For anyone with minimal/no central heating, do you have any tips on making the place warm?

[19magic]

My lovely place 🙄, from the 50/60s has storage heaters, an electric boiler, and no gas for my actual building. Most of the time my home is at a standard 8-10°C or 46-54°F.

Other than wearing two to three layers has anyone got any ideas or tips to keep the actual area warm?

[Kaneki05]

Nothing much you can do. One can make their room warm enough but the whole place forget that unless your rich.
Going to the bathroom here is somehow colder than outside, nothing much we can do though unless my dad decides to fix the house up but's a cheap rent and has been for years for such reason no doubt. You start upgrading it they ask for more pay or think time for a new tenant who will pay more.

[DJB72]

Fireplace? Most houses that old have a chimney.

You can get free standing tabletop fires now that use a gel to burn. They're available in south Africa and online just Google gel mobile fireplace and you should find them

[19magic]

Nah it's a renovated block of flats to make maisonettes, so no chimneys

[DJB72]

A bioethanol tabletop fire would work well. They hold enough gel to burn roughly two hours and then just be careful refuelling to be certain they're fully extinguished before refilling.

Some manufacturers provide multiple fuel pots so you take the hot one out and close it off - never in water - and put in the second, full pot. Refilling is simple as it's a gel, just always be safe when you refill.

No chimney or anything needed and no carbon monoxide problems

[ZackBan]

Body heat works wonders if you stick to a small well sealed room your own heat will warm it up. I'm doing that right now.

Of course it works wonders if there's more than one person

[19magic]

Haha if only, my problem is I have my biology against me in that regard, females are naturally more inclined to feel the cold

[ZackBan]

Hahaha to be fair I count as a human radiator even among the male of the species

[love_conquers_lust]

Weather strip exterior doors. Evacuated window panes. Insulate walls and ceilings. Caulk and seal any major cracks and gaps at corners.

You could also make use of space heaters and confine yourself to the rooms they are in use.

[19magic]

I wonder if you'll have any input on this:

I've got some small gaps under the walls, the reason I haven't done anything yet, is cause I've yet to get carpets and underlay in some rooms, as I've yet to paint the walls and don't want to risk getting paint on the carpets. I know you have covers and I'm perfectly happy with using them on furniture, I but don't really want to risk it on carpets. But the only person I can talk to about DIY things is dad, and he says I need those gaps under the walls for the carpets and underlay and maybe temporary tape them to reduce any coldness seeping in.

Also with insulating walls and ceiling is there a cost efficient way I looked at some very basic quotes and it was stating 4-7k, and I definitely don't have that kind of money.

[love_conquers_lust]

Definitely consult Dad as a resource if he’s willing to help.

He’s right about the gap. It’s standard to leave about a 1/2” gap between the bottom of the drywall and the floor. It also keeps the drywall dry if it’s in a basement and the floor gets wet or something.

Old, crappy blankets stuffed into the corners as a temporary measure until the carpet is installed and walls insulated or painted to what you want.

Here’s a quick google resource cost estimator:

www.homewyse.com/.../...stall_wall_insulation.html

The ways I can think of are they remove the drywall and put up fiber or foam board insulation. One cost corner you could cut would be getting a screw detector and removing the drywall as one sheet rather than ripping it out, but that’s a pain and the time to do so usually offsets the cost of new drywall. So how much is your own time worth to shave some hours off their quote and material cost?

Or they go in through the attic and use blow in insulation, they can use spray foaming insulation too.

I wouldn’t advise this, but thought you might find it kind of funny. I used triple expanding foam on the corners of an apartment I was in because I didn’t want to smell my neighbors smoking. I did a half ass job and didn’t shim the foam down with a knife and it left the carpet a little lumpy at the corners. Oh well. Place was old and was government subsidized housing anyway.

[DryGermanGuy]

Do you own the place, aka can renovate? Triple glass windows, outer wall insulation, roof insulation...

[19magic]

Unfortunately I'm just renting, but the good thing is other than removing walls I can do anything I like to it. Had I owned it the first thing I would do is put proper radiators and gas central heating in, I've been told my terraced neighbours both have gas and we live in the same building, 🙄 previous tenants were idiots.

[Billlewis]

Go to HomeDepot, etc, and get some clear plastic sheeting to cover the inside of your windows with. It's cheap and works very well.

[19magic]

And then to simply tape it to the inside of the frame, or better to use double-sided tape

[Billlewis]

Most of those kits come with adhesive backed strips. Just read the box and add any accessories you need. I wish I lived near you, because I'd be glad to do that for you.

[19magic]

Oh I didn't realise they had kits, and it's no problem I'm used to doing things myself. I'm sure if I managed to drill holes into walls to put my curtains up I can do a bit of DIY to the windows.

[Billlewis]

Yes, ma'am, but it's usually easier to just buy a kit than try to buy the plastic individually.

[19magic]

That makes sense I'll check it out, see if it's easier to order and get it delivered or to pick it up. I do have some large windows which I've struggled finding curtains for (240 by 120cm) , so it's a good idea. I'll add that to the list, as well as screw in draft excluders and black out lining to sew onto my existing curtains.

[Billlewis]

Of course, you can also tape two smaller sheets together if necessary.

[Andres77]

planter:tea candle heater

[Worst]

How big is your place?

[19magic]

Simple answer it's a two bed maisonette, in terms of cubic meters I roughly worked it out to be a total of 145m3.

[ThrillSeeker01]

Big, thick comforters.

[Ameer99]

Fireplace

[19magic]

I think I would need a chimney for that and unfortunately I'm all out of one

[Ameer99]

Nothing warms the winter like it

[19magic]

I've always wanted a fire, the last time I've been in front of one I was 5, haven't seen one since.

[Ameer99]

Long time wow

[19magic]

Occasionally I've seen people with an electric fire but it's not quite the same. But yeah it's been over 20 years since I've last seen a real fire in a fireplace

[Ameer99]

We have been using it for 20 years