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insulation help

ok, i live in an upstairs flat. Front door is downstairs with concrete steps leading up to it. Problem is down at door is freezing cold. Thought it was old wooden door so last week i got a double glazed upvc door. its no warmer and door in covered in condensation. Iv fitted a small panel heater down there that helps a bit, but its still cold. The door area sort of juts out from the building almost like a porch, could it be that there is no insulation in the walls of this as they are much colder than the walls going up the stair. Also i can still feel a draught, seems to be coming from the floor which is concrete with laminate tiles but i cant see anything that seems to need sealed. I would appreciate any ideas why it is so cold down there as iv run out of ideas, ie fitted new door and heater. there is also an old coal cupboard down there and its like a fridge in there. But nothing in there can be causing draught as iv blocked up the ventilation shaft on wall in it.
Wonder if there is empty space under floor as there is 8 steps up to my door, if so how can i insulate floor, all info availabe seems to be for floorboards.

Comments

  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Why do you need to heat this area, as presumably it's only used for entering and exiting the upstairs flat? If it has 3 external brick walls with no cavity then it's going to be pretty cold in this weather.
    Blocking up the ventilation will just make the damp/condensation worse.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • 27col
    27col Posts: 6,554 Forumite
    Insulation does not make spaces warmer. Heating makes spaces warmer. Insulation helps to keep them warmer for longer by reducing heat losses. The clue is in the word "heat" losses. If you are applying heat and there is no improvement, then it is because you are not applying enough heat. You can improve the coal hole door by sticking a 50mm slab of insulating foam onto the outside of it.. But from what you describe I would think that you are on a loser with the set up that you've got.
    I can afford anything that I want.
    Just so long as I don't want much.
  • lor6126
    lor6126 Posts: 253 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker Photogenic
    macman wrote: »
    Why do you need to heat this area, as presumably it's only used for entering and exiting the upstairs flat? If it has 3 external brick walls with no cavity then it's going to be pretty cold in this weather.
    Blocking up the ventilation will just make the damp/condensation worse.

    hi we need to heat it because the cold air is coming straight up the stair and thro the house.
  • lor6126
    lor6126 Posts: 253 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker Photogenic
    any idea why there would seem to be a draught coming frm the floor
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    lor6126 wrote: »
    hi we need to heat it because the cold air is coming straight up the stair and thro the house.

    No, hot air rises. Cold air sinks. If you stop the draught pushing the cold air up to the living area, then it should not matter if the stairs are colder.
    What barrier do you have between the stairs and the main living area? No door? How about a curtain across the top of the stairs as a temporary measure?
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    lor6126 wrote: »
    any idea why there would seem to be a draught coming frm the floor

    Because there are gaps in it allowing the draught through?
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • FLA27
    FLA27 Posts: 301 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker Photogenic
    Hi, I can't answer your question about the floor, but I live in a maisonette with stairs leading up from a front door and I don't even try to keep the stairs warm. It would be impossible as it has a large outside wall up one side which is not cavity wall insulted and the PVC door does not help much either. Thankfully, I have a door at the top of the stairs with a thermally lined curtain across it. This way, it doesn't matter how cold the stairs are since they can be shut off from the rest of the house.
    Is there any way you could fit a door at the top of your stairs or just hang a thick curtain?
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