Two months to winter: draught strip, a brush seal and three measures that actually work
They cost little and the effect is measurable. Fitted badly, they do nothing at all.
Most of the heat does not leave through the glass, it leaves through the thin gap between the frame and the wall. One roll of self-adhesive draught strip makes a difference you can feel in the same room.
A brush seal along the bottom of the door comes second. On a door onto a stairwell it cuts the evening draught outright.
Measuring up before you start is dull, and almost every expensive mistake begins exactly there.
Where to start
What looks right in the showroom looks like something else at home under different light. Taking a sample away always pays.
In the costings the materials are usually the small line. The real spend is labour and waiting time.
The mistake people make
In a small room every centimetre gained has a price: the space you win in one place comes out of another.
The most common error is sticking the strip to a dirty surface. Fitted without cleaning the frame first, it lifts at the first cold snap and the job gets done twice.
This season’s colour is dark green — but do not paint the whole room
Interior designers suggest one wall and a few wooden details, and nothing more.
September on the balcony: five things that will reach winter if you sow them now
For leaves that cope with the cold, the first fortnight of the month is the window.
PremiumInsulation pays back faster now: the sums have changed
The payback period on glazing and wall insulation has come down by about three years.