Attn: homeowners in colder climatesFollow

Or you can live in an environment where you get mountains of snow and nothing at all melts for 7 months. P'ussy.

Truthfully the only real melting comes from the snow in actual contact with the foundation, due to heat loss and like I said, an inch of melting at the most every month isn't going to put a foundation at risk unless it is winter 11 months a year, every year for 80 years. The snow will only be high enough to cover the foundation and shouldn't be packed heavy, so it is a non issue.

If nexa did feel there was an issue there is also the idea of leaves.

I'm surprised no one suggested carpets (tapestries are a little too much, but they do work as well, although not very baby safe)

Cheap ones, that look like crap and aren't made from the best material can do wonders in keeping the heat inside.

A big plus is being able to walk barefoot without losing toes to frostbite and any Hannah (or drunken Nexa) fall would be cushioned by that little extra padding.

You're on a roll Kaelesh.

Invest in some underarmour, and run everywhere in your house.

You'll stay warm.

You mean those tiny ice blocks that extend off the bigger ice blocks at the end of my legs?

Nexa

Carpets won't do much for insulation, but they will hold heat over night when it gets really cold.

Seal your windows shut with clear window sealer (works with a caulking gun).

Keep your blinds and drapes open during the day.

Keep the thermostat set at a constant level, it takes less energy to maintain a temperature than it does to get a cold room up to temperature. If you don't have a proper thermostat get one, it'll save you a fortune.

Insulate your water heater, even if you just wrap it in blankets. Be careful with this if you water heater has an open flame (pilot light).

Seal off vents to the bathroom and keep the door closed. Keep the bathroom fan off as much as possible.

Keep the kitchen fan off as much as possible.

Other than that you're into replacing insulation, windows, and the furnace. Insulation would probably pay off fairly quickly if you have crappy stuff now, windows and furnace would take years to save you any money.

Edited, Oct 10th 2007 1:54pm by Yodabunny

Dunno what to say, snow has been a tried an true method on the Canadian shield for 60+ years. I honestly can't think of a single instance of there being a problem with the foundation.


10 inches of snow is equivalent of 6 inches of fiber glass insulation. For the majority of the winter, melting due to sun is really a non issue when it is 10 degrees below freezing (in celsius) on a hot day. The worse you have to deal with is heat from the house itself, which is also a non issue, since it is slow and should be minimal if your house is properly insulated.

No need for snow banks, simply a foot or two to cover the foundation.

/shrug

Oh and Anna, what part of Manitoba do you live in?

Oh, Bhodi's a weird coincidence, allright.

Bake Quiches, or find a local farmers market :)

Yay Winnipeg! See the newscast where we've had about 6 hours of sunlight for October so far? Depressing.

I forgot to mention blankets. I usually grab the fuzzy ones off my bed when I get up and haul 'em downstairs with me for the day if I'm at home.

Otherwise you crank the heat just before you leave so you go outside to cool off and it makes it easier.

Hey, now. Only we Winnipeggers can call the city for what crap it is. :p

And coats your lungs with lint. Yay!