Outdoor Living

[strickn]

One side of the nation has sea cliffs and one side has fall colors, but the Gulf Coast has almost all of the English-speaking world's subtropical cities (outside of India). This could be a much greater element of the life here than either of the West or East coasts' are for them. Still, in the building blitz of the last few years, about the only attention I have seen given to outdoor living has been to:

1) the sleek new classroom building at UH

2) the renovation of the Frame House on Buffalo Bayou

3) the open-air church in Stafford

I suspect this is because people have forgotten how easy microclimate is to create. It was understood in the Forties and Fifties, as before, that judicious use of yard plantings to screen and to funnel air and temperature was essential in a relaxing use of the everyday environment. Historian of the everyday environment John Stilgoe believes that this shaping fell by the wayside not so much because air conditioning seemed to decouple indoor comfort from outdoor (the usual understanding I guess (and when my uncle went to Rice in the sixties, the dorms had screen doors)) as because you less and less had a wife at home to engage the fine-tuned opening and closing of doors and windows around the house throughout the day. I wonder what is animating today's experiments in open air design. You'd think it'd be a prime place for adding and subtracting until the shape and the people suit each other well, since knocking out walls indoors has such unfriendlier higher stakes.

And Houston should be a more informative set of outdoor living solutions than the other two big subtropical American cities, Miami and New Orleans, since as a place it exists so much less on behalf of the rich or the habituated than they do. Let's have a thread to describe and/or depict the most insightful things that owners have tried outside from West Houston to Port Arthur and anywhere in between. If you're seeing something thought-provoking in Galveston County or Lake Livingston, let's add it to the pot.

Living in Southeast Texas and talking all about the interior-decorated public and private places is like living in Houston and overlooking all the industrial projects in favor of office/retail and condoes.

[strickn]

right, I guess an audience who choose to sit on the computer making x average posts per day is probably not the one to ask for their observations on trying rooms in the yard. Maybe just knowing there's green year-round and elbow room available on all sides, spreading from block to gully to block instead of left only in narrow rows, is the biggest constituent part of Houstonians' sense of outdoor space. It will be interesting to see, as all the Tejano families with a good socioeconomic foothold here in Houston comprise the middle class, whether they will enhance their heavily used yards and the social culture that setup engenders, or whether the pace of turning inward will outstrip it and n o common language of local courtyard life will spread with the middle-class.

[20thStDad]

When I saw your first post I was very interested to see what others might contribute to this topic, but for myself I just know nothing about it. I would love to get some ideas of how to adjust plants/space in my yard to improve air flow or make it feel cooler. I spend every minute outside that I can stand to.

Hopefully others get the urge to offer their knowledge.

[RedScare]

Interestingly, I am in the midst of trying to educate myself on this very topic. It is a two-part process. I already have a house designed to take advantage of air circulation. Now, I am trying to design a backyard patio or courtyard that will both allow comfortable use of the backyard, as well as enhance the circulation through the house. In an air conditioned world, you find far less information on this topic than you might hope for. There is the obvious stuff, like shading the courtyard or house and walls, but air circulation is pretty much limited to 'install a ceiling fan'. Knowing that there are several of us looking at these issues makes me feel a bit better.

[EMME]

Of course, homes in texas pre-AC were built with windows on all sides to allow for cross breezes. You will also notice that they always have trees right around the homestead. Sleeping porches. If your home is close to a river the air is cooler. Limestone is good. You can wet it down when it gets too hot during the day and it will lower the temps in the house.

I built a screened in back porch last year. The difference in temp from the front porch to the back porch is amazing. I haven't yet figured out why. And it really keeps out the skeeters.

[roym]

What does this thread have to do with the Historic Houston Forum???

[infinite_jim]

The original city grid (downtown and midtown) and that patch of montrose are aligned to take advantage of the prevailing breeze. It helped clean the streets in a time before indoor plumbing.

Micro climate is a fascinating topic, especially in regards to vineyards

[plumber2]

It may be nostalgic to some of you, but I do not care to live through another Houston summer without air conditioning. I'm one of the few that can say I did it, growing up here. My father did not get an air condintioner for our house until late 1968 or '69, and then only for the living area. My brothers and I had to sleep with the windows open and with attic fans. Schools didn't have air conditioning either back then except for the principle's office.

