Friday, April 14, 2006

A Dog Trot Day

A light breeze drifts through the center hall (dog trot) and freshens every room and provides a perfect temperature for these over 80 degree days. The seventeen foot arch beginning at the front screen captures the warmer air and sends the cooler air back through the lower (8 ft) hall and into the kitchen. Late Spring is the perfect time to enjoy a house as open as this.

I am amazed by the ingenious design of this 100 year old house. The heat trap, seventeen foot ceilings, and open design provide near ideal temperatures through much of our extra hot summers. The designers and the builders of this house worked with nature and the environment to provide comfort through our longest season. Granted the house would have been difficult to heat when it was built (there was no insulation), but Winter is short.

Much is made of working in unison with the environment these days. Many feel these are new principles, but I have proof that people 100 years ago were working with nature to stay comfortable.

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