Arctic blast

[kodydog]

It's not unusual for temps to reach 98* in August and September. And in February lows get to 22*. We had our house built from a passive solar design. Most rooms have two windows for cross ventilation. The rooms with only one window are double hung, open the top and bottom and acts like a chimney, sucking the warm air out. All our windows are double pain. The eves are 2' to help block the sun. We have two sets of french doors that when open create great circulation. We have three porches to also help keep the sun at bay. The house is situated to get the most sun in the winter and the least in the summer. Our power bill in the summer tops out at $140 and in the spring and fall goes down to $80

Because of pollen and allergies most people in this part of Florida never open their windows. Either the A/C is on or the heat. Every spring a fine coat of pine pollen turns our cars yellow.

After hurricane Andrew, strict statewide building codes were set in place. Basically the roof is tied from the rafters all the way down through the foundation. The code states how many nails and how far apart to attach the roof sheathing. Even the garage door must be able to stand 150 mph winds. My builder paid close attention to openings for windows and doors. Going beyond code he added 4 king studs to each side of each opening.