I can’t remember our winters ever being this extreme until the last few years.
As a kid, I never had to bundle up in 4 to five layers before leaving the house, nor did I ever get extreme frostbite on our face like I do now.
It takes extra vigilance to stay warm plus safe in a temperature as uncompromising as ours. Because the winters are so extreme these afternoons, I have had to adapt our lake beach house to better insulate it from the cold outdoor air. The building was originally uninsulated in the attic, letting in constant cold drafts that would inevitably make their way into the floors down below. By putting insulation along the frame of our attic, it created a thermal barrier to keep cold air out plus the warm air in our ductwork from escaping. There were also our windows that needed to be replaced. I wanted to buy double-pane storm rated windows, but not because of extreme weather, however because they’re so effective at insulating the house. I can’t even imagine how much a/c was leaking out while I was in the warm Summer season when I had to use the air conditioning on a nonstop basis to keep the temperature inside from rising too high. The last chore on our list was the easiest one of them all. It involved taking strips of foam with adhesive on one side plus positioning them inside our front door frame so an air seal is created whenever the door is closed. Doors with poor weatherstripping, as it is often called, will have light shining through the cracks in the mornings. Thankfully, the weatherstripping kit for a single door can be found in the store for under $10. When you factor in the energy savings, the purchase is a no brainer.