Preparing for winter III

rising_from_the_ashes

MaggieBaking wrote: »

We're doing a big push to get the house completed for Christmas, and I'm an absolute novice at sewing (ie, I can't even sew a button on) and now's not the time for me to start learning and make one myself

Maggie - have you an old pair of trousers / jogging bottoms etc you don't need / use / are holey in one leg etc?

Cut a leg off, secure one end with an elastic band and fill with the stuffing from an old pillow / chopped bits left over from the bottoms / old rags / towels / anything! - then secure the other end with another elastic band.

Won't be the prettiest thing going but it will stop the draft and not cost a lot. HTH

MarilynMonroe_2

shirleymarye wrote: »

I am one of the elderly and I always have my flat between 21 and 24 degrees,I was brought up in a very warm household and have always lived like that even when younger,can't stand being cold! My windows are often open as I like fresh air too and the funny thing is that in the block of 8 flats that I live in I have the only flat without any damp or mould anywhere

I suppose I'm middle aged (40) and I'm like you, like it in the 20's but with fresh air too. I reckon cats must like it like that too as they tend to start moving away from me to sleep on their own on the settee or play about once it starts warming up. I spent years freezing I've had enough of it.

I'm glad my dd is growing up with central heating cos I grew up with a calor gas fire in my room for a special treat, gable end and mould on the windows. She wont know how lucky she is!

toottifrootti

MaggieBaking wrote: »

Our front door is ancient and we're not going to replace it - but at the bottom of the door there's a big draft. I'd like a draft excluder (relatively pretty) but it's such a big "step" that I can't buy a draft excluder to fit it.

If anyone has any recommendations on where I can get one ordered to suit, or if anyone has any ability at making one I'd be happy to pay. Does anyone have any advice on what I should ask for when getting it made? I imagine it would need to be a fairly hardy material, and filled with something more than cotton fluff?

We're doing a big push to get the house completed for Christmas, and I'm an absolute novice at sewing (ie, I can't even sew a button on) and now's not the time for me to start learning and make one myself

Feel free to send me a PM with any details

you dont even need to sew one - get the cheap fleece blnket from asda and make a roll of fleece the right length and tie ribbons arond it it stop it unrolling. easy to throw in the washing machine and will stop any drafts. hope that helps

twiglet98

tugrin wrote: »

Oh God is anyone having a really despair-its-Sunday-afternoon-and-its-getting dark- already sort of a time at the mo?? I feel unbelievably depressed and weepy and thie only thing I can think thats causing it is the time of year/length of day. Its like thos grim Sunday pms of childhood when you felt the whole weekend had just slipped away from you and there was nothing that could make up for it! Im thinking maybe my anti-depressants arent strong enough!!

Yes, very much so tugrin, you are not alone in this. I actually dread weekends simply because I know there is not enough daylight to do all the things I want/need to get done, and choosing something pleasurable, like riding, or taking the dog on a long walk to forage for wood, will be at the expense of a more essential outdoor job like cleaning the henhouses or poo-picking the field. Weekdays I'm always at work until well after dark anyway, it's the weekends that are so gloomy and frustrating.

savesummore

prepareathome wrote: »

Can anyone come up with a OS way to heat my downstairs toilet - no radiator in there, no room, just room for toilet and corner sink. It is what was the outside toilet although now there is a door between it and outside world and old coal cupboard that was at other side has been knocked through and now part of kitchen. There is the old back door between kitchen and downstairs toilet and so it gets really, really cold even though window is DG as is back door. I did think of removing inner ( back) door but last winter we left it open to see if heat from the hall went there ( no radiators or heating in the kitchen) but it didn't help radiator in hall to far away. Anyone think of anything????

Thanks

Hi,

I have the exact same problem- downstairs loo is insulated etc but no heating source and boy is it cold!! Last year I put a tealigth in a tall tea light holder- abit like a shot glass and put that in there. It did take the chill off but im not sure after reading this thread how safe it is due to carbon monoxide?:cool:

Im off work this week and yesterday was horrible but rather than put the heating on for extra hours i cleaned my windows!!! Got warm for all the scrubbing with the added bonus of clean windows to let in what little light we get!

sashanut

Hi all:j

Hope this is not too daft a question - I have been doing some winter prep thanks to this impressive thread, still a way to go as yet, but getting there slowly. We have very large Victorian stained glass windows that are not DG, They are bay windows & have 5 large panes + 5 smaller stained glass ones at the top. I bought several packs of the plastic shrink insulation from B+Q and DH & first of all did one large lower pane. At this point I have to say that DIY + DH is a recipe for disaster & normally the two are kept well apart, but if I don't get him to help me then I end up doing everything:eek:

The first time we ended up just doing one pane, due to the foul language (his) + general bad temper (both). In fairness I have to say our windows are far from smooth & easy:rotfl:

Anyhow, it was quite cold the next morning - we still don't have the CH on - & came down to find that the DG window was clear whilst all the others were running with condensation. Since then we have managed to do another couple of windows in the same bay. Finally, the question is - do we now need to get a dehumdifier??? In other words, where is all that water going if we dont? And can anyone recommend one if so? We have an open fire in that room, which is the only source of heat in there till I put the CH on. TIA if you can help:T

PS - we do have a lot of windows to do:eek::eek::eek:

TIA if you can help

Confuzzled

tumptyteapot wrote: »

has anyone still not put the heating on? the weather for Bristol says 12 degrees today but it certainly doesn't feel like it!

ours isn't on i tried the heaters once a few weeks agoto make sure they were working properly but i turned them back off

i'm hoping to hold out til the 15th, wish me luck i'm in fife and the daily temps this week are supposed to be around 8-10C overnight is much cooler

Memory_Girl

Me too Confuzzled - about the Fife thing too. Although it is so gloomy today I am itching to throw on the heating and snuggle up.

However in the best traditions of this thread I shall move myself upstairs with a cup of something warm and continue insulating the eaves in DS2's new bedroom with sheet insulation wombled from the pub refurb next door.

.............. well that counts as preparing for winter, doesn't it?

MG

LavenderBees

Frugal wrote: »

Good thing you noticed :eek:

a bit of chicken wire in a dome over the top would stop kitten

I actually caught him at it...clinging onto the rim of the bowl, with a look of immense concentration on his little face. He couldn't have been doing anythng else! :rotfl:

Great idea to try to keep him off stuff, though he's a very determined little soul. Thanks for that.

L x

Confuzzled

mcjordi wrote: »

its cold here atm but im not putting the heating on just yet.. duvet keeps me warm enough..

im nearly done xmas shopping wise..
still need to buy some candles ( i know i need to get my bot in gear)

i've not had to do my normal duvet over my lap at the computer thing yet i think because this year i have a lovely fleece dressing gown. not only is it wonderfully soft but it's very very warm and covers me to mid calf so i've just been wearing that and quickly shrugging it off if someone is at the door :rotfl:

on the sofa we sometimes use the duvet but i think that's more because it is leather and just always seems cold. also i think the fact that iv'e done more bubblewrapping than the previous year it's just staying warmer in here

i have another flat inspection on the 24th, so after that i'll do my final bits of bubble wrapping on the front door and the window at the top of the unheated stairs (there's a glazed door up there to keep us from the cold, bubblewrapped on both sides this year!) and that should really help.