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I had a little debate with a client yesterday about ceiling fans (Don’t I lead a glamorous life?), and it has me wondering what most people think of them. When buying a house or renting an apartment, what are your feelings towards ceiling fans? Are they a perk or an eyesore?
I have always been a supporter of using fans myself. In my own home, I use them often as they make the house more comfortable. They aren’t exactly the most beautiful things in the world, but their functionality more than makes up for it. I have always assumed this was how most people felt, but when my client told me that he hated fans and took them out of his home and never installs them in his rehabs, I started to wonder if this was a common held opinion. I’ll leave that choice up to you.
So what do you think of ceiling fans? Please fill out the poll below and fell free to elaborate in the comments section.
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Ceiling fans are great because they increase airflow both in Summer and Winter and are an inexpensive way to supplement cooling in the Spring and Summer months. I have heard ceiling fans touted in real estate descriptions and never thought of them as a negative. I think the problem lies in the fact that most people dont spend money on well designed good looking fans. Its a hard sell; buy an okay-looking fan for $100+/- or spend $300 – $400 for a fan that does the same function but looks better. There’s a reason more people drive Hondas than BMWs.
Plenty of good looking fans can be found here: http://is.gd/5nr41
I agree 100%. I love fans, when they are good. I had a lower grade fan in my bedroom as a kid and it was really loud and quite ugly. No way would I want one of those in my place now. That said, you can get pretty nice fans in the mid-$100s if you look. Of course, the more you spend, the better.
I think ceiling fans are a net positive, assuming an overscaled or inappropriately light-fixtured one isn’t used.
While they rarely add to the character of a space, ceiling fans supplement space conditioning, an important comfort and energy contribution.
The down sides:
I’ve seen really bad one used; out of scale or just ugly, or frankly, too much a center-piece.
Then there’s the bigger issue of the light fixture, placed in the middle of the room right under the fan. This puts a bright source of light in an occupant’s line of sight causing glare.
In my opinion, best thing to do is include the fan, but keep it plain to let it blend into the space as much as possilbe. Keep the lighting separate altogether.