HCH March 2, 2007 Issue - Chattanooga Bar Association

10 Friday, March 2, 2007 HAMILTON COUNTY HERALD
Handy at home: Use caution when adding on to home’s duct system
By Paul Bianchina
Inman News
Chattanooga
BUILDING PERMITS
CHATTANOOGA
Commercial Addition
7450 Standifer Gap Rd, 37421;
Seventh Day Adventist, Inc, Same;
Addn Steeple Tower To Exist Bldg;
$50,000; Kuebler, Don Builder, 10607
S Lee Hwy, McDonald 37353 •
33139O-B-100
7641 Lee Highway, 37421; Gurudev
Investment, Inc, Same; Cover Over
Exist Stairs,2 New Dormers; $38,400;
Howard Rozell Construction/JCT,
2450 Cloud Springs Rd, Rossville
30741 • 33139G-D-400
7421 Commons Blvd, 37421; Home
Depot USA Inc, P O Box 105842,
Atlanta 30348; Temp. Tent.; $1,500;
no contractor listed • 33149H-D-108
Commercial Alteration
6229 Vance Rd, 37421; Vance Road
Rental Properties, 1829 Ginbarrel
Rd, Ste B-1 37421; Int Tenant Upfit &
Facade Improvment, 3 Spaces;
$400,000; P&C Construction, Inc,
2500 E 18th St 37404 • 33148O-B-
104
1755 Gunbarrel Rd, 37421;
Chattanooga-Hamilton Co, 979 E 3rd
St 37403; Renovate Ste 105,
Enlanger East; $45,073;
Chattanooga-Hamilton Co, 12
Country Rd 175, Bryant • 33158G-D-
2700
5600 Lake Resort Ter, 37415;
Lakeshore LLC, Same ; New Tile
Floor,ext French Doors,wall
Seperating Kit From Bar; $20,000; no
contractor listed • 007
6201 Lee Hwy, 37421; Edward
Jones, 8903 Finney Point Dr,
Ooltwah 37363; Move 2
Doors,paint,floor; $55,000; The
Strauss Company,inc, 2005 Avalon
Ave 37415 • 33148O-B-102
If you’re remodeling or
adding on to your home, one of
the considerations you’ll be facing
is how to heat that new
space.
Options abound, from individual
wall heaters to radiant
floor systems, but if your home
already has a central heating system,
chances are that simply
adding a new duct run to the
existing system will be the easiest
and most cost-effective
choice.
A central heating system is
a very easy thing to visualize. A
furnace uses electric coils or the
combustion of fuel to heat the
air within it, and a fan then
pushes the warm air through a
series of tubes, called ducts, into
the individual rooms.
As the fan pushes air out of
the furnace, it also needs to draw
more air in, so a return duct is
also provided within the heating
system. The return duct pulls air
from the house and directs it
back to the furnace, where it is
re-warmed and redistributed in
an endless loop.
A furnace and duct system
is a carefully designed arrangement.
The furnace needs to be of
sufficient size to heat all the air
within a particular home, and
the ducts need to be large
enough to deliver an adequate
volume of air to each room. If
the duct going to one room is too
small, the room won’t get
enough heated air to sufficiently
raise its temperature.
If the duct is too large, the
room may get overheated, or the
large duct may rob enough air
from the rest of the system that
the other ducts won’t have sufficient
volume to heat their
assigned rooms.
This relationship between
furnace size and duct size is
known as balance. A properly
balanced system will operate
3536 Brainerd Rd, 37411; Bams
Enterprises, 2030 Hamilton Place
Blvd 37421; Remodel & Modate Exist
Restrooms,paint; $68,000; Morton
Construction, P O Box 106, Lookout
Mtn 37350 • 33157A-B-100
4907 Hwy 58, 37416; Swifty Car
Wash, 146 Forest Pkwy, Ste B,
Forest Park 30297; Interior
Rehab,paint, Carpet,vacumn
Bays,canopy Over Bays; $150,000;
Logan-Moore,inc, 2906 Dodds Ave
37407 • 33120O-J-1207
New Commercial
3740 Piolot Pt, 37416; David
Gardner, 3737 Pilot Point Ave 37416;
New Building; $304,000; Chazler, Inc,
104 Cedar Ln 37421 • 33129P-B-401
2104 Hamil Rd- Hixson, 37343;
Arron Smith, Same; Footing/foundation
Lab Only; $10,000; ABT
Construction, P O Box 879, Hixson
37343 • 33110J-C-1500
New Residential
8691 Keystone Cir, 37421; James D
Lee Inc, 6618 Waconda Point Rd,
Harrison 37341; New Single Family
Residence; $195,000; Scott Seagle
Construction, 8008 Woodstone Dr,
Hixson 37343 • 331761G-A-728
2853 Fern Leaf Ln, 37421; Tipton
Rench Partners, P O Box 832,
Ooltwah 37363; New Single Family
Residence; $150,000; Tipton Rench
Partners, LLC, P O Box 832,
Ooltewah 37363 • 33139H-A-103
2847 Fern Leaf Ln, 37421; Tipton
Rench Partners, P O Box 832,
Ooltwah 37363; New Single Family
Residence; $150,000; Tipton Rench
Partners, LLC, Same • 33139H-A-
103
8260 Chula Creek Rd, 37421;
Dowlen Construction LLCQ, 4054 S
more cost-effectively, and will
provide adequate heat to each
room without under- or overheating
it.