You can enjoy the outdoors all you want, but when it comes to sleep, I'm cranking my thermostat down, putting on socks and piling on the blankets. Waking up in a cool 72 degree living space, with condensation on the windows is what I love about summers in Houston. Give me air conditioning or I'm out of here.

[20thStDad]

It may be nostalgic to some of you, but I do not care to live through another Houston summer without air conditioning. I'm one of the few that can say I did it, growing up here. My father did not get an air condintioner for our house until late 1968 or '69, and then only for the living area. My brothers and I had to sleep with the windows open and with attic fans. Schools didn't have air conditioning either back then except for the principle's office.

You can enjoy the outdoors all you want, but when it comes to sleep, I'm cranking my thermostat down, putting on socks and piling on the blankets. Waking up in a cool 72 degree living space, with condensation on the windows is what I love about summers in Houston. Give me air conditioning or I'm out of here.

Try 68

[august948]

Try 68

[MaggieMay]

It may be nostalgic to some of you, but I do not care to live through another Houston summer without air conditioning. I'm one of the few that can say I did it, growing up here. My father did not get an air condintioner for our house until late 1968 or '69, and then only for the living area. My brothers and I had to sleep with the windows open and with attic fans. Schools didn't have air conditioning either back then except for the principle's office.

You can enjoy the outdoors all you want, but when it comes to sleep, I'm cranking my thermostat down, putting on socks and piling on the blankets. Waking up in a cool 72 degree living space, with condensation on the windows is what I love about summers in Houston. Give me air conditioning or I'm out of here.

We had an attic fan, too. It helped a bit--but we probably got AC a few years before you did. There's no way I could face a Houston summer without it.

But lots of houses in my neighborhood seem to be hermetically sealed--both new ones & many of the remos. We've got plenty of nice days in Spring & Fall--& even in Winter--when it's silly not to take advantage of the fresh air. Security concerns won't let us keep the houses open all the time, but fans work fine--if there are screens on the windows.

Real exterior shutters are another good idea. They wouldn't stand up to a Force 5 storm--but that's not really likely in the Greather Heights Area. Shutters can be fairly secure & a better idea than running to the store for plywood, nailing it up--& then removing it. (At which point the screens will be real handy until the power comes back on.)

Adapting traditional practices can reduce energy bills. My AC's going to be turned up to 11 this week--but shade from that one big tree really helps.

[rsb320]

I'd like to know what the light bulb in a white bucket is all about...

The (clamp on) lightbulb in a bucket thing is used to control fleas. The fleas jump toward the light, fall in the bucket and drown. Never heard of it for controlling skeeters.

[RedScare]

Real exterior shutters are another good idea. They wouldn't stand up to a Force 5 storm--but that's not really likely in the Greather Heights Area. Shutters can be fairly secure & a better idea than running to the store for plywood, nailing it up--& then removing it. (At which point the screens will be real handy until the power comes back on.)

Sure they would, if installed correctly. The hinges need long screws that go through a stud...not simply through the siding...but if the right materials are used, and the right hardware is used and installed correctly, storm shutters will work exactly as they were originally designed to do.

[20thStDad]

The (clamp on) lightbulb in a bucket thing is used to control fleas. The fleas jump toward the light, fall in the bucket and drown. Never heard of it for controlling skeeters.

This wasn't a trap, it was just using the white bucket as a globe for the bulb. The buckets weren't special or anything.

[rsb320]

This wasn't a trap, it was just using the white bucket as a globe for the bulb. The buckets weren't special or anything.

Oh, I'm guessing that provides more even illumination, rather than the glare of a bare bulb.

[nx99]

Mosquitoes hate a good breeze. Rrunning a box fan or three on your garden party would certainly help with both mosquitoes and the heat. It's not passive, but is effective.

One June afternoon I stood in the lobby of a ~100 year old hotel in Rock Springs. They have the benefit of near negative humidity, but the thick walls, high ceilings and open windows made me almost chilly. There was also the covered wraparound porch that shaded and focused any available breeze. It seems that squeezing air somehow cools it (see bioclimatic chart, awnings and window wing walls).

