Replies

1. 
   topgunner | Sep 26, 2019 08:45pm | #1

   Insulation imo is the first to address first. That's a big place to insulate so hope the experts would chime in.

2. 
   user-3976312 | Sep 26, 2019 09:01pm | #2

   It would be good to know how cold it gets where you are, and what you mean by temporary. In other words, how much trouble and cost are you willing to apply there?

   Any heating option would be expensive without a lot of insulation and effort to control air leakage. There are many more details, but those really depend on where the house is as far as climate. If you can't do this all at once consider closing off the upstairs during the cold season.
   I've lived in many places that had minimal insulation and brutal winters. A wood stove was the heat source, and strategies to keep things from freezing when that went out. It's survivable, but not always fun.

1. 
   florida | Sep 29, 2019 10:56am | #3

   Insulation alone does not make a house warm. Even with insulation, the house will reach equilibrium with the outside temperature sooner or later. Some source of heat must be available. You can make an uninsulated house warm enough to live in at some cost but you can't make an insulated house warm without heat.

1. 
   topgunner | Sep 29, 2019 11:41pm | #5

   Definitely need a source of heat. A portable heater might do if he just to heat the place temporarily.

3. 
   DanH | Sep 29, 2019 04:07pm | #4

   One important thing to understand is that, in many buildings, windows account for the majority of heat loss. Though they can be a hair ugly and inconvenient, plastic window coverings such as 3M's "Window Insulator Kit" can greatly reduce heat loss.