south facing living room in new house

Spaniel

Spaniel

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I have the chance to move to a new house but it has a south facing living room and this is where the piggy cage will go.

Is this a bad idea with summer temperatures? I’m in the north west.

Any advice? Thank you!
 
How exciting. 😃

My bedroom is south facing. I have a blackout blind and heavy curtains at the window. Today they are both drawn and the room is quite cool. So I don’t think it will be a problem with some extra measures.

My piggy room gets full sun for half the day. I have an old blackout blind I hook over the curtain pole on very sunny days (or prolonged hot weather).

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And little pinky is even demonstrating his cooled snugglesafe for you. 🥰
 
If it's got a south facing living room it must have some north facing rooms. Presumably there is a north facing room? Could you temporarily move the piggies into a north facing room even if in a temporary pen on very hot days? Upstairs will be hotter than downstairs but I've got 2 boys in a north facing bedroom.
 
weepweeps said:
How exciting. 😃

My bedroom is south facing. I have a blackout blind and heavy curtains at the window. Today they are both drawn and the room is quite cool. So I don’t think it will be a problem with some extra measures.

My piggy room gets full sun for half the day. I have an old blackout blind I hook over the curtain pole on very sunny days (or prolonged hot weather).

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And little pinky is even demonstrating his cooled snugglesafe for you. 🥰
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Pinky is adorable! Love his name.

I should be excited about the new house but my stress over the piggies is taking over!
 
piggieminder said:
If it's got a south facing living room it must have some north facing rooms. Presumably there is a north facing room? Could you temporarily move the piggies into a north facing room even if in a temporary pen on very hot days? Upstairs will be hotter than downstairs but I've got 2 boys in a north facing bedroom.
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The kitchen and main bedroom are north facing. Both small but could just about fit a small pen on the kitchen floor. It’s just not ideal. We are west facing now and it’s a lot of work to keep the temperature safe. Not sure if south would be even worse?
 
My entire house (it's a back to back) is south facing. I know it's Manchester and all but at the moment it's only 23C downstairs where the pigs are and they're right underneath the window. The curtains just stay closed all day, there's still more than enough light getting through the fabric but it keeps the heat out. In my favour though there's a massive tree in the garden that isn't perfect shade but it is a massive help.
 
Lorcan said:
My entire house (it's a back to back) is south facing. I know it's Manchester and all but at the moment it's only 23C downstairs where the pigs are and they're right underneath the window. The curtains just stay closed all day, there's still more than enough light getting through the fabric but it keeps the heat out. In my favour though there's a massive tree in the garden that isn't perfect shade but it is a massive help.
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We are entirely west facing. There are bushes around the garden which help a little but the sun hits the house at 1.30pm and tries to turn us in to an oven. We air overnight then before the temperature equalises again we hang sheets up outside, close windows/blinds/curtains and stay in lockdown until sunset. This keeps things 5-8 degrees cooler than the outside temperature I’d say. It’s a lot of work so I’m wary of setting myself up for even more work in a south facing room! We would have north facing windows to open there though. We only have west facing ones here.
 
Spaniel said:
We are entirely west facing. There are bushes around the garden which help a little but the sun hits the house at 1.30pm and tries to turn us in to an oven. We air overnight then before the temperature equalises again we hang sheets up outside, close windows/blinds/curtains and stay in lockdown until sunset. This keeps things 5-8 degrees cooler than the outside temperature I’d say. It’s a lot of work so I’m wary of setting myself up for even more work in a south facing room! We would have north facing windows to open there though. We only have west facing ones here.
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Windows, doors, all of it's south facing here, was a bit of a surprise when the first summer rolled round, lol. But the windows stay closed. The doors stay closed externally and open internally. I stay upstairs despite the heat unless I absolutely have to leave because the house is relatively small and I don't want to add to the heat. Upstairs the window stays closed for as long as the sun is directly hitting it, otherwise it's open (street noise isn't something that disturbs me) wirh the doors upstairs open to allow the air to move.

You can feel the heat drop coming into the house from outside, too. It's not perfect but it is working, I've got frozen bottles and icepacks in the cage right now and they're not going near them, even the longer haired ladies aren't bothering with them. I'll be glad when this latest spell of weather disappears though.
 
Yes I’m sure you will make it work
Better surroundings will make your lives easier so sorting a south facing room will be achievable
And hopefully it’s only a few days at a time.
You could think of investing in a portable AC unit in the Winter ( cheaper and more choice available then)
 
What do you mean “they don’t like me”. You are lovely. Do you say hello when you see them? Make it so they have to say hi x
 
Zanzan said:
They can be a little pricey but thermal lined curtains really help to keep the heat out of a room. The sun is on my windows all day but with these curtains closed all the time the room is currently at 23 degrees.
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Where did you get your curtains? I'm looking for some that will work well 🪟
 
Truffolo said:
Where did you get your curtains? I'm looking for some that will work well 🪟
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Dunelm. Like I said, thermal lined and they cover my patio doors so they were quite expensive but honestly one of the best things I have ever bought. I just leave them closed through this weather, maybe open them in the evening if the temperature has dropped. For me and the pigs it's a bit like living in a cave but that's fine 😊
 
We have a portable aircon unit blowing cold air upstairs to the piggy room which helps.
If it gets too hot and stuffy they have their own unit which I can turn on.
I keep the blind mostly closed as well.
We have an East / West facing house, the piggy room is at the top and the window is west facing.
 
Zanzan said:
Dunelm. Like I said, thermal lined and they cover my patio doors so they were quite expensive but honestly one of the best things I have ever bought. I just leave them closed through this weather, maybe open them in the evening if the temperature has dropped. For me and the pigs it's a bit like living in a cave but that's fine 😊
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Thank you 🙏 I tried putting up sheets behind my very thin curtains and it made the room nice and quiet, but I would like a better system than sheets and clothes pegs. The curtains you use are great ♥️ 🪟
 
We keep the curtains drawn and the windows shut in our south facing rooms and it keeps them cooler but not as cool as the north facing rooms. There are always things you can do to keep things cooler. We don't have curtains in our south facing kitchen (not over looked so never felt the need for window coverings before) and I couldn't find a blind at the start of the heatwave I liked in the 2 local shops. We found an old curtain rail in the shed and I hang a bath towel over it attached with clothes pegs, the beauty of this on really hot sunny days is I can wet the towel which makes it even more effective. I hang damp clothes over an airer in the piggie room. I wouldn't let being south facing put you off moving in if you like the house. South facing is an added bonus in the winter, on sunny days you can keep the heating off for longer!
 
I hope you , your family and your piggies will be very happy in your new home 🥰
 
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