I've finally given in..

[Gustav]

And put the heating on, much as it pains me to do it! :rofl1:

It's minus 3 C outside, it's been snowing all morning, and with just the wood burner going I can't get the house hotter than 16 degrees..

So I have succumbed.. It's not that I am tight with money, honest.. I am thinking about the environment!

Not bad though, considering the heating was on from late October onwards last year, i've already economised over a months worth of fuel so far.

 

[ACooper]

Well good for you, freezing near to death to save our planet! It's ones like you who make it possible for ME to stay at 70 degrees all year round! hahahaha, so from the bottom of my warm toes, I say THANK YOU! :rofl1:

Seriously though, I don't use "fuel" that must be refilled..........we have natural gas piped in. I do keep the thermostat set to 69, and if it gets cold, I don't crank it up........we get sweaters, slippers, and such on instead

I am glad you are warm now you old skin flint! :rofl1:
skin flint = cheapskate if you didn't know

 

[Gustav]

I can tell you when you have to shell out well over $1500 in one go to get your fuel tank filled up, and if it's an especially cold winter you need at least one and a half tanks of fuel, if not more.. Then it's pretty sobering!!

You learn to economise!! And grow your body hair!

 

[Nechochwen]

ACoop... -3 C is only 27 F, and 16C is 60 F.

I wouldn't say her house is exactly freezing anymore

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Lucky you. One of my roommates is still too cold in 65 but the group has agreed the heat need not be higher than that all winter... I'd be fine with 60 or less myself. I'm stingy!

 

[iwantmypup]

ACoop... -3 C is only 27 F, and 16C is 60 F.

I wouldn't say her house is exactly freezing anymore

I don't know...thats still pretty cold :lol-sign:

 

[Nechochwen]

I'm happy with my house at 50 F (10 C) or so... nothing wrong with having to wear a sweater/hoodie around the house. Saves on heating costs too, which is a major plus.

 

[Gustav]

I'm happy with my house at 50 F (10 C) or so... nothing wrong with having to wear a sweater/hoodie around the house. Saves on heating costs too, which is a major plus.

Exactly, after all it's WINTER.. My mother has her house at about 30 C in winter, it's not normal for people to be wandering around the house in shorts and t-shirts in the middle of winter.

My house is huge, very old and draughty, but you get used to it.. :rofl1:

I don't want to be in a hat and scarf inside and still shivering, but I don't need to be in a hula skirt and bikini top either..

 

[ACooper]

ACoop... -3 C is only 27 F, and 16C is 60 F.

I wouldn't say her house is exactly freezing anymore

I know the difference between C and F Nech, LOL.......and yes, 60 is still too cold for me indoors, plus my parrot, parakeets, and my doberman would all set around shivering........heck, they do NOW at 70

Kevin would have us all in parkas.......even the birds in tiny ones if he had his way about it!

And OUCH Louie! 1500 x 1.5 I assume your "winter" is 3 months long? I complain if our Nipsco (gas/electric together) goes up to 400 in the coldest month! It normally stays in the 300 range for Dec/Jan and can hit 400 in Feb but 750.00 per month........OMG

 

[ACooper]

You learn to economise!! And grow your body hair!

Hmmmmm, extra money for heat or THESE LEGS, I think Kevin will continue to fork out the dough! Just not something he's used to........heck, he complains about STUBBLE! LOL

 

[Gustav]

And OUCH Louie! 1500 x 1.5 I assume your "winter" is 3 months long? I complain if our Nipsco (gas/electric together) goes up to 400 in the coldest month! It normally stays in the 300 range for Dec/Jan and can hit 400 in Feb but 750.00 per month........OMG

WHAT?! 3 months, I wish!

Normally wintery weather starts in November, sometimes as early as late October, when I light the wood burner.. The trick is not letting the house get cold in the first place, because if you do then it's nigh on impossible to warm these granite walls back up again..

January, Febuary are the worst months, late March can sometimes be quite pleasant, but for the most part it's mid to late April before the weather starts to warm up again.

Bearing in mind, I really am quite high up here.. Nearest Ski resort is less than an hour away!

 

[Saeleofu]

You lasted longer than I did. It got down to 11F (-11C) here a week or so ago and I had to turn the heater on. But my heater decied to set the smale alarm off, so I to open the windows and stand by the smoke alarm fanning it to keep it forem going off :rofl1: It was around 50 in my apartment when I turned it on. Now it stays around 60-65 (it's an old heater and doesn't have an exact control).

 

[ACooper]

WHAT?! 3 months, I wish!

