Does Anyone Weather-Proof or Winterize Their Home or Apartment?

We've had a few discussions regarding your hint and tip, and I'm hoping hubby runs with it.

If we had such an apparatus or even a proper squeegee extension rod for such, I could even clean the windows, and rather than twice yearly, I'd be doing them once a month.

I appreciate your post, FM!
To secure the mop in the PVC simply insert the mop handle in to the PVC and drill a hole through both then insert a bolt through and nut the end. For added stability rotate the bolted assembly 90 degrees and one inch below from the first hole drill another hole and bolt that one. Hose off the window as you go along.
 

To secure the mop in the PVC simply insert the mop handle in to the PVC and drill a hole through both then insert a bolt through and nut the end. For added stability rotate the bolted assembly 90 degrees and one inch below from the first hole drill another hole and bolt that one. Hose off the window as you go along.
I'll be relaying this to dear hubby!

Nothing will make me happier than seeing him off the ladder and on the ground.
 
Ruthanne,

It might be easier to winterize the birdcage.

I remember when we were kids my grandmother used to pin a couple of teatowels around the birdcage at night to keep the birds warm and out of drafts in her old farmhouse.

c7c686d80e0f8190accdda104b49bcad.jpg


Good luck!
 

We live in an old farmhouse and for years put plastic on the windows and straw bales around the foundation. As the years went on, I insulated and replaced windows and now it is still an old farmhouse but if you count the firewood pile, I cut every year to prepare for winter we still do. Our granddaughter who lives next door comes over and we will have the wood fire going and she says, “it’s always so comfy and cozy here.” For many years we had an porch with a roof on the front of the house and each year I would frame it in and cover it with plastic and the kids called it our plastic room. Finally got that framed in and insulated and sided as well.
 
I live in an old school and the apartments are all electric including the heat. Since I am on the second floor and have apartments on each side of me and over and under mine, I rarely turn my heat up more than 68. I don't have them take out my air conditioner so I just cover it with a cardboard barrier that fits around it. I am definitely never cold even when it is below zero.
 
Nothing could be more untrue.

Standard sized panels come 8' in length, and if cut carefully, the panel or panels would friction-fit seamlessly into the window casing or casings, depending on how many windows you'd be looking at doing.
Thanks, but not looking to cover the light from the windows--I have plants that need light and I want to be able to see out and some warmth comes from the sunlight that comes in, too. I need something for the cracks and I got some caulking material for that. I am also going to work on getting the window to close properly which is the big problem. My windows are 3 that span about at least 7 feet and they are not nearly 8' long but perhaps 4 feet in length. I have already bought clear plastic to put over all 3 windows, and I think it's better than the cheap plastic I bought last year. So, that's the plan. And I also cannot afford to buy much more for my windows. I happened to see those type of panels on Amazon and they cost a mint! I am on a strict budget now but not looking to get any panels anyways.
 
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I live in an old school and the apartments are all electric including the heat. Since I am on the second floor and have apartments on each side of me and over and under mine, I rarely turn my heat up more than 68. I don't have them take out my air conditioner so I just cover it with a cardboard barrier that fits around it. I am definitely never cold even when it is below zero.
That's great! It gets frigid in here--at least last year. I'm hoping with my plans for this winter it won't get as cold in here.
 
With us living in an RV we have some prep work for every time the temps turn to freezing....
Fill the freshwater tank. Fill several jugs for back up water.
Unhook and drain the water hose.
Have a heating pad stuff in the fill area if it gets under 20.
Close the grey water drain if the day temps are stay below freezing...
Was hoping not to have to do this again this year,,, but it is what it is....
 
Our house has double pane windows, with little or no drafts, etc. The basement, however, has single pane windows, so every Fall, I cover them with shrink wrap, held in place by strips of glued tape, then shrink them tight with a hair dryer. That helps keep the basement temperature fairly stable with minimal heat.
 
A few weeks ago, we installed the two-way tape and clear plastic (kit) we bought on our only bedroom window. It works, but not as good as we thought it would. We were thinking about buying another kit and installing another clear plastic over the other one, but for now it just "thinking".

We have electric heat/AC (thermostat) that works good for us.

Also have two portable humidifiers, bought last Fall. One small-one large, that we fill with distilled water and put in the living room during the daytime winter months. When we go to bed, the large one goes into the bedroom.

We also "winterize" our powerboat and after any snowstorm, go over to the boat/rv storage and clean the snow off. Have a deck cover and full cover on it for the winter. Take the batteries out and keep charged at our apartment.
 
My apartment really doesn't need any winterizing, as it is well secured from wind/drafts. I face the SE, and don't use the heat very often in the winter... only when it has gotten into the 30's, and that was once in 3 years.

But I still use my draft dodger snowmen panel on a window ledge for decoration.
iu
 
My apartment really doesn't need any winterizing, as it is well secured from wind/drafts. I face the SE, and don't use the heat very often in the winter... only when it has gotten into the 30's, and that was once in 3 years.

But I still use my draft dodger snowmen panel on a window ledge for decoration.
iu
Funny, but you wouldn't believe how many Texans have moved to Colorado.
 
Both hub and I can't stand cold weather...must be our hormones, so even though our house is fine in the mild winters we have here, there are many many large windows. These windows aren't triple panel ones, but they are 1/4 plate...we lose hot air through them. No drafts or cold air normally felt, but would be impossible to improve on without knocking them all out and replacing them which sure isn't going to happen!

We usually live in two or three layers of clothes for our normal 2 months of mild winter just because we detest it so much...lol.
 
My brother winterizes and closes down his house up here including adding chemicals to the plumbing every October before they go down to their winter place on Marco Is. Fla. Snow bunnies.
For years, we used to go to Ft. Myer's Beach for 5 or 6 weeks every January. Boy did the traffic get brutal down there. Too much competition from the official "snow birds". People used to look at our license plate a lot...didn't get many Texans down there on the beach. Some would ask us why we didn't go to South Padre Island.
 
Ruthanne,

It might be easier to winterize the birdcage.

I remember when we were kids my grandmother used to pin a couple of teatowels around the birdcage at night to keep the birds warm and out of drafts in her old farmhouse.

c7c686d80e0f8190accdda104b49bcad.jpg


Good luck!
Thanks @Aunt Bea I do plan on putting extra layers over the bird house at night but still plan on keeping the nasty drafts out, too. I'm working on an idea for the AC. I think I'll have to call the manager to get someone in here to help me take it out and wrap it in seran wrap and set it back--I can't do it myself. The frigid air blows right through that cheaply made thing.
 
Thanks, but not looking to cover the light from the windows--I have plants that need light and I want to be able to see out and some warmth comes from the sunlight that comes in, too. I need something for the cracks and I got some caulking material for that. I am also going to work on getting the window to close properly which is the big problem. My windows are 3 that span about at least 7 feet and they are not nearly 8' long but perhaps 4 feet in length. I have already bought clear plastic to put over all 3 windows, and I think it's better than the cheap plastic I bought last year. So, that's the plan. And I also cannot afford to buy much more for my windows. I happened to see those type of panels on Amazon and they cost a mint! I am on a strict budget now but not looking to get any panels anyways.
We lived in a house for thirty five years and every winter we covered the windows with plastic as they were very drafty. The plastic worked fine. Wore sweaters, plenty of blankets, and we never never froze to death.😂. We didn’t have any birds though.
 
My home is 21 years old. The windows are the tip out type for easy cleaning. But only double pane, but there is no draft due to the windows. In fact, there is extra insulation in my home, and I have gas heat, but my electric bill is on budget at $89 a month, and my winter gas bills are in double digits.... I have 1400 square feet with a full basement, so the windows have certainly paid for the added expense when the house was built.
Lucky you! You got it going on! Wish I did...
 
For those folks that use plastic to insulate windows large size bubble wrap is more effective. Flat side to the glass.
Wow, that’s a great ideal, glad I gave it to you 🤣. Seriously, I assume the air in the bubble wrap would heat and keep things warmer-wish I had thought of that years ago when we were doing the plastic window thing.
 
For those folks that use plastic to insulate windows large size bubble wrap is more effective. Flat side to the glass.
I have heard that. And while being better, it would not cost that much more. Those bubbles would help insulate while letting the light shine
 


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