coldcitydweller's Profile

Ahhh yes....excellent description..."the sub-woofer rumble of the mattress"! Excellent ear-plugs are essential but this is a more complicated issue.

Here are the 2 mouth guards I mentioned earlier....... that could be tried after having a sleep test for apnea (of course if you go to your dentist, they will likely have a range of products) Also, a sleep test for apnea now doesn't necessarily mean you have to stay overnight in hospital. Depending on each person's individual circumstances and what clinic they go to they might send you home with something you wear overnight at home.

Anyway the products this family member tried are:

1- SomnoGuardAP (http://www.tomedcare.com/) which was less expensive and he got from his physician but he found he couldn't get the fit quite right (everybody has different shape and size of mouth though so just because it wasn't right for him....) But he also found this one a bit harder to keep clean. I don't know why exactly. Also said he found it a bit loose. But that could have been a fit issue too.

2- The Silencer (http://the-silencer.com/) which was considerably more expensive and he got from his dentist, but it "fits like you're never going to get it off!" (his words) and he found it easier to keep clean.

Both and like most others can be adjusted even after the fitting and he said it usually takes wearing them for a bit to get the adjustments just right.

lillielechic - what with the lack of building scientists it's hard for people to get a really thorough assessment but you should have a good builder look at your particular situation. From what you've said though you might consider air-sealing the separation btw the 2nd & 3rd floor incl. a good tight hatch door to attic. Talk to a good builder.

We have a historic brick home in downtown Toronto and are dealing with a lot of the same issues. In addition to reading Lstiburek's articles I would strongly recommend as required reading the book Water in Buildings: An architect's guide to moisture & mould by William Rose. His bio on the back cover says he is "a Research Architect at the Building Research Council at the U of Illinois. His research, which focuses on moisture and its effect on buldings, is used by the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development..." This guy is older than J.L. and brings a life time of research and observation to the topic. And he put together a great little chapter on the history of the research that is still largely the reasoning behind Can & U.S. building code requirements on moisture (which as it turns out is pretty weak). And you don't have to be an architect to read it. An interest in water/vapour is all that's necessary.

I just finished reading it and having done a degree in architecture, a few building science continuing ed courses at the university here and reading Lstiburek, I thought it was an eye opener (& entertaining).

I bought it directly from John Wiley & Sons website. It's expensive but not as expensive as hiring an architect to tell you how to fix your house and cheaper than taking a course in building science. You're not likely to find any cheap second hand copies of this book. It's the kind of book people buy and will never sell (well maybe 40-50 years from now).

I love this. Especially 3, 4 & 5. I want to run out and buy them all right now. But has there been a review on how comfortable those folding chairs that hang on the wall are?

@lovemodern - before you go out and buy another mattress you might try getting a thick cotton mattress cover that has a bit of stiffness to put on top of your too soft latex. We have a GreenSleep all latex mattress in a soft version that is great but in the interest of making it last as long as possible I got a heavy duty cotton protector and it does make the mattress significantly firmer. Also you should turn and flip your mattress regularly even though they say you don't have to.

I'm loving this series. We moved into a new house in the summer with an actual guest bedroom though still without a guest bed and so I'm following your reviews with great interest. Of course the lack of guest bed hasn't stopped my parents from visiting because of course we give up the bed for them and sleep on the couch/couch cushions! We did get a Twilight Sleep Sofa that arrived last week for my home office, which will make our sleep more comfortable when they visit, but it's not quite up to the level of comfort that would be suitable for the nearly 70 year-olds. Judging by this month's review, I don't think they'll go for the memory foam either so I'll be waiting to see what next month brings!

I've visited this website often since it was launched but not in the last few months so I was really surprised and pleased that they have a totally non-plastic toilet brush! I've been looking for this for ages!

We are just about to get a new mattress and I was very excited to read about your project when it showed up in my inbox. I will definitely be following this adventure in sleeping. I'd like to make the following suggestion that you divide up your recommendations into a few categories of "Green":

Very Green - Essentia - natural latex + all non-petroleum foam
http://www.myessentia.com/
and
Sheppard's Dream - all wool mattresses
http://www.shepherdsdream.ca/

Greener than most -
Keetsa
http://keetsa.com/about/

Regular industry standard - I'm not interested in these no matter how comfortable they are but there are many suggestions from others on this.

Generally I don't agree with electric beds for people just looking for luxury, but having been lucky enough to have seen my grandparents live to be very old I would recommend an electric bed for home care of the very elderly and infirm. Essentia has a "green" option for those who can manage it:

http://www.myessentia.com/product-info.php?flexdrive-pid23.html

If you really want to try something else I'd say what ever you pick you want something that is no higher than the level of the mattress.

But we have exactly the same bed and my advice would be to go with the Malm bedside tables. This is a super clean look, not just the form but the finish and texture of the wood veneer. We've played around with a few things and just decided in the end that it just wasn't working. It made the room feel busy. Ask yourself why you were attracted to this kind of design in the first place? Don't fight the zen of this bed. It is the perfect start for a peaceful, uncluttered, quiet and visually restful bedroom. Get the matching side tables and surround yourself with calming natural colour acessories, patterns and visual art.