When my husband and I first got married and moved to Arlington Heights, Illinois, we had a limited budget.
We toured numerous houses before we finally found a property in a location that suited us.
Safety, privacy and a good sized lawn were important to us. We didn’t mind an especially small house that required updates. Our tiny house was easily improved. The cost of a new roof, new windows and drywall were minimal. The expense of heating, cooling, electric and plumbing were affordable. I could clean the entire house in a couple of hours. Over the years, we’ve added three kids, a dog and a cat to our household. Our tiny house was suddenly cramped. When we put on the addition, we debated on how to handle temperature control. We were unwilling to sacrifice space for ductwork. We doubted the current furnace and air conditioner could handle the additional square footage. After some research into various options, we chose ductless HVAC. The system consists of an outdoor compressor that connects to six independent air handlers. Each air handler features a thermostat, accommodating zone control. We’re able to set a different temperature in each one of the kids’ bedrooms, the bathroom and playroom. Despite the compact size of the system, it’s quite powerful and has no trouble handling the severe cold and high heat of our local weather. I like that it runs quietly, takes up no living space and minimizes both expense and carbon footprint. The ductless system requires little more than filter changes and has been wonderfully reliable.