Beyond Blue Home Improvement Thread

[geoff]

Hi everyone. I'm Geoff and have been a dedicated Volunteer on the forums for 13 years. I am proud to have stopped some of the stigmas that are associated with mental health as well as doing my best to help others too

Before my health went south I was a builder in all aspects of home construction and renovation. If you don't have a handyman around I hope I can offer you some tips that may be of help. I have had many years of experience in home renovation and will do my best to help you out if you are stuck and need some advice

I hope my experience may be of help to the people on Beyond Blue and make their life a little bit better. Even if you need help with the most basic painting job or putting up a shelf I can help there too with some tips

I will do my best to get back to anyone that has a question when I can as this is social yet important thread

Geoff

[Guest_1643]

Hey all.
:)

Lots of questions about the cold. How is your rib recovering, still hard to get out of bed, Geoff? I know that pain can be very upsetting 😞

I am on the bottom/ground floor and I have very high ceilings. I tihnk the whole place is badly insulated... when I touch the walls they are very cold (is this a bad sign)? I'm not so thrilled about that. The N***** heater does work very well though and I find on the highest settings its so warm I have to turn it down. It heats up a medium sized room really well.

I had another question Geoff which is related - with the walls so cold it impacts me as my bed is against the wall, and it's chilly to sit up in bed with all the icy cold emanating from the old walls.... I was thinking of maybe doing something creative as a bedhead alternative (or I could just buy a bedhead/headboard) - but was also interested in the ways people can install something, a piece of something or whatever, or just a decorative thing, above their beds, to rest on when they sit up. Do you think this would help with the cold, or I could just buy a fabric bedhead which would create a barrier?? What do you think??

[geoff]

Hi Hanna, good to hear from you again.

I can well imagine the heat plus the cold you have to put up with, it must be stifling and even in Spring/Autumn the days maybe perfect but the nights cold.

A window air conditioner does make the meter spin but compared to be comfortable the cost wouldn't be so much a concern, because I'd cut something else out to compensate.

I would very much doubt there was any insulation installed which means all the comfort will be gone once it's turned off, and have you tried to transfer from this property to another one, but I know what housing is going to say.

You can't live in 35 degrees heat or -10 that's unbearable, and as we get older our tastes change.

Can you get an a/c on ebay or in the paper for free, as long as it's working.

Take care.

Geoff.

[geoff]

Hello, Hanna, my reply is waiting on moderation????

Geoff.

[geoff]

Hi Sleepy, back in the days when your flat was constructed and being a double storey little thought would have been taken into insulation, it would have taken as an after thought, that is the owner had to put it in themselves.

For a bed head google this 'polystyrene sheets bunnings' where can place these between the wall and your bed, they are cheap and insulate you when you want to sit up in bed.

You can paint them or place a sheet over them,just to add some colour just check that the paint doesn't eat in the poly*****e, and please there is no need to panic.

These poly***e can be glued to the wall if you want and perhaps if you know someone who is handy you can also use them for the ceiling because it has a dense structure and excellent moisture resistance.

At the back of stores that sell TVs, fridges etc there will be boxes full of poly*****e where you make any design.

Let us know what you think.

Geoff.

[Hanna3]

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for the help - yes nice to chat with you again! Do you know what it would cost to install approximately - I think it must go OK in an old wooden sash window I see other fibros with a box window aircon in one window...

I am waiting on a transfer but that might take quite a while unfortunately... and I've heard we are in for another shockingly hot summer.

Do you know where might be good to get one? Thanks Geoff for your help!

[Guest_1584]

Hi to all.

Hanna yeah they go fine in a sash window then you'll just need to cut a board to fit the gap left on the side, might also need a support outside under it . My place has a really old rattler but gees it still does a great job. Find them on gumtree from free up to a few 100.

Cheers . rx

[Hanna3]

Thanks randomx, do you know what it might cost to get it put in? What sort of support do you have to have - I can't afford much more!

[Guest_1584]

Hi hanna,

lf you know anyone a tiny bit handy you could put it in yourselves. You basically just lift the window up shove the air con into the spot and shut the window on to of it. Most l see don't even have a back support and if you packed the window sill itself with something just so that it's a flat surface across for the air con to sit on , shut the window on top of it sorta locking it into place , in some cases that's good enough.

lf you did have to pay someone lt'd only be a 20 min job to them, so not much at all.

Good luck

[geoff]

Hi Hanna, RX has done a great job explaining.

The a/c for the sash window, the actual machine pulls out of the case and if it doesn't then there's 1 or 2 holding the machine in the case.

The case has to be put into the window, u can screw it to the bottom window sill and also the side and you can position it with half in the room, half outside or just a couple of inches in the room and most outside, but if you do this then brackets may need to be installed to support the a/c outside.

It's only a short job where anyone handy can do, but remember you have to pull the machine out of its cover to be installed.

Please let us know.

Geoff.

[Hanna3]

Hi Geoff,

I'm disabled so I can't do anything myself. It's an old fibro with wooden sash windows in poor condition. I did have a second hand portable aircon in the lounge last summer but it was pretty useless. On a pension so not much money to pay a workman but it may be my only way to get through the heat of summer... just don't want to buy one and find it can't be installed...will it be more effective than the portable aircon that sits on the floor and goes through the window with a hose - that didn't do much once it reached over 30 degrees...

How big an aircon might I need to buy for a double bedroom? Thanks for much for helping...