WWYD - Large picture window - cold issues

[PrincessMommy]

I live in a 60yr old house and it's cold,  drafty, and dark.  I have a large picture window which is double paned.  It is on the NE side of my house, so it only gets indirect sunlight.    I love my window and plan to put some privacy plants further out in the yard so my neighbors can't see in as they drive by or walk their dog past my house.    Here's a photo.  This was taken just a moment ago at 9:20AM on a cloudy day, but I do enjoy what little light this window gives.  The other side of the room is closed in, so not much light at all from the SW corner of my house (this house was definitely not built with natural sunlight in mind.    

But, it does make the room cold.  

I was thinking I would either buy thermal curtains to put up... but that's permanent because I'd need to put up curtain rods. I would open them during the day and close at night.   Or I could buy the insulation shrink plastic for OUTSIDE my window (not inside because I use the sill).

Any thoughts from the hive? 

 

[EKS]

You could do those honeycomb shades (I'd do three pieces, one in the middle and two on the sides).  They insulate well.  They also compact quite well when they're up, and you can get them so that they don't have rods to raise and lower, if that is a concern. And they can be expensive.  Here's a link, but there are other brands: https://www.hunterdouglas.com/window-treatments/cellular-honeycomb-shades/duette

Or you could go the cheap-o route.  Put a hook (very small) in each corner of the frame (on top facing up).  Then attach safety pins to a light blanket and hang from the hooks.

Edited November 7, 2019 by EKS

[gardenmom5]

if you want the light - I would go with the clear plastic shrink wrap outside, it will give another layer for cold air to travel through before getting inside.  thermal curtains will help with any cold air coming into the room (as long as they're closed) - but it won't stop cold air coming into the house.

[Laura Corin]

Is the window well sealed around the edges? Is it modern, efficient sealed-unit double glazing? Is there any condensation between the panes?

Sitting in a Victorian house.

[Pen]

Both.  Or start with plastic outside and see if that’s enough.  

[JustEm]

I'm trying to solve this problem but with basically ceiling to floor windows. Our living room is pretty cold because we have a wall of windows on one side, a huge double window on the other side, and french doors leading outside on a third wall.  They are all good windows and there is no noticeable draft. But just sitting next to them is colder than other areas. Hope you find a good solution

[PrincessMommy]

20 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Is the window well sealed around the edges? Is it modern, efficient sealed-unit double glazing? Is there any condensation between the panes?

Sitting in a Victorian house.

I checked the seals a few weeks ago and they looked good.  I think the windows are newish to the house.  Probably within the last 20yrs.  They are double paned and the little side windows go up and down very easily and lock well.  They're the kind that flip inward for easy cleaning.   They look new.    No condensation between the panes, thank goodness.

[prairiewindmomma]

I would double check caulking, etc. and then I would be tempted to just use a little space heater only when I wanted to enjoy the room.

I really crave sunlight in the winter. I live in a house with very large windows everywhere—and can’t imagine living this far north without them. I have curtains to pull at night, but I also have the wall space to hang the rods wide and high and a gas fireplace in my coldest room. You would lose so much light if you hung curtains there, and if you enjoy the room often, that’s unfortunate.

[Pen]

You could also consider curtain for night and a plastic that acts as a mirror in day time to decrease neighborhood’s ability to see in. 

I think there are some plastics that double as insulation and privacy.  

[Pen]

Very pretty room and view out btw!

[happi duck]

Curtains or shades would block so much of the window. 

I'd try the outdoor plastic first.  If that wasn't enough I try the idea upthread of a blanket at night.  You could also probably make/have made something the exact right size too.

Lovely spot!

[PrincessMommy]

20 minutes ago, Pen said:

You could also consider curtain for night and a plastic that acts as a mirror in day time to decrease neighborhood’s ability to see in. 

I think there are some plastics that double as insulation and privacy.  

@Pen  I'm trying to picture this.  Is it like the plastic shrink wrap but it's acts like a mirror to the outside?  I would be interested in a one way mirror type set up.. so I can see out but others cannot see in. 

[Annie G]

What a beautiful, cozy spot. I LOVE the window and the little side windows. 
I crave natural light so I’d probably try to find a solution that doesn’t cover that. Is a removable storm window outside an option? It’s one more layer of glass to get through. 
Does the location of the baseboard heating hurt the efficiency of how warm the room gets? The heat radiates up through the coldest air (what’s closest to the window) so the heat might be cooling off prematurely and not having a chance to warm the room. 

[Pen]

7 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

@Pen  I'm trying to picture this.  Is it like the plastic shrink wrap but it's acts like a mirror to the outside?  I would be interested in a one way mirror type set up.. so I can see out but others cannot see in. 

