Lola style house electrics/heating

I used to like the idea of a log burner until the research on interior particulates. These are the things that affect respiratory tracts and hasten age related illnesses. For me it will be storage heaters or similar that I use if not the air con on heat. But as all have said, upgrade electrics, higher standing charge, install of heaters. As I’m only out about 50-60 days a year, of which about 30 require heating, that’s a large expense to incur for the odd night when I simply can’t get the house warm enough.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/indoor ... tudy-finds

I am not familiar with the LOLA house so wonder if the stairs are in the living room. If they are, naturally it will be more difficult to keep heat in the room. Would it be possible to fit a curtain rail and hang some heavy curtains which could help to block the cold coming down the stairs or your heat going up the stairs!
Would it be a big job to close off part of the stair case?
I think I’d be tempted to upgrade the electric which would allow you to place heaters upstairs in the landing. We only use our holiday home for breaks. Fortunately, we have a door leading into the hall where the stairs are. That’s a cold area for sure. We now have an oil filled heater at the bottom of the stairs.
I wonder if it would be possible to block the staircase off with glass curtains or something similar. None of us enjoy being cold in our homes. It’s cruel.

Mac3blade wrote:I am not familiar with the LOLA house so wonder if the stairs are in the living room. If they are, naturally it will be more difficult to keep heat in the room. Would it be possible to fit a curtain rail and hang some heavy curtains which could help to block the cold coming down the stairs or your heat going up the stairs!
Would it be a big job to close off part of the stair case?
I think I’d be tempted to upgrade the electric which would allow you to place heaters upstairs in the landing. We only use our holiday home for breaks. Fortunately, we have a door leading into the hall where the stairs are. That’s a cold area for sure. We now have an oil filled heater at the bottom of the stairs.
I wonder if it would be possible to block the staircase off with glass curtains or something similar. None of us enjoy being cold in our homes. It’s cruel.

Has anybody done this, closed off the staircase with glass curtains. I don't want to hang curtains, nor do I want to brick it up and put a doorway onto the stairs.

lindylou23 wrote:

Gustav wrote:

lindylou23 wrote:Log or pellet burner, go up through the ceiling to upstairs, then out of upstairs ceiling to the roof.
We have done this and so have friends of ours who have a Lola terrace house. Why heat outside when you can heat upstairs, toasty warm all over fitting them this way

You have no problem with going thru the roof with the waterproof membrane , no ingress when heavy rain , as they say its hard to seal round the flue pipe due to expansion and contraction due to heat difference from the stove and of course the heat in the summer months,
Just curious, as that's what has always deteterred me from fitting one.

No problem at all with any water ingress, we had a chimney stack built round the sealed flue that comes out of the roof and painted in the appropriate colour of the property, so it's not unsightly and blends in with the other properties.
Has been in about 7 years now without any issue.

Thanks for reply .

We did glass bricks, all along the staircase then just put a curtain rail with heavy curtains on the bit where the stairs end (if you know what I mean). This was at dad's house and whilst up there tonight I had to pop up stairs Jesus, it was so cold, as soon as I opened the curtain you could feel the difference.


curtains

DreamOn wrote:

Mac3blade wrote:I am not familiar with the LOLA house so wonder if the stairs are in the living room. If they are, naturally it will be more difficult to keep heat in the room. Would it be possible to fit a curtain rail and hang some heavy curtains which could help to block the cold coming down the stairs or your heat going up the stairs!
Would it be a big job to close off part of the stair case?
I think I’d be tempted to upgrade the electric which would allow you to place heaters upstairs in the landing. We only use our holiday home for breaks. Fortunately, we have a door leading into the hall where the stairs are. That’s a cold area for sure. We now have an oil filled heater at the bottom of the stairs.
I wonder if it would be possible to block the staircase off with glass curtains or something similar. None of us enjoy being cold in our homes. It’s cruel.

Has anybody done this, closed off the staircase with glass curtains. I don't want to hang curtains, nor do I want to brick it up and put a doorway onto the stairs.

DreamOn wrote:
Has anybody done this, closed off the staircase with glass curtains. I don't want to hang curtains, nor do I want to brick it up and put a doorway onto the stairs.

Yes end Lola near me have glass curtains with glass door at the bottom of the stairs, wasn't cheap, but they didn't want curtains hanging in the living room.
Others have put a curtain up at the top of the stairs where it can't be seen from downstairs.

As a temporary measure, and to keep warmer on these chilly nights while you're trying to get a solution, why don't you buy an extending shower rail from a Chinese shop and hang a curtain at the top of the stairs, at least that will keep the living area warmer and only you will know its there.
Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Many thanks for all the suggestions. I'll do some investigation. If a log burner is possible then I think I'll go down that route as it would heat the whole house. Just difficult to see where they would place it in the living room.

I live in a Lola and as well as curtains at the bottom of the stairs we bought a 3 by 2 rug and put an under rug heating matt under it. Our two sofas are at the edge of the rug and it makes the area more comfortable especial for the feet which dont get icy cold. From mid november we have a 3 bar halogen heater within a couple of metres from the sofa, and one or two bars is all that is needed to keep us snug. We also use a sofa blanket for our legs.
The electric underrug can be bought from many outlets, we bought ours from Bricolemar.com, they have different sizes. They seem sturdy and because they are comparatively low watt wont get to a dangerously high temperature. We obviously turn it off at night and on leaving house.
Calefactor bajo alfombra 320W 200x140 UCH-320
MConfort
21 % 183,70 €

Thank you. A lot of information to take into consideration. If energy prices ever go back to normal I'll certainly look at all electric options, plus the wood burner.

What is a Lola house? Got any pictures?