House Warming: What's the Deal with Heating and Cooling the Home?

In the space between discovering fire (the start of humankind) and creating air conditioning (the late 1800s to 1950s), houses were invented. Today, we bring the heat and cold inside with us, and it's much better than being outside all the time.

We've created a suitable temperature range for the indoors, regardless of the season. However, that's trickier as Texas has more than four seasons.

Oh Hail No: Wacky Texas Weather Requires More than Air Conditioning

If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes? The mortar-strike, baseball, ice hail we saw this year in Texas drove the point home. The climate here is about as ordered and predictable as the contents of a blender thanks to the gulf, the desert, and Wizard-of-Oz-style winds gifted from the Great Planes.

2021 also saw the tie for the second-coldest day on record for DFW (-2 degrees F, Jan 31). This is just ten years after the tie for the seventh-hottest day on record (110 degrees F, Aug 2, 2011). This is going back well over 100 years. (source: https://www.weather.gov/fwd/dgr8mxmn)

But, as with most of this hemisphere, Dallas Fort Worth generally gets colder in the winter months and hotter in the summer.

Who on earth wants to stay at home for a vacation after the last year? Well, even if you're not monitoring the news, you can see that travel is dicey right now. “Staycation” is more than a made-up word. It can be a helpful "soft reset".

It's also a chance to see and support local businesses, parks, and attractions after the global glut of Netflixing and Amazoning from home.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

If you've only heard one punk-rock song in your life, it's probably the deceptively happy ditty by The Clash called "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (You may remember it from season 1 of Stranger Things or from every DJ'd wedding you've ever been to).

The song title is instructive of the staycation dilemma. A staycation sounds one-off and a vacation sounds like work. No one disputes the peace of mind of a full detachment of everything behind the front door. But a full vacation, right now? There's a lot to control when going on vacation during normal times.

And with a staycation, smart children will know what's up. Yet it's still a solid option with a lot less hassle.

Texas smart home garage, foyer, and mudroom possibilities

Your garage can be your launching and landing pad for home. (Mudrooms have made a comeback, more on that in a minute.) But it's easy for the garage to become a dusty location for cars that's usually very hot or cold.

It's where tools, bikes, and sometimes refrigerators only used for drinks go. It's the outer boundary for wearing pajamas. But the garage can be more. 

The First Shall be Last: Garages as Arrival and Departure

The garage is the last thing you see leaving home and the first place you see getting back. It's a space that might need a plan.

There's a lot of design that can be added to the garage for a nicer look. Pulling into a tidy space when you're starting or ending the day adds a lot to the home itself.

The garage is also a major boundary for your home. Front doors still have style. They determine where your mail goes and can even add value to your home. But how often do you the front door? 

Curb Check

What's the curb appeal for your Dallas area home?

Smart devices and appliances are considered high-value indoor things. But the outside property of a house can harness the benefits of technology and look quite sharp.

Evolve Technologies installs and services premium smart home items, and will even run CAD, working pre-build or with the builders themselves.

Outdoor smart tech, with style. Some examples

• bright, but integrated, lighting
• discreet home monitoring
• a smart lock with a classic brass look
• wooden-slat or textured window treatments with motorized smart control
• a sleek, two-way audio-video smart doorbell

A study by the University of Texas Arlington and the University of Alabama said you can add 7% to your home value with the curb factor. (And this study was quoted in Sotheby's property firm. Yes, that Sotheby's). Any quick internet search will bring you expert tips on front door colors, window styles, and more to inch that home value even higher.

For a few states, football season doesn't really end. There's just a six-month-long pre-game show after the Super Bowl (or the Rose Bowl). Whether college or NFL, Texas is no exception.

In a splintered, niche-heavy entertainment world, most of the U.S. still loves its sports, especially on live TV. Grandpas and vegan daughters both still root for the Longhorns.

Good clean fun becomes great with an effortless, high-definition, sound and experience in TV.

For Everything, There is a Season: Football or Otherwise 

With expanded options, there are sports, and more, for everyone

• Regional sports and international: college lacrosse, FIFA world cup, Olympics
• Backyard movie night: the kiddos, a fire pit, and s'mores (perfect setting for Amazon Fire  TV)
• That wholesome but goofy Mom and Dad channel on YouTube you and your child enjoy together

And, for many guys, the backyard TV and s'mores sounds like a good time, with or without the kids, but with the game on.