Heating Homes Made of Stone

Homes made of stone are built to last. For hundreds of years they can stand if they were built right. The do not sway or shift. They are solid as, well, a rock. When it comes to living in them though there are things to consider. One of those things is how well is that stone held together? Another is how well is that stone going to hold in heat.

Way back one, two hundred years ago stone homes were built to endure. Many of them have. They have stood the test of time and have remained untouched. Their mortar is solid and un-cracked. There are no breaks in the stone or other areas for heat to escape. Other stone homes have not been so lucky. They are cracking and falling apart at the seems. The seems of the stones that they are built with. That is just not good.

When there are no breaks and cracks or areas of crumble the heat will stay in. The home will heat well so long as the heat is not leaking out. Any home that has many cracks in it’s outer walls will let cold air in and heat out. A stone home that is in a sorry state will not heat well.

The thickness of the stone greatly determines how well the cold will stay out and how well the heat will stay in. If your outer walls are solid and six inches thick it will heat well. It will keep cold out. The stone will be cold on the outside but not the inside so long as you don’t allow it to get cold. It will stay warm. If your heating system fails or is off for days and the stone gets cold it will take a while to warm back up. If it is kept consistently warm it will remain warm. If your outer walls are one or even two feet thick of solid cemented stone then you are good to go. Your stone home will be easy to keep warm all winter long.

The heating system you have in your stone home makes a difference in how hard it will be to heat as well. Say you are using space heaters. You don’t have much of a chance in a large stone home. However a good reliable furnace will heat it with no problems at all. You’ll need a good furnace that has a good blower on it. Also you’ll need good heating ducts that are insulating where they are exposed to the cold. A good heating system can probably heat a large stone house better than it could a large home with two by four walls.

So, when you ask the question of whether or not a stone home is harder or easier to heat you must ask yourself the condition of the home and of the heating system. If both are in good shape then yes, a stone home would be easy to heat and keep warm. It would also be heat efficient. If the home were falling apart and crumbling or the heating system was not forcing the heat through the house properly then no, a stone home would not be easy to heat at all. Thanks for reading and take care!