When my spouse & I purchased a historical home in Orland Park, my friend and I were cheerful by the hardwood floors, doors, molding & staircase.
We looked forward to sitting on the wide back porch & enjoying the view of a pond with ducks.
We didn’t realize some of the particular difficulties of a historical home. Our home was built in the 1720’s & retains multiple of the original features. We soon realized that the electric wires & panel weren’t up to code, & there was rarely more than a single outlet per room… The ancient plumbing caused troubles with water pressure, drainage & water quality. One of our largest challenges was temperature control. The home has no conventional ductwork, but in Orland Park, the weather is dire just about year round. We deal with hot & cold temperatures in the high eighties & excessive humidity in the summer. During the winter, sub zero hot & cold temperatures aren’t a surprise. The wind chill makes conditions feel much colder & my friend and I set records for snow accumulation. Springtime & fall are unpredictable, providing anything from torrential downpours, hail & high winds to intense heat. Trying to get by without centralized heating & cooling was horrible. The former owners had used a collection of window a/cs, box fans & electric baseboard heaters. With one electrical outlet per room, this was especially inconvenient, but plus, our home was hot & sticky for half the year & cold for the other half. I constuled with a local Heating & Air Conditioning contractor in Orland Park & learned about the occasion of high-velocity heating & cooling. This type of system utilizes stretchy mini-ducts that were able to be routed through our plaster walls without causing harm.