 

It allows seeing toward where the light is—so good for day time as you can see out to brighter outdoors.  But not for night if a room light is on it will allow seeing in from dark outside toward light inside.  I’ve only seen them not installed them, so I’m not sure how they attach.

A bit along those lines, we have a Mylar camping blanket on our bathroom window, taped in place as best I recall.  It helps hugely to keep heat in and also the silver surface reflects room heat back in better than clear plastic would.  You can see through it, but it in a greyed way.  It would be too dark for your pretty view in daytime, but might be a very lightweight sort of night option if set up with Velcro perhaps. 

[Arcadia]

14 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

@Pen  I'm trying to picture this.  Is it like the plastic shrink wrap but it's acts like a mirror to the outside?  I would be interested in a one way mirror type set up.. so I can see out but others cannot see in. 

 

Something like this one, you can see from the reviews how it work as well in real life https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07RV9327M/

5 minutes ago, Annie G said:

Does the location of the baseboard heating hurt the efficiency of how warm the room gets? The heat radiates up through the coldest air (what’s closest to the window) so the heat might be cooling off prematurely and not having a chance to warm the room. 

 

When we rented and the baseboard heating was parallel to the window frame, we just use a store bought tower heater instead of the baseboard heating. Lots of small items ended up in the baseboard heating so we never did dare to use it.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Is the window well sealed around the edges? Is it modern, efficient sealed-unit double glazing? Is there any condensation between the panes?

Sitting in a Victorian house.

this is a good point.  it is possible to reglaze existing windows (go around the edges)  - that can help too.

[PrincessMommy]

@Acadia - those were the ones I could find, but none of them say they help with insulation.. .only heat reflection, which isn't a problem for me.   Pen mentioned something that sounded like it was for winter insulation as well.

@Pen - I'd love to know what you use in the bathroom.  I've been looking for something that sounds similar.  Our MB is on the ground floor between houses.  I don't care what it looks like from the inside and I'd like to have more privacy too!  LOL .  It's another cold pocket in our house.

Our heat is oil baseboard heat.  Of course, there's a baseboard right under the window.   There's also one right next to the front door.  🤔   We have a crawl space (no basement) that has is a ventless encapsulated crawlspace. Last year dh and I spent time under there adding insulation to the perimeter. 

 

[PrincessMommy]

4 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

this is a good point.  it is possible to reglaze existing windows (go around the edges)  - that can help too.

I need to do this with another window we have.    It's in a hallway far from the living room, so I don't think about it much.  But, its foggy all the time.  

[amyx4]

3 hours ago, EKS said:

You could do those honeycomb shades (I'd do three pieces, one in the middle and two on the sides).  They insulate well.  They also compact quite well when they're up, and you can get them so that they don't have rods to raise and lower, if that is a concern. And they can be expensive.  Here's a link, but there are other brands: https://www.hunterdouglas.com/window-treatments/cellular-honeycomb-shades/duette

 

I have a bay window with honeycomb shades on the shady side of the house.  I'm not sure the brand name we bought but oh, my, yes they're were worth every penny.  When I lift the shade in the morning there is a huge, huge difference in temperature. The shades push all the way up, so perhaps, maybe there's 1" or 1.5" at the top but most of the view out of the window is unobstructed. 

I also have a picture window with honeycomb shades. I don't notice the temperature difference as much. The picture window is on the side of the house with the most direct sunlight.

[MEmama]

We have two similar windows. One has the honeycomb shades (this year I’ll buy the same for the other) and both have insulated curtains. On very cold, dark days I’ll keep the blinds down. They still let light in, though of course it is less. They do help with heat retention though, so the small upfront investment pays off quickly. One window faces south, the other west. On both I keep the shades up on sunny days, no matter how cold it is outside. 

The honeycomb blinds help far more IME than the thermal curtains. I don’t use those often because they make the downstairs very dark, and they are long so they cover up the radiators under the windows. Plus the cats like to hang out on the warm radiators so I wouldn’t want the curtains to impede them. 🙂

[Pen]

Not sure they were this brand but at least basically: 

Primacare HB-10 Emergency Foil Mylar Thermal Blanket (Pack of 10), 52" Length x 84" Width https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DZ1NFSK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_jGgXDbD67P3RK

One fits my bathroom window, but I’ve taped more than one together (weather tape) for other situations as needed. And as I say I think just taped it around the window frame.  It isn’t all tight and perfect like shrink wrap— but boy does it help that bathroom stay warmer!!!  Also it didn’t have a strong plastic odor which is important to me.  

We have forced air heat with the register right below the window, so that without some cover like this all the heat would go right out.  I was going to take off the Mylar in summer, but it seems to have just stayed year round. 