Normally wintery weather starts in November, sometimes as early as late October, when I light the wood burner.. The trick is not letting the house get cold in the first place, because if you do then it's nigh on impossible to warm these granite walls back up again..

January, Febuary are the worst months, late March can sometimes be quite pleasant, but for the most part it's mid to late April before the weather starts to warm up again.

Bearing in mind, I really am quite high up here.. Nearest Ski resort is less than an hour away!

Ok PHEW..........I was thinking 750 a month for heat!? If you count it as 5 months instead of 3 that brings your average down to 4-450.........not good, but better, LOL

Our house has block walls and ceramic tile floors downstairs, wood walls and carpeted floors upstairs...........the downstairs most definitely stays colder

I mean, we use the heat somewhat in late October (sometimes) and all the way to March in most cases too, but it's not too bad and the bill doesn't start "hurting" until December, January, and February, LOL THAT'S when we notice the biggest difference

 

[Gustav]

My house is BIG too.. Over the 3 floors it roughly equates to what.. 350m2 or 3768 ft2.

Although I don't heat the top floor in winter, noone goes up there and we generally only get lots of visitors in the summer when the weather is better.

I try to economise as best I can, I have thermostats on ALL the radiators and only heat the rooms that we use, but still it's expensive..

 

[ACooper]

3 floors? Nearly 4000 sq ft? HOLY cow.........should we start referring to you as Princess Louie or something similar? hahahahaha

 

[Gustav]

3 floors? Nearly 4000 sq ft? HOLY cow.........should we start referring to you as Princess Louie or something similar? hahahahaha

It's more castle ruin than Disneyland fairy princess castle I can assure you!!

I got the house cheap for 2 reasons,

1) The previous owner committed suicide in it.. He shot himself although don't worry it wasn't like a scene from CSI with blood and brain matter everywhere..

2) And he had left LOTS of debts, and it was a liquidation sale, it had been on the market for 4 years standing empty and I offered them a ridiculously low price thinking "This'll be cheeky they'll never go for that" and suprisingly they did.. It was a case of getting back as much money to cover his debts as they possibly could.

Although you should have seen the STATE of the house, it was formally a "Créperie" and there was food, grease and grime which had been there for 4 years.. The extractor fan in the kitchen had grease an inch thick in it, which had never been cleaned out and had been sitting for 4 years, even the mice had moved out it was that filthy!! As with all repo houses, they took EVERYTHING of value, lightbulbs, radiators the works!!

The guy before was a bit odd, he thought he was some sort of clairvoyant or medium, and there were odd symbols and kaftans all over the place.. He had butchered this house.. Basically anything original or in character for a building this age he had plastered over, or blocked up..

I've been in here what.. 6 years now, and it's only JUST starting to come together, I think I have spent oooh equally as much as I paid for the house doing repairs, putting in heating, electrics, mains drains, etc.. It's been a real labour of love, blood, sweat, tears, tantrums.. You name it!

And sadly it's not even NEAR finished!! Although now rather than HUGE building works, it's just plastering, painting, tiding up.. Problem is, as you mentioned it's HUGE, and you just don't know where to start.. You have to attack room by room and be very methodical..

Sure it gets me down, but I have developed a deep love for this house and restoring it back to it's former glory.

 

[Debi]

I would be madly in love with your house Louie! you must share some pictures. as for turning on the main heat, I rely on the woodstove almost totally until it's tooo frigid. then the furnace will come on once or twice during the night. but my house is little, so not too horrid to heat.

I bet you have such a wonderful huge kitchen! it's not like I have a love for big houses, but I have such a love for older homes. such history there.

 

[ACooper]

Sure it gets me down, but I have developed a deep love for this house and restoring it back to it's former glory.

I'm the opposite I'm fed up with all the construction and remodeling!

We've pretty well gutted this house, added a second story. It went from a 2 bedroom ranch to a 5-6 bedroom house. It's been going on for about the same amount of time as yours.......6-7 years give or take. We too are down to the "making it look pretty" parts. All major construction is done and we are left with bunches of ugly, LOL

I'm glad you are getting there and haven't been turned totally against your house over it

 

[Debi]

lol..Coop..Dave and I LOVE construction and remodelling. we did the same as you on our old house. took a 3 bedroom ranch and added an upstairs. redid every room, finished the basement in to a big room with bath & complete bar. when it was finished, we needed something to do.............and that is when we bought this little house. gutted it, added the upstairs, built the big garage, and the joke with our kids is we'll never be 'done'. I tell them, 'some people golf, we remodel and build for fun'. I wish I had a big old farm house to redo!

 

[ACooper]

You and Dave are SICK SICK people Debi............who in their right mind does that for FUN? :rofl1: