Insulating above a Garage

Fulls

Hi,

I live in a two bedroom property which is directly above 3 garages! The insulation above the garages is minimal and I am looking for advice on what to do.

After closer inspection tonight it appears (i am no expert!) there are concrete joists which are 200mm apart. These then hold up concrete blocks. The issue I see is that there are gaps between the concrete blocks which lets the air through. The floor in the place is very cold.

I have had one floor up in a hall way and the floor boards have a thin layer of what looks like polysterine insulation.

I would prefer to insulate above the garage but need some advice. There are wooden beams which run from front to back and are held up by brackets. Ceiling board has then been partially used to cover the ceiling but with no insulation.

I have read all over the net about spray on foam but had a quote tonight to do all 3 garages at 1950 pounds. Another option I was looking at was buying 600mm wide insulation slabs, however when I investigated tonight it seems its concrete style joists with only wooden parts to fasten board up.

The property is aprox 30 years old and def would not meet the building regs if built today.

What can I do? apart from move

arborlinden

Fulls wrote: »

Hi,

I live in a two bedroom property which is directly above 3 garages! The insulation above the garages is minimal and I am looking for advice on what to do.

After closer inspection tonight it appears (i am no expert!) there are concrete joists which are 200mm apart. These then hold up concrete blocks. The issue I see is that there are gaps between the concrete blocks which lets the air through. The floor in the place is very cold.

I have had one floor up in a hall way and the floor boards have a thin layer of what looks like polysterine insulation.

I would prefer to insulate above the garage but need some advice. There are wooden beams which run from front to back and are held up by brackets. Ceiling board has then been partially used to cover the ceiling but with no insulation.

I have read all over the net about spray on foam but had a quote tonight to do all 3 garages at 1950 pounds. Another option I was looking at was buying 600mm wide insulation slabs, however when I investigated tonight it seems its concrete style joists with only wooden parts to fasten board up.

The property is aprox 30 years old and def would not meet the building regs if built today.

What can I do? apart from move

If it was me I would call the local fire department and ask their opinion. Most owners in anything but private accommodation have to do a regular fire risk assessment and take action if necessary. Living in residential accommodation above garages without fire resistant boarding and sealing must be a prime defination of "living dangerously"

Fulls

Not overly sure I am living dangerously, I had the fire lot round not so long ago who confirmed I don't even need fire doors. The concrete floor above the garage would take some getting through. My immediate concern is the cold although do have fire proofing in mind for any changes.

Fulls

Just to add more info, plasterboards cover the ceiling with the exception of 1. I am not sure if this fell down or was never there.

shaven-monkey

There's no point in spray insulating the garages unless you want to keep them nice and toasty warm.

Anything that prevents air movement through the floor will improve the situation so you could just staple vapour barrier sheeting across the garage ceilings and be done with it.
You can buy the stuff for about £17 for 50m2 from wickes.

Fulls

The plan was to insulate the ceiling above to stop any cold or draft coming through. This would be an alternative to taking up the floor boards, which I have just had new carpet fitted to.

My only concern with sheeting is that it does not seal the gaps.

tony6403

I think that your idea of using slabs is the way to try to deal with this . You could also look at the boards which Scewfix sell ( item 66321)
If you can gain access and you carefully cut the slabs to size , it should be possible to hold them in place with a bit of gunnable adhesive and then to permanently bond them with a can of expanding foam (applied very sparingly at the edges so as not to push the slabs downwards).

shaven-monkey

Fulls wrote: »

My only concern with sheeting is that it does not seal the gaps.

egads man, have you never heard of duct tape?