[august948]

Mosquitoes hate a good breeze. Rrunning a box fan or three on your garden party would certainly help with both mosquitoes and the heat. It's not passive, but is effective.

One June afternoon I stood in the lobby of a ~100 year old hotel in Rock Springs. They have the benefit of near negative humidity, but the thick walls, high ceilings and open windows made me almost chilly. There was also the covered wraparound porch that shaded and focused any available breeze. It seems that squeezing air somehow cools it (see bioclimatic chart, awnings and window wing walls).

Squeezing or pressurizing air will increase, not decrease, it's temperature. Most likely the squeezed air was just flowing faster and therefore felt cooler.

[samagon]

Squeezing or pressurizing air will increase, not decrease, it's temperature. Most likely the squeezed air was just flowing faster and therefore felt cooler.

correct, when you have more airflow you can transfer heat much better.

Think of a radiator on the car.

A big problem with creating airflow is using natural airflow, with fences, big old trees and houses crammed so close together, natural airflow is minimal at best. removing direct sunlight, and even indirect will help a lot.

Also, if you think about double pane glass, it uses a simple technology to reduce heat transfer, there are two layers of glass with air sandwiched between, this reduces temps significantly on the other side of that window from the outside. all of the heat gets stored in that middle layer. The same is true of an attic, and the same could be true of a patio cover, if you have a roof, have two layers, the actual roof that protects from the elements, a layer of air, and more material protection. radiant barrier may even be an additional step to reduce the heat transfer?

What sucks in humid areas is that we can't do simple things like are done in dry regions, dip some hay in water, blow air over it, and it is an instant heat exchanger, it still works in humid areas, but not nearly as well, I'm sure you've all seen those huge fans that have the water dripping down the foils in the back that the air blows over. as the water evaporates it needs energy to do this and heat is energy, it sucks the heat out of the air, not just making it feel cooler, but making it cooler, this is the same for when you sweat, and those mister thingys, which is the next point, you could always install a mister system, they range from downright cheap to a few grand, and don't use a lot of water. they drop the temp a good amount. This would be more of an active method than a passive method, but would definitely do the trick. Not sure if it is a historically acurate way to keep things cool

A damp cloth to tie around your neck works wonders too. The top of your head is where most of your heat escapes during the winter (why a beanie works wonders for keeping you warm) so it stands to reason, if you can efficiently transfer the heat away from your head, you are going to be cooler too

These are some of the things I've thought of that I may eventually do for my backyard for areas that I don't have coverage for, but I have other things that I'm planning on taking care of first, everything in order

I do wish we had an outdoor section of the forum, for gardening, local plant and animal life, subjects such as this, and just general outdoor activities one can do in Houston. An Arboretum and outdoor activity area...

[Ross]

Mosquitoes hate a good breeze. Rrunning a box fan or three on your garden party would certainly help with both mosquitoes and the heat. It's not passive, but is effective.

...

The previous owner of our house had removed the attic fan from the attic and built a giant plywood enclosure for it, with the fan mounted vertically. It's a 12,000 cfm fan, and does an excellent job of cooling our porch while keeping the bugs at bay. And, being an attic fan, it's pretty quiet too. I never really liked attic fans for cooling a house - they tend to suck everything from the outside to the inside and make allergies worse, but they are awesome for the patio.

[nx99]

Ross

That's what I was picturing. I removed a defunct fan for easier access to the attic one winter and gave it away. Next summer I did the 'what was i thinking?' forehead slap.

I remember afternoon naps when I was a kid and the hypnotic effect of curtains dancing to that 12,000 cfm pull. ANY balloon became a helium balloon if you were standing under the fan.

august948

You're right. I really did mean increased airflow, though squeezed air does usually re-expand. I'd be curious to know how much that matters in this context.

[august948]

august948

You're right. I really did mean increased airflow, though squeezed air does usually re-expand. I'd be curious to know how much that matters in this context.

Probably the compression and decompression we're talking about isn't enough to make much of a difference in temperature. I think it's mostly just the increased airflow.