home weatherproofing question

Okay, I'm cheap and not too talented at home improvements, so I just got some of that plastic stuff to put over the inside of my windows in the basement. Unfortunately, the air is still coming in, enough that you can see and hear the plastic blowing from across the room. The window is right over the couch, so if you sit on the couch, the air comes right in on you.

Any suggestions for a quick fix to keep the air from pouring in the basement windows?
I guess I could put some plastic on the outside, but I don't know how I could attach the plastic to the brick house.
(Yes, I'm REALLY deficient in the home improvement area).

I'm also taking suggestions for my sliding glass doors.
I don't use one of the doors, but the other one I use all the time to let my dogs outside.

You probably need to caulk around the windows, there are probably gaps in the frame. Not hard, just get it in a tube and squeeze it in a line.

Okay, I'm cheap and not too talented at home improvements, so I just got some of that plastic stuff to put over the inside of my windows in the basement. Unfortunately, the air is still coming in, enough that you can see and hear the plastic blowing from across the room. The window is right over the couch, so if you sit on the couch, the air comes right in on you.

Any suggestions for a quick fix to keep the air from pouring in the basement windows?
I guess I could put some plastic on the outside, but I don't know how I could attach the plastic to the brick house.
(Yes, I'm REALLY deficient in the home improvement area).

Ellen,

Look for any of the expanding "foam" products (I've used several and recall one of them was called "Great Stuff"). Basically you just "shoot" some of this stuff via a pointed nozzle into the void you are filling and it expands (and dries) to close off any gaps and provide insulation. Be advised...some of them expand more than others...so read the label. It's been a while since I used it...the last time when I was finishing a basement but if I recall correctly a can of it will run you in the neighborhood of 5 or 6 bucks and one can should contain enough to solve your problem.

Here's an opportunity to get trained:

First Unitarian Church will host an Energy Management Workshop on Monday, January 19 from 11AM
to 12:30 PM. Participants will share and learn practical energy saving tips, see a hands-on demonstration on hanging interior plastic window
covers, and receive a free kit equipped with supplies to make window covers.

The event is sponsored by Project Warm as part of the “Anybody Can Serve” Campaign, which is an the effort by public service commissions and
utility companies from across the US to coordinate a Day of Service, on Martin Luther King Jr., Holiday!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Visit the First Unitarian Church online at
http://www.firstulou.org

We have a bedroom downstairs where the bed is against an outside wall and the window is right at the foot of the bed. Though we have replacement windows that were put in about 5 years ago, the heat exchange through the glass in this particular window is very noticeable and it's much colder than other rooms. I bought a 4x8' piece of 3/4" foamboard at Lowe's (about $9), cut it to the dimensions of the inside measurements of the window, covered the edges of the foamboard with duct tape and inserted it into the casement of the window. I put it between the mini-blinds and the drapes, so its not visible from the outside and, with the drapes closed, it's not visible from the inside either. This is not something I plan on leaving in place long-term because obviously it blocks the light altogether, but it's really made a difference during the current extreme cold snap. When it warms up a bit, we'll take it out and put it aside till the next arctic blast.

Lois

If the basement windows are recessed in the ground, use bags of mulch! Used to over winter tender perennials this way. Just stuff a bag in the opening.

Thanks, guys, those are some good suggestions! (The energy seminar sounds good. Unfortunately, I have to work, though).

You might want to try thermal/insulated curtains. You can also purchase thermal drapery lining, so that you can sew your own curtains, or sew onto existing drapes.