Victorian house keep warm life hacks sought!

[slugjelly]

Hello,
First winter in my draughty north facing mid renovation Victorian house looming. I’m already cold. What hacks do you have. Do I need small heaters? Heated blankets? Dehumidifier? There must be some way to make it better apart from hot water bottles. I have central heating, but need to seriously supplement it.
Yours freezingly,
slugjelly

I feel your pain, I had to use the heated blanket today.

Wool socks or tights. Sheepskin slippers from Drapers of Glastonbury.
Wool is your friend.
A dehumidifier is good.
Draught excluders. Oil filled electric radiators from DeLonghi are also great.

Identify where draughts are coming from and eliminate them. If you have chimneys that aren't in use you can get things to put up them to stop draughts (chimney sheep). Insulatimg our attic made a big difference. I also have the heating coming on earlier and going off earlier than bedtime but then use a heated blanket if sitting on the sofa. Plus I live in my very cosy oodie in winter!

Honestly, I couldn’t manage it
Have you got high ceilings?

The oil filled radiators are crap

We found the surrounding air just stayed cold all the time in a cold winter. It was awful. They look lovely, but you do need to be a hardy winter person to cope with it.

There was a type of heater that was okay like the kind that really pumps out heat but you will pay for that and I used to get really pissed off knowing all the heat was hanging around by the ceiling

Do all the obvious things like block up gaps and make sure you’ve got really thick curtains and so on for the windows

Thank you. I’m looking particularly for little things I can buy other than gin. I also have two young teens who I feel so guilty for moving here. You can actually see the outside shining in under our floorboards (from the air brick).

I don’t think I understood when I was getting the floors sanded that Victorian houses are literally built on a futon base over a hole.

We don’t have ridiculously high ceilings but yes, a picture rail and a ceiling no human could reach.

@OrangeFlower14 it sounds like you moved on from your freezing house?

Yeah, and although it was very pretty, definitely not living in one of those again it’s just the amount of money it would need to make it warm

I don’t know what an air brick is, though

Do you have carpets You definitely need carpets

North Facing terrace house - and I work from my office. We redid all the windows which made a difference (although so air tight we then got condensation and mold). But that’s not a hack, I know I have a heated throw that goes over my lap when I work: I wear wool or even better alpaca jumpers and thick socks; I exercise and walk a lot - you get used to it. I don’t mind it now

Definitely a dehumidifier and heated blankets, both types so the ones under bed sheets and over ones for when sitting on the sofa etc. Last year I bought a heated gilet and absolutely love that too. And cashmere socks with good quality sheepskin slippers. A good set of thin thermals have also helped enormously.

https://daewooelectricals.com/products/daewoo-1200w-2-bar-ceramic-heater?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23814332383&gbraid=0AAAAACekLuZubr_Kbou5aFac69NjrKzBR&gclid=CjwKCAjwoOjVBhArEiwAUwDak6DAR9wrupl5vRK09Ggq8an7MONkBdrwyGN6TOgEw8sACWQqCqyWiRoCwfoQAvD_BwE

I have this I know it looks rubbish but it works

Or think about a calor gas heater.

Have you got thermal curtains?

Get a kettlebell and do 5 min sessions of swings and squats throughout the day. Heated shawl and plenty of cats to cuddle by night. Four poster beds with heavy drapes.

Thanks @Tomorrowtodaynever I know what you mean, I have a mostly muscle body (which sounds hench, but think more hardy peasant) which helps as you are always making heat. Maybe I should double down and just make a huge vat of borscht and eat that all day hunched at the table.

Is it cold because you’re renovating or because it’s an old house? Bare floorboards are never going to be warm so get carpets down. Draft excluders or heavy curtains over front doors to keep out drafts, small hot air concert or heaters will warm a room up quickly and agree with another poster, block up chimneys not currently in use or awaiting restoration

I haven’t got any curtains yet— just little nets to keep the busybodies on my insufferably twee street out.

You can wear a beanie indoors!

Big, thick interlined curtains! Hot water bottle, cashmere bed socks. Will your renovation upgrade your windows? That’s probably the thing that will make the most difference.

I have 13 foot ceilings. You need rugs everywhere, heated throws on the sofa (heat the person), candles to convince your brain it’s warm, flask of hot drinks, loads of layers available.

and a few dogs to cuddle.

I’ve still got all the windows open as it was 25 today 😂 (London)

rugs for drafty floors and heavy curtains on drafty doors. A vest, hot water bottles and early nights - good luck

Lagging in loft attic and on boiler

Secondary film on windows, best curtains you can get ( try charity shops for now), including for across front/back doors. If you need a temporary solution get a really cheap thin fleece blanket and it’ll hang from a tension rod. Draught excluders. Some furry Ugg style boots for slippers.

Heated blanket is too much for me but DH loves it. Flannel sheets for the bed.

Thermals, Uniqlo heat tech is your friend. long sleeved top under a jumper is most effective.

Thin layers. Long in the body and sleeves thermal underwear, a top, wool jumper, feather & down gillet. Thermal socks and uggs. Heated throw.

Focus on having at least one room warm and dry.

Fair aisle jumpers

Basically it was a kind of probate house, totally fucked by years of neglect by a 100 yr old guy. I’ve renovated it to the extent I could, which is removing all his brown, damp william
morris carpet and wallpaper and making it a white blank space while I see what the winter problems are.

I had the floorboards sanded which I can already see may have been a mistake. I got the bathroom and kitchen functioning, and the kids rooms nice, and ran out of money. I have old sash windows, some painted shut— it is a lot of money to get them all replaced. I would have a real fire/stove if my daughter didn’t have asthma.

The roof at least is full of highly effective synthetic fluff.

We have a pretty cold old house but we love it, i couldnt do a new build. My survival tips are: wood burning stove, oodies, heated under blanket in my bed. That’s been the biggest game changer, getting in to a cold bed was the worst.

Heated blankets, rugs, carpet if you can bear it. We could also see daylight through our floorboards. The first reno job we did was sand the floorboards and the looked fabulous. Last winter I cried as they were covered with carpet, but it is a million times warmer.