Paper-thin walls

[Fletcher22202]

Thank you all for your advice and responses, we grabbed some foil covered bubble wrap stuff at Lowe's along with some heavy plastic and are working through insulating the worst windows with the reflective stuff and the rest with the plastic to let light in. We survived the cold spell and the insulation is definitely helping keep the house warmer.

Happy new year all!

 

[shortys7777]

Came here to say thick curtains can help with drafts. I also tac in a blanket to cover my in the wall ac unit. I think it goes without saying but make sure your wood is dry and you get it up to temp before shutting the air down.

 

[Sono]

Just a note: your water lines runs along the heat ducks under the floor, which is fine as long as you use the furnace , with out the furnace running you will run the risk of them freezing- heat tapes help but are not always enough. personal experience with a 1980 unit similar to yours. your walls/ ceilings are made with 2x2's . mine had a bit of fiberglass insulation stuck in there- might as well not had any for the way it was installed, spent 7 years in that tin can till I could get myself back on my feet due to a divorce. pulled the interior paneling and put agricultural bubble ins. in the cavities- better r value than fiberglass for the depth, iirc the studs were not 16" on center on mine.

For exposed water pipes, the dollar store sells pool noodles, they are thicker than the foam insulators at the box stores,,, I buy red and blue, split them with a box knife and insulate your pipes. Besides it helps identify hot and cold lines. Foam board cut to make a tight fit on windows works great to seal out drafts, check door seals ( cheap to replace if damaged ) also check wall outlets and buy foam insulators that goes under the plates to stop drafts. Also the underside I assume is exposed batting, use wire and string up foam boards on the underside as well , keeps the floors warmer, heavy plastic can work as well, just tape all the seams.

 

[Bad LP]

Years ago, I had an apartment with single pane windows with really poor air sealing. On cold days If I had exposed skin I could feel the cold from heat being sucked out the window. I installed 1/2" iso board in the openings and I could move my chair up almost against the window. Folks underestimate how much a single pane drafty window really impacts the conditions inside the house.

While building this house in Maine we had it weather tight but still working on mechanicals. I had two 75kBTU gas fired unit heaters in the basement for job heat. When finished one unit was sold and the other was going to the detached garage.
Any way the job was warmer than the outside but not by a whole lot being in northern Maine. A single sheet of plastic was spread out below the 2nd floor ceiling joists and you would not believe just how much warmer the job was until the insulation and plaster guys got it sealed up.