Preparing for Winter

zarazara

bubble wrap at windows. musent forget. get extra fleeces and quilts. remember to be grateful that i have the money to buy fleeces and dressing gowns etc

meanmarie

Redoing my kitchen at present..only taken ten years to save the money(!) and want some kind of wood burning appliance which can be 'plumbed' into the existing central heating to raise the temperature in the radiators so that I can sometimes not use the oil which is horrendously expensive....global warming my granny, it is the coldest September I can remember for many a year, if ever.

To eventually get to my point...have been looking at stoves in various sizes and then saw some cookers, but they cost around €3-4k whereas most stoves are less than €1k...can just afford the cooker, but could do other things in house with the money...like replace the leaking too small porch at front with a not so little conservatory...what should I do???? Have visions of lovely pies, stews, cakes all done in stove, but could do the stews on top of a stove and nobody except me eats cakes anyway and I shouldn't.....HELP...I used to be indecisive but now I just can't make up my mind!

TIA

Marie

Jolaaled

isitenough wrote: »

Has anyone ever 'shut off' the living room to the dining room by use of a curtain? We'd have to fix something to the ceiling to attach curtains and it might look daft but seriously we're considering it!

i've done this...i made 2 curtains from a sort of crushed velvet material and put them up on a rail, between dining area and lounge area. In the winter, i draw these across and it makes the lounge very cosy indeed..specially when the fire is lit. Visitors always comment on how warm and cosy it is. Highly recommend it!

Gigervamp

meanmarie wrote: »

To eventually get to my point...have been looking at stoves in various sizes and then saw some cookers, but they cost around €3-4k whereas most stoves are less than €1k...can just afford the cooker, but could do other things in house with the money...like replace the leaking too small porch at front with a not so little conservatory...what should I do???? Have visions of lovely pies, stews, cakes all done in stove, but could do the stews on top of a stove and nobody except me eats cakes anyway and I shouldn't.....HELP...I used to be indecisive but now I just can't make up my mind!

TIA

Marie

I've been looking at stoves and ranges recently too. Clearview do a stove with a warming oven on top http://www.clearviewstoves.com/pioneeroven.htm which looks quite good.

zarazara

I've seen this stove in the show rooms at Ludlow. we were hoing to have but but a friend was selling a stovax cheap so we bought it off him. the pioneer is really nice i think.

logie28

Hi i have double glazed windows and doors. About twice a year i grab a can

of WD40 and spray the locks handles and the metal frame mechanism (opening and closing) and hinges.

prevents rusting and seizing up, might even get an extra year or two out of them.

Also i use a remote control for access to my car, never the key. my driver door lock and boot have now seized up , just managed to save the passenger side with a squirt of WD40.. just a word of warning..

Basic maintenance i know, just maybe remind a few people if its slipped there mind!!

i originally posted this on DIY board, was advised to re post on here, a few people saying use oil not WD40, whichever works best for you , i swear by WD40 though!!!

Thistle-down

Redoing my kitchen at present..only taken ten years to save the money(!) and want some kind of wood burning appliance which can be 'plumbed' into the existing central heating to raise the temperature in the radiators so that I can sometimes not use the oil which is horrendously expensive....global warming my granny, it is the coldest September I can remember for many a year, if ever.

You could get a second-hand solid fuel Rayburn that does the cooking, hot water and radiaters. I have seen them offered on freecycle but you can also get them cheap-ish on ebay.

Pink_Fairy_2

Hi, although not new to MSE, I'm newish on here.

We have a very open plan downstairs, lounge through arch to dining room, through arch to sunlounge and then a back hall. We've put curtains across the sunlounge (although we eventually want to put a door there). They look absolutely fine, and it certainly cuts draughts.

I'm still reluctant to put any heating on and am just layering up, and encouraging the rest of the family to do the same, but it's already porridge-for-breakfast, soup-for-lunch and stew-for-dinner weather! I heard a forecast this week that said it was going to be milder than average, drier than average - wish I knew where!:rotfl:

zarazara

I wish! I've heard that its going to be above average wet til Nov. yuck, but the next 4 months should be colder and drier. better. WeatherOutlook.com

newlywed

jackie_w wrote: »

Hi,

Ive never posted on this thread before, so I hope you dont mind. I havent read through all the posts, but, ive seen a couple mentioning putting spare duvet under the sheet which you lie on? Does this give extra warmth?
The reason im asking is because I was thinking of buying an electric blanket, but, if doing this with the quilt is just the same, then I will just do that, also is it comfy lying on it?


Jackie

When we were little, we used to have lambswool style fleece blankets under the bottom sheet. It was lovely and toasty. We used to use a duvet when our mattresses were lumpy and no money to buy new ones.

Dad refused to have anything electrical on at night, other than the dehumidifier or the ioniser.