How can I make an external porch room warm?

indiegirl_2

On the front of my house I have a single storey protruding porch building, in which my front door is on one side. The protruding building is split down the middle with a cloakroom on the opposite side to the front door (as you enter the house the cloakroom door is opposite you). Directly opposite the entrance to the cloakroom is a window with a radiator underneath it.

The porch has a sloping roof, and inside; the cloakroom ceiling slopes parallel to the roof; ie there appears to be no insulation.

It's never warm at the height of summer, but in the recent cold snap it's been absolutely bitter in there. The walls are cold, the floor is freezing and it isn't a pleasant place to have to spend a penny.

I'm trying to work out what's best to make this room slightly warmer. The obvious thing is to put in a false ceiling and get some insulation above. However; what could I do about the walls?

We've recently had a new upvc double-glazed window put in there and I'm now planning to refurbish it due to the sanitary wares being too big for the room. I thought I'd see if anyone could offer any advice - gratefully received!

Measurements of the room:
Length: 1.95m
Width: 80cm
Height: 3.20m (at highest point) 2.35m (at lowest point)
Current radiator size: 50x40cm

Thanks v much in advance!

nickj_2

i would think that the insulated ceiling would be the best place to start , not sure if you've got enough space to do anything major to the walls if it's only 80cms wide ,
you could put carpet on the floor and get a bigger radiator .

Mankysteve

Dont bother.

missile

You could install insulation, but I would suggest the radiator ought to be adequate to heat such a small room, even if there is no insulation. Is it functioning correctly? You could install an oil filled radiator.

dampdaveski

indie,
it's all about insulation. insulating the roof is a definate start, the next step is to consider fitting insulated plasterboards to the walls, these are plasterboards with polyurethane insulation bonded to the back of them, they cost between £30-£40 a sheet (8'x4') once skimmed they will warm the surface of the wall up a treat. and be ready to paint
For the floor, cheapest way is to consider fitting laminate flooring with an insulated underlay board.
One point I would make is that if you do improve your insulation etc and redecorate, use a mould additive in the paint, this will help to reduce any mould forming in your new room, you should also consider sticking an extractor fan in, particularly if you like curry
Hope this helps
DD

Kiran

Is the entencion single skinned? If not you could consider cavity wall insulation as well as the above mentioned

indiegirl_2

The radiator is functioning correctly, in fact I think it was put in not long before we bought the property.

Thank you to those who suggested ideas - I'm not sure what the "don't bother" response was aiming at - is it that it's not a worthwhile pursuit?

I've no idea if the porch is single skinned and whether cavity wall insulation would be suitable or not; I might look to get a professional opinion on that one.

Dampdaveski - the insulated plasterboard is a good idea, although I could only get it on the back wall (but that is an external wall so would be a start!).

Having dug around in there this morning I've noticed that there is an old toilet overflow pipe that's been cut off and left with a nice outlet to outside (have blocked that up temporarily to try and reduce draft) and where the toilet waste pipe is there's a big gap underneath. That could be boxed in when the toilet is replaced.

I will probably go with the insulated plasterboard on the back wall, go for a false ceiling and insulate above and improve the flooring that's in there - it's thin and nasty vinyl at the moment which appears to be straight onto the base flooring; if I laminate it'll have some decent underlay, or it might be tiled; in which case it'll have something similar underneath.

Thanks v much for the responses

Barneysmom

A little bit quicker and maybe cheaper might be these, I'm thinking of putting them in our conservatory as it gets very cold and damp in there..

http://www.neken.co.uk/wall-tile-panels.php

ormus

as above really.
the ceiling is obviously the first thing to do. but the walls is a real problem due to the current width.

missile

indiegirl wrote: »

The radiator is functioning correctly, in fact I think it was put in not long before we bought the property.Having dug around in there this morning I've noticed that there is an old toilet overflow pipe that's been cut off and left with a nice outlet to outside (have blocked that up temporarily to try and reduce draft) and where the toilet waste pipe is there's a big gap underneath. That could be boxed in when the toilet is replaced.

If the rad is functioning correctly it will be too hot to touch. If it is warm at the bottom cold at the top. it needs bleeding to remove entrapped air.

Thes gaps to the outside arround the pipework may be causing your problems? You can buy a can of aerosol foam to seal these gaps.. Go to B&Q or buy online here > http://www.uksealants.co.uk/product.asp?idproduct=220)

gteuk

Hello

I had the same problem of massive heat loss in my porch area, it was so cold it radiated right through the house, walking into the porch was like walking into a wall of cold.

I stripped back the walls to the brick and stuck on 10mm thick xps boards using a flexible tile adhesive, I then stuck 12mm plaster board onto that using the same method.

For the ceiling I used 200mm of glasswool and replaced the plasterboard, this has made a massive difference and can honestly say I do not need to heat the house anywhere near as much to compensate.

It worked out cheaper than buying the lamiated plasterboard although a bit more labour was involved.

you can probably find some bargains for insulation on ebay or the like.

Good luck