[PrincessMommy]

@Pen   the one I've been looking at is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Reflectix-BP48010-ubble-Pack-Insulation/dp/B000BPAULS/ref=sr_1_5?crid=Z3BI01KF26IG&keywords=reflective+bubble+wrap+insulation&qid=1573154042&sprefix=insulation+wrap+refle%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-5

 

I've read having the bubbles helps with insulation.  But, the smallest I can find is 10 feet.   I guess I can find another use for it somewhere.  I already have a round one for my hot water heater. 

[Pen]

I use Reflectix for a lot of situations.  I have not used it as a bathroom window cover.  It might work very well, but won’t let any light through at all.   

[ktgrok]

Thermal window film https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Strength-Insulating-3-Window-284351/dp/B015PY2BY8/ref=sr_1_21?keywords=thermal+window+film&qid=1573155290&s=home-garden&sr=1-21

[Katy]

For a few years as a kid I had a stepdad that would put plastic up on the inside and outside of the windows, even new ones.  I hated that it obscured the view so much but it did cut down on cold and you could still get all the light.

We're in a colder place right now and we haven't put plastic up yet, but we do have double honeycomb window shades on most of the rooms AND some of the cheapest light blocking "thermal" window curtains we found on Amazon that matched the decor on each room.  I also put up longer than normal rods and put cheap curtain hooks on either sides of the windows so when I want them out of the way I can see the whole window.  It's not gorgeous but it's functional.  In the dining room where the toddlers destroyed the ugly vertical blinds in front of the sliding glass I hung the curtain tie back hooks really high so I can easily loop the whole curtain up out of their reach during the day.

One of the cooler things I've ever seen, if you have sewing ability, was someone who quilted insulated curtains for each room in her house for the winter.  She had different fabrics that matched the decor for each room.  In the summer she hung white lace curtains she bought in Germany, but in winter it was quilts.  It sounds ugly but it was so cozy.  I made one quilt once and it took so long I haven't attempted since, let alone try to make them for every window in my house.

 

[Pen]

2 hours ago, Katy said:

For a few years as a kid I had a stepdad that would put plastic up on the inside and outside of the windows, even new ones.  I hated that it obscured the view so much but it did cut down on cold and you could still get all the light.

We're in a colder place right now and we haven't put plastic up yet, but we do have double honeycomb window shades on most of the rooms AND some of the cheapest light blocking "thermal" window curtains we found on Amazon that matched the decor on each room.  I also put up longer than normal rods and put cheap curtain hooks on either sides of the windows so when I want them out of the way I can see the whole window.  It's not gorgeous but it's functional.  In the dining room where the toddlers destroyed the ugly vertical blinds in front of the sliding glass I hung the curtain tie back hooks really high so I can easily loop the whole curtain up out of their reach during the day.

One of the cooler things I've ever seen, if you have sewing ability, was someone who quilted insulated curtains for each room in her house for the winter.  She had different fabrics that matched the decor for each room.  In the summer she hung white lace curtains she bought in Germany, but in winter it was quilts.  It sounds ugly but it was so cozy.  I made one quilt once and it took so long I haven't attempted since, let alone try to make them for every window in my house.

 

 

It sounds wonderful.  I spent awhile in a flat in England that had quilted drapes.  Very warm! And I thought they were pretty too.

it would be a lot of work, but that might be a lovely look in that room for night time.  I wonder if something like that could come down from the top and lift away into a valence  or have a curtain rod turn the corners , so as not to have the drapes cover any of the window in the day time. 

Edited November 7, 2019 by Pen

[Arctic Bunny]

I would go around with a candle (or whatever method you choose) and make sure air isn’t coming around the window, then take off the casing and spray foam as necessary.

[Scarlett]

You  have received a lot of good suggestions.  I just wanted to chime in and say how beautiful that window is.  I probably would not cover it because I just love the look.  If you had more room on either side of the window I would say go with thermal curtains that could be pulled completely to the side of the frame on each side.  If you go thermal curtain  route just make sure they compact when pulled back as much as possible.

We got new windows in our current house (about to sell it--under contract) and I have never even got blinds put up because I just love the open look.  I am aware in the heat and now in the cold how much more efficient it would be to have thermal curtains up.....but never happened.  And now my procrastination has paid off because we are moving.  🙂

[Pen]

Various ways to go around a corner with curtains exist.  Even though you don’t have window in the side walls it could be a way to keep the window clear of drapery.  I think some are a lot prettier but   Example

VRSS Flexible Bendable Straight Curved Curtain Track for L Shape U Shape Bay Window https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XDZSV26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YaAXDb0R3V53R