Real retro

John and I both grew up before central air conditioning was the standard for homes. My grandmother's home, where I spent so much of my childhood, had a whole house fan. I remember how it sounded and felt when she turned it on. With the windows open, it would pull air all through the house, providing low-cost cooling, particularly in the spring and fall.

While this can seem very retro, we have learned that having adequate ventilation and fresh air inside a home is critical for good health. When we bought the Midcentury home, we were delighted to find a whole house fan system intact. John and the electrician have reworked the motor, and once a new fan belt is installed, this system will be good to go.

We are taking other steps to safeguard and improve the air quality in the home. These include having the ducts professionally cleaned, sealing any existing volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and using low or no VOC paints and finishes.

Here's an article I wrote if you would like to learn more about the importance of indoor air quality.

For those who are following the progress, I will be posting new photos soon.