene sprayed, didn't you?  Again, you did a wonderful job on your home!   

(like I haven't updated my blog in at least a year or 2 or 3, lol!)

[Sassy]

BTW, welcome Penn!  You'll find great ideas here & lots of help.

[TheWire]

I have a 10,000 BTU AC Window type AC unit through the wall in the loft of my log home.  I does a good of cooling the 3000 sq ft home, which maybe easier because of the 14" thick walls.  We have radiant floor heat, and I thought I'd try this before running ducts for AC.  I think I'm staying with the $350 through the wall unit.

[Okie_Bob]

I'm on Cedar Creek Lake so can't be too far from your folks! You can see my place here http://www.bobdanaslakehouse.blogspot.com/
If you check the garage, we built an apartment in one end to live in while I built the house. You can see the window unit sticking thru
a wall in one of the pics.
I would definately caution you on sizing a window unit properly. As hot as it gets here, if your unit is sized too large, it will bring the temp down too fast and not take out all the moisture. This leaves you with a clammy feeling that I find very uncomfortable plus leaves you very vulnerable to mold. Be sure to get one with controls that turn off the unit once it reaches the correct set temperature and back on as it needs. The cheap one I bought does not do this. You turn it on and it runs till you turn it off. You can hang meat in there sometimes.
Let me know if you have other questions, we might just be neighbors!
Okie Bob