So, when considering the
addition of a new duct run, there
are two things to keep in mind
— furnace size, and the size and
layout of the duct system. For all
but the very simplest of small
duct extensions, you will typically
need the help of an experienced
heating contractor to
make all of the complex calculations
required to size and balance
the system.
One of the first things the
heating contractor will take into
consideration is the overall energy
efficiency of the home, as well
as the remodeled space. Homes
with good insulation, good windows
and doors, and a low
amount of air infiltration is simply
easier to heat, and as a result,
the ducts serving each space can
be smaller. Homes with poor
energy efficiency require larger
ducts to overcome the heat loss
Access Rd 37406; New Townhome;
$98,000; Dowlen Construction, 4055
S Access Rd 37415 • 33159G-B-647
8258 Chula Creek Rd, 37421;
Dowlen Construction LLCQ, 4054 S
Access Rd 37406; New Townhome;
$114,000; Dowlen Construction,
Same • 33159G-B-648
1815 Gray Rd, 37421; Hamby Martin
W & Iona C, 1711 Joiner Rd 37421;
New Single Family Residence;
$106,800; no contractor listed •
33159A-D-1500
3744 Hamill RdHixson, 37343;
Kenneth Rogers, 2763 Haywood Ave
37415; New Single Family
Residence; $180,000; no contractor
listed • 33110—3205
4740 Upshaw Rd, 37416; Scott Mark
& Eva L, 6929 Knoll Crest Dr,
Harrison 37341; New Single Family
Residence; $72,660; M&E Scott
Construction Co, 6929 Knoll Crest Dr,
Hixson 37341 • 33129C-C-2000
938 Reunion Dr, 37421; Suite 100,
Same; New Single Family
Residence; $185,000; Pratt &
Associates, LLC, 179 Hamm Rd
37405 • 33171G-A-206
1752 Petty Rd, 37421; Curtis
Phillips, 213 Bass Rd 37421; New
Single Family Residence; $75,000;
CP Properties, LLC, 213 Bass Rd
37421 • PT159K-B-1900
1734 Petty Rd, 37421; Curtis
Phillips, 213 Bass Rd 37421; New
Single Family Residence; $100,000;
CP Properties, LLC, 213 Bass Rd
37421 • PT159K-B-19
904 Givins Rd, 37421; Blue Gil, 65
Blue Jay Pkwy, Ringgold 30736; New
Single Family Residence; $100,000;
Blue Gil Developers, Same •
33171G-A-301
and keep the spaces sufficiently
warm.
The next consideration is
the furnace, which needs to be of
sufficient size to provide an adequate
amount of heated air for
the volume of the home and
amount of heat it’s losing. If the
furnace is large enough, then a
new duct run can typically be
added to the system pretty easily.
If the furnace is too small,
then you need to either upgrade
the size and/or efficiency of the
furnace or improve the home’s
energy efficiency through better
insulation, better windows, or
other means.
Finally, you’ll need to determine
how large of a duct will be
needed for the new space, and
where in the system the new
duct will be inserted. An existing
duct run may start at the furnace
with a 10” diameter duct,
then step down to 8” and then to
6” as the duct runs branch off.
