Days of Shades

Today my lunchtime reading is, once again, on heating systems.

My house is currently heated with a gas fireplace in the living room (which comfortably heats the dining room and hallway as well if you turn the fan on) and electric baseboards everywhere else.

My new studio plan currently calls for electric radiant heating under tile, at a cost of about $1,100.

Coworker Nancy asked why I don't go with another electric baseboard -- a large electric baseboard heater only costs about $100. The upside is price and ease of installation. The downside is that they're ugly and they heat from one small area, so heat dispersal takes awhile.

The current big energy efficient thing is the ductless heat pump/mini split, which are a pretty awesome idea energy-wise. Downsides: the in-house part looks ugly. They cost $1,500 or more (depending on whether you install it or someone else does). On the other hand, because they're the current energy efficient thing, PSE offers a nice big rebate for 'em, and if you get one it's like bonus air conditioning... for the one or two weeks of the year when we need it.

It's all frustratingly hard to research. The only people really writing in depth about the energy efficiency comparisons are green builders, who are generally writing about houses that are far, far better insulated than mine -- even after I finish my project. I can hit R-21 in the north wall because I'm furring it out, but everywhere else is R-15 at maximum, and I suspect far less.

Okay, technically I could insulate the studio to R-25, but it'd cost a fortune in polyisocyanurate.

(Big words. I can has them.)

Most comparisons are also between hydronic radiant and mini splits or electrical resistance baseboards. I want a comparison between electric resistance radiant and electric baseboards (it's not common to do a room as big as I'm planning with electric radiant, perhaps just because of cost, but it's totally doable, and still far less of a pain than hydronic).

The other thing that doesn't map at all to anyone else's experience is the reynauds. Lots of the green building forums suggest 'just wrap up' if it gets a few degrees too chilly, but when it gets a few degrees too chilly, my fingers stop working. This is supposed to be my workspace, so heating it to MY comfort level is a Big Freaking Deal. Problem being, I can't tell from reviews online which heat source/distribution method will best meet my comfort level.

Graaaaaaaah.

EDIT: the electric radiant flooring option went down in price from when I last checked, so maybe $900 not including shipping.

My initial meeting was with a sympathetic plan reviewer and The Guy Who Says No. The problem with The Guys Who Say No is that you can't usually tell if they're right or wrong when they say no; in this case it turns out to be a whole lot of right and two really important instances of wrong.

Now, I'm not being allowed to go through with my original plan. They were very sympathetic to all my highly reasonable arguments -- "No one would ever use the garage anyway," "there's plenty of on-street parking," and "But I don't OWN A CAR" -- but sympathy doesn't change the code-as-written. None of that is a surprise. The City Administrator even pointed out that I could petition for a code change with City Council, but that this would take a looong time. They are not allowed to bar me from requesting a variance, but just asking costs $1000 and I was highly unlikely to get one (for reasons they explained to my satisfaction).

But.

The Guy Who Says No was wrong on two key points, one of which I shall almost certainly make use of.

1. I'm allowed TWO driveway openings off one street frontage, not one.

2. I CAN make a driveway that turns a corner and boxes a car in (he said cars had to be side-by-side, in a straight line, or on the straight parts of a curve connected with a quite broad radius).

So: The City Administrator and the Permit Manager tentatively approved an expanded driveway that's a T shape, since you're not any more blocked-in than you are with a tandem (straight line) driveway.

Which brings us to plan B!

Plan B is to move the GigantiRhody out towards the street and make a spur off the current driveway that runs between the front of the house and the (moved) Rhododendron. It admittedly makes for a seriously weird driveway, and a few of a car from the living room window -- IF you park there. But nothing in city code says it has to be used as a driveway, just that it has to be available -- an important distinction that both my dad AND the two city guys were quick to point out. I can build it out of turf block or grass crete and use the damn thing as a patio. I can build raised beds over it. I can keep chickens on it. It doesn't matter.

Like any change of plans, there are a lot of knock-on effects, and I'm sure I haven't sorted those out yet. I need to plant more pink survey flags in my yard to visualize things, and check prices on turf block and gravel and fill dirt (because one of the knock-on effects is that certain landscaping things I wanted to wait on would have to be done BEFORE I moved the gigantiRhody). I have to revisit the interior plans, becuase after sitting on them for six months there are things I'm not quite sure of. I have to redo the site map and cost estimate and, assuming I decide to march forward with plan B, turn those into the city for real approval.

And then I could maybe, possibly, hopefully, actually start work.

Which is rather terrifying, when I think about it.

WHAT IF THIS IS ALL AN AWFUL IDEA?!