Born and raised in northern IL, currently residing in central IL... we did pick up one gardening zone moving south a bit. I'd give anything to live in central coastal Cali, but I'd never get my husband to agree to moving. He claims to like the winters, and does have a good reason... the cold kills off a lot of bad things, and keeps nature genetically strong. I'll buy that, but I still don't enjoy the bone-chilling cold! I get chilled in fall and don't thaw until spring! And the older I get, the more the cold bothers me physically... I'm old enough to dislike winter! The only way we'd ever move to warmer climes would be if our children moved their families there first... only then would my husband agree to a move. So, it looks like I'm stuck gardening in IL... where I must emulate a warm climate to grow orchids and other tropicals, dragging them out for summer and back in for winter... but I do get to enjoy lilacs, peonies, tulips and other bulbs and plants that are deciduous or require a chill in order to bloom. I guess it's not so bad... we have white Christmases, germ killing cold, and can enjoy plants that need the lower temps... and summer brings all the warmth and humidity that makes the garden bloom so beautifully... It may make orchid growing a challenge... but real gardeners aren't afraid of a challenge, and in fact, we welcome the chance to prove our prowess! What the hey, my Epi is still alive... I must be doing something right! :-)

I understand your question on the heat side in northern climates. I represented Fujitsu for 12 years and covered the 6 New England States. Serious heating territory. I am no longer affiliated with any mshp manuf. What is actually happening in that territory is that people are buying mshp's for the heat. I told my contractors and consumers to "buy it for the heat. I'll give you the cooling for free". The heat savings are where the return on investment comes in. I have a friend who has a big old farm house overlooking Lake Champlain just south of Burlington, VT. He has oil fired radiant and a quad Fujitsu. With the specs on his system, he runs the mshp down to 15-20* and olny fires up the oil below that. As the vast majority of heat hours, even in VT, is above 20 he is running the mshp probalby 80% of the winter. He has over the past 5 years reduced his oil consumption by 70%. I don't know his dollar ot dollar savings but he says they are significant. He paid for the system in 3 years according to him. As to whether the single unit operation on a multi is efficient, I would say that while there may be a small penalty, it is unlikely that a unit would be run in that configuration for extended periods. If it is, then it is mis application. You have to understand the way people are living as a part of equipment selection. For instance, I put in a 24 dual for my upstairs bedrooms. I run the one bedroom this time of the year (100* today), but didin't turn the heat side on all winter. The 25 SEER/12HSPF unit downstairs runs every real hot afternoon in the summer and every day in the winter. That is the best combination for comfort and efficiency for my home and use. When I talk about the duct tests, it is going to become a part of the codes. It is in CA all ready. to replace a furnace or heat pump you have to have a third party come in and test the duct. New construction must achieve no more than 6% leakage. Retrofits must achieve 16%. These duct repairs are costly to do. I spoke with the local fellow who does these tests and virtually every house requires significant repair. The unitary manuf can put all the technology the want into their boxes. The problem is they cannot deliver it as the duct systems stink. Consider the national energy impact of that. It is a big issue that we have been sweeping under the rug for a long time.

To Kanegaro... In searching for lattice color info I came across your post. It was a repeat of my question! OUR back deck is also Azek 'brownstone'... which we love, by the way. Started using it at the front of our newly built house five years ago when Azek was called Procel and it's held up beautifully. OUR rails are also white (balusters too) and house siding a creamy yellow. We were at the Azek supplier over the weekend for rim joist covers ( 1/2" x 12" x 12' = $50 which might be an option for you.. except for ventilation) Azek does not manufacture lattice... so my search goes on. It will not be white, however. Please excuse any posting errors. I'm an oldtimer with nil computer experience... but enjoying our deck, and hope you do as well ~ Joyce

So here we have full basements, almost always. The way many builders here deal with someone wanting “height” is making the basement level have higher ceilings, and instead of digging deeper, they frame higher. But 6’ off ground is considerable and I don’t see that working in this case! Best thing to do is to talk to contractors in your area to find out what is doable or not, and how it is done. As has been posted, in some areas such houses are built normally much higher off ground due to flood concerns, slopes, or just the style of the home (ie those old brownstones/townhomes). And it is okay to not build your house to be wheelchair accessible. As you can see, it raises many hackles here, because it seems there is an idea that everyone who ages ends up wheelchair bound or walker using 24/7 (not the experience in my own family) and if you don’t accomodate them or plan for yourself you are destined for failure, or is trapped if they break a leg (a young friend of mine living in a split level entry is dealing with a broken leg now in the same - her issue has not been moving about house and navigating stairs, but not being able to drive since she broke her “gas/braking leg”). My mum was able to take the stairs through chemo, surgery recovery, etc and later during palliative care right until a month or two before she died at 59 (she did need some assistance for a month or so before that after a pelvic fracture caused by the chemo) but then she was completely bedridden so stairs were a non issue anyway. My neighbor’s three houses down live in a four level back split.. They must have around 15 concrete stairs from street - I will count them tonight when I go home - to their “first level”. Not counting all the stairs inside between levels! They are in their 80s and still take those stairs and still live in that split. They still shovel the snow off those stairs. This to me very normal; around here even the “elderly” navigate stairs as stairs are in every home somewhere, even if just to the basement! I have a colleague who is building. a home for his disabled daughter and even their house will have *some* stairs. Aging in place takes many different forms. And aging in place can often quickly become impossible no matter how universally designed your home is. Multi floor homes are very popular here but elevators rare. I see elevators show up sometimes in the skinny multi level infills from the lower level garage up, but as said they are rare, even for very expensive homes. I have scoped out a place in my new home where a retrofit pneumatic vacuum elevator or through floor lift can fit if ever needed down road, but I am not getting an elevator now that needs annual servicing etc and would be rarely used on chance I need it in 5, 10, 20, 30+ years, and that I am still in this house when I do.