Depending on the size of
the area you’re trying to heat and
Residential Addition
4003 12th Ave, 37407; Arva E
Brooks, Same 37407; 24x24 Storage
Bldg; $2,300; no contractor listed •
33168G-G-800
4920 Lake Haven Dr, 37416; Robert
A Smith, Same; New Electric Service,
16x16 Deck,repair Asphalt; $30,000;
HGH Construction, LLC, 1426
Williams St 37408 • 33120J-B-300
Residential Alteration
546 S Crest Rd, 37404; Seagle
Jeffery Scott & Donn, Same; Alter
Garage Add Storage Overhead;
$8,000; Scott Seagle Construction,
8008 Woodstone Dr, Hixson 37343 •
33168F-B-700
3550 Kirkland Ave, 37410; Penn
Rose Service, Same; No Setback
Requirements Per PUd, Int & Ext
Finish; $25,000; Brent Walker
Construction, 4414 Brainerd Rd
37421
201 36th St, 37404; Penn Rose
Service, Same; Int/ext Finish For
New House; $75,000; Brent Walker
Construction, 4414 Brainerd Rd
37404 • 33155N-Q-1300
3521 Highland Ave, 37410; Penn
Rose Service, Same; Int/ext Finish;
$85,000; Brent Walker Construction •
33155N-Q-2000
1708 E 13th St, 37404; New Day
Partners, Same; Vinyl Siding; $4,500;
no contractor listed • 33146O-R-500
906 Young Ave, 37405; Finlay Lori
Brown & Douglas, Same; Kit
Remodel,int Load Bearing Wall,door;
$10,668; Homeland Construction Co,
4710 Glenden Dr 37409 • 33136A-S-
1900
731 Mississippi Ave, 374065; Davis,
Same; Convert Quadraplex To Single
Family; $150,000; Ray Gorrell Home
the distance away from the furnace,
you may be able to extend
a new duct right off the end of
the 6” duct, or you may need to
go further back and tap into the
8” or even the 10” duct in order
to get sufficient air flow.
For long duct runs or runs
that will serve a large area, such
as handling a big room addition,
you will usually need to go all
the way back to the furnace itself
to begin the new run. In this
case, the new duct will be tapped
into the furnace plenum — a
large box attached directly to the
furnace that distributes air into
What does the phrase
“title search” mean to you?
Aside from an activity at the
local library, its purpose is
critical to the successful sale
of a home. A title search is
performed by an attorney in
order to guarantee that there
are no unknown liens on or
claims to a property.
Because title searches
are often ordered only after a
purchase contract is on the
table, problems can suddenly
turn up at the 11th hour,
causing delays in the closing.
That’s why it may be advisable
for the sellers to request
a title search before even listing
their property for sale.
What sort of problems
might a title search unearth?
There might be an “unreleased
mortgage,” which
happens when a previous
refinance is paid off, but the
lender fails to file a
Const, 589 River Canyon Rd 37405 •
33126M-Q-1500
3 Fairoak Pl, 37409; Teague Jesse D
& Stephanie S, Same; Int
Renovation; $8,000; no contractor
listed • 33155O-F-1200
4111 Dorris St, 37410; Crupi
Matthew J, 430 Griffin Rd, Lookout
Mtn 30750; Remodel Duplex, paint,
floors, replace Wind, countertops;
$20,000; no contractor listed •
33167C-Q-2700
105 Wild Ginger Trl, 37415; Robert
H Buck & Peggy, Same; Enclose
Exist Covered15x12 Deck; $5,000;
no contractor listed • 33099C-C-3603
Residential Remodel
3913 Brainerd Rd, 37411; Rumph
Thomas, C, 7150 Revere Cir 37411;
Repair Or Replace; $160,000; P&C
Construction, Inc, 2500 E 18th St
37404 • 33157G-A-1000
4106 Melinda Dr, 37416; Mary Lou
Drazich, Same Address; Replace Kit
Ceil Joists,rafters,windows,doors,carpet;
$56,663; Romar Construction, 18
Mabry Pl 37415 • 33129H-C-1400
422 E 16th St, 37408; Maurice
Thedford, 6083 E Brainerd Rd 37421;
Interior Renovation; $9,500; no contractor
listed • 33145MB-A-900
8558 Pershing Rd, 37421; French
Durwood W & Rosina F, Same; Fire
Damage Repair, replace rafters,
sheeting Asphalt; $100,000; Paul
Davis Restoration, 6622 Lee Hwy
37421 • 33159C-K-2800
5302 Dorsey St, 37410; James E
Sanderfer, III, 604 Swansons Ridge
Rd 37421; Major Repairs,replace
Rafters,beam,asphalt
Shingles,sheeting; $12,000; no contractor
listed • 33167N-C-3300 ❖
the different duct runs — to
ensure that the maximum
amount of air volume is available
for the new ducts.
Directing all that heated air
into a new duct run will obviously
rob air volume from the other
runs, and here’s where you can
run into some problems. A single
small duct run probably won’t
have a huge effect on the system,
but several larger ones will. As
the air flow is redirected, those
rooms farthest from the furnace
will suffer the most, and in some
Continued on page 11
Real Estate
Facts
By Elwynn Schwartz
An ounce of prevention
release on the old mortgage.
Property taxes may
appear to be unpaid until filing
errors are discovered. A
divorce or death in the family
may not be properly
reflected in the ownership
structure. Sometimes property
records are fraudulently
used to commit identity
theft.
This is not to say that
these errors are common, but
they are increasingly prevalent
among properties that
have changed hands several
times over these last few
years of frenzied real estate
activity. Speak with an agent
before listing your home to
determine whether a title
search is appropriate.
Elwynn Schwartz is the
owner of Realty Executives in
Chattanooga. She may be
reached at 423-894-3050.