Help needed from northerners on staying warm

[countryentertainment]

When we lived in Virginia our bedroom was in an uninsulated attic, we had a heated water bed which you probably couldn't have in an old house, but we made a cloth canapy around and over the bed to help hold in the heat.

The windows have Glazing and metal points, if the glazing falls out the metal triangle shaped points hold the glass in still. You can reglaze the windows when it is cold by using a halogen flood light to help warm and shape the glazing into a rope and push it into the space around the glass on the outside, but it is much easier to do when it's warm. The windows and glazing need to be painted after it warms up or the glazing dries to much and cracks. That is if you want to keep the windows because they add character to the old house. If you are replacing them I'd cover with the shrinking plastic, that double stick tape may leave a mess though, but it does work good if you can get a good seal around the window. You may want to do inside and out.

I use to wear long johns the second the temp dropped to 60, guess I'm getting use to it now.

I try to do things that keep me very active when I start getting cold, sweep, wash floors, cleaning move furniture. Do things that generate heat laundry, baking, use crock pot. Run up the stairs a couple times. I'm so lucky I have to run up and down 2 flights of stairs to feel the wood boiler. The boiler likes to over heat if we feed it a lot of wood at one time, so it gets small meals.


Try taking Co-Q10 it's suppose to help blood circulation, it helped my son.

I have a 60" square of fleece that has a slit cut in it to the center so I can throw it over my shoulders and wrap up in it.

If your feet get cold change your socks, most likely they have become just a little damp and that's all it takes.

Oh and you can cut pink insulation larger than the opening in the top of your fireplace( in the chimney) and shove a piece of it up there if you will not be using it at all. Just never build a fire with it in there, and be sure you can get it back out if you need to.

There are a lot of houses even up in Maine without insulation. But it sounds like the windows are your biggest problem and when fixed you may not need the insulation.

Be careful about closing off rooms if they have any water pipes and the temp is below 25 for long.

Stay warm!!
Cindy

 

[nccountrygirl]

We in NC can't handle the cold I've got my heat on 73 and my legs are cold. We is wusses down south. I hope you can figure it out but the plastic will help a great deal.

 

[ruth]

Hi all and thanks for the great suggestions. Just never had to deal with cold before in my life. No, the home has no insulation - it's a 100 year old raised plantation home - over 7,000 square feet with 14' ceilings, floor to ceiling windows (the kind you can raise and walk through to balcony) and a fireplace in every room - impossible to heat in winter. Like I said it will handle the heat, in summer, very well. All the heat goes up to the high ceilings and the home being off the ground allows cool air to come up through floors. I had a vintage shop in an old New Orleans home and it was great in summer but also couldn't get it warm in winter and there was no real winter there.

We are planning to restore as historically accurate as possible which means keeping the old windows with their leaded glass. However prior owners put a double pane/screen insert in a few of the upstairs windows which allow you to open the room window, the insert window and still have a screen for fresh air in summer, or keep the room window and insert window closed in winter to act as an insulated window. I think we will definitely have to look into cost of having those made. They fit inside the original window frame and just screw in so they don't alter the historical architectural window features. I'm sure they're expensive but should pay for themselves over time. $400 a week for heat and not getting warm is ridiculous. Of course you can't open them and walk out anymore but hey, I'll just use the doors.

I did go check fire place flues after reading posts and every one was open so I closed them. We have been very careful and have only used two fireplaces so far and only a couple of times with small starter-log fires. We need to have them checked and cleaned before using them or we may have the house a little hotter than we planned (fire).

I'm sure this freezing weather is odd for this area and will pass soon. In the meantime I'm drinking lots of hot coffee and getting caught up on BYC.

Of course lots of hot coffee means lots of time spent in bathroom and it's cold in there.

 

[suenrob]

[Just click on "quote" by the post you want to quote. You can then edit some out if you want. Then, type your reply beneath it. Easy.

I did it!!! That WAS easy, Thanks!!!! (now if I can just figure our how to post pics!!!)

 

[suenrob]

OK, so that didn't work right!!! What did I do wrong??????

 

[jdypat]

Quote:
just thinking of the work u have ahead of you should warm u up a lot. good luck and congratulations. that would be the most fun ever in this world.. how wonderful.

 

[tberggren]

Years ago my parents bought an old un-insulated farm house and besides putting plastic on the windows they also put plastic on the outside of the house on the North side. Also don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet or not but once you get your house so it will hold the heat, invest in a wood stove.
Electric heat just won't keep you as warm as dry wood heat will.

 

[MissPrissy]

I live in a very old farmhouse as well. There is no insulation in the floor, just plain pine. The attic and upstairs was upgraded years ago with some blown insulation. Downstairs it is COLD. Just plain COLD. We have a small wood stove in the kitchen and a big insert in the livingroom. It isn't cold any more. The fuel oil heater we have can blow all day and it still feels cold. Get some wood heat and you will warm through to the bone.

Layer your clothes, drink warm liquids.

When I moved from Ga to Northern Va. I spent almost the entire year freezing to death. It took me almost 2 yrs to acclimate.

On another thought - be very careful if you let some put insulation in your house. The house was built to last and breath even though you are freezing in winter. Getting the old house too tight and warm will cause the woordwork to buckle and warp because it begins to retain moisture. It's cold in my house without wood heat but I have huge rugs on the floors and we wear socks or slippers. I swear you will get used it and wouldn't change a thing.

 

[tiki244]

Put plastic on your windows-inside is ok when you have enough warmth put plastic on outside of windows too, the thicker the plastic the better-cover windows and doors with old blankets or sheets, just nail them up over the top-I wouldnt use any gas or kerosene heaters space heaters they can be dangeouse-get elctric heating pad to put in bed with you.Also electric heating pad or electric blanket for on the couch. DEfinitly two sets of clothes on-put rugs on floor- go around and feel for drafts by the floor and wall meets and all over by the walls, if you find places that are drafty try to caulk up with silicon caulk---boil water on the stove-use those little foam things where your electrical plug ins are-they just look loke plug in covers but they are foam take the cover plate off and put them in and then put cover plate back on-wear boots in the house and where a winter hat in the house and a big fat sweater!!!! that should help----it was in the 40s yesyterday here and by tonight it will be below zero!!!!!!! Kris

 

[patandchickens]

Historical accuracy is nice and all that, but given your experiences at present, unless you want to own the largest collection of woolen underwear in all of the South, you might want to consider converting just a couple rooms for winter comfort -- including lowering the ceiling (people SAY 'oh, just reverse the ceiling fan in the winter so it blows the risen hot air downward', but the constant breeze will make you feel much much colder than actual room temperature).

Good luck,


Pat, having lived in a drafty old house in NC for a few years in grad school, and frankly probably more comfortable now, in Canada, in a better winter-proofed house