Partial loft conversion - insulation issues

Doozergirl

We need to know what the OPs real priorities are.  What are they prepared to compromise on, or not.  They don't need to rip much up if they don't want to, but I don't seem to be being heard.  
 

Typing in capital letters on a forum is shouting.  I'm on my phone too and I can see the font options clearly, but if I didn't, I still wouldn't choose to use capitals to emphasise something.  It's just rude.  

Really not enjoying this place right now. 

Bendy_House

Sorry Doozer - I apologise.

Brebal

So...I've been told that i do have cavity wall insulation.

I think I might have tracked the draught back to behind the kitchen units.  I'm having a new kitchen in a few months and new flooring etc, so will make sure that's all done properly and maybe it could help? (The kitchen is an extension by the way).

I can't feel any draughts around skirting boards in any other room.

I'm not particularly handy but could do something like attaching lightweight polystyrene stuff to the walls/sloping ceiling.  If there was going to be work that would make a massive difference, I'd pay up to £1000 but suspect that wouldn't be enough to rip up floors and insulate properly. I got quoted over £200 just to chuck some insulation in the only accessible eaves....

Bendy_House

Brebal said:

So...I've been told that i do have cavity wall insulation.

I think I might have tracked the draught back to behind the kitchen units.  I'm having a new kitchen in a few months and new flooring etc, so will make sure that's all done properly and maybe it could help? (The kitchen is an extension by the way).

I can't feel any draughts around skirting boards in any other room.

I'm not particularly handy but could do something like attaching lightweight polystyrene stuff to the walls/sloping ceiling.  If there was going to be work that would make a massive difference, I'd pay up to £1000 but suspect that wouldn't be enough to rip up floors and insulate properly. I got quoted over £200 just to chuck some insulation in the only accessible eaves....

Can you confirm, please - which ceiling is it you wish to insulate? Is it the actual 'converted' loft, or is it the (presumed) bedroom under the loft?

Are you capable of plasterboarding? Do you know what is required? If not, then have a look on YouTube and then see if it's within your skills remit.

If you decide it is, then I'd use insulated plasterboard to whatever thickness you can afford, room-loss wise (within reason).

If you want a tradesperson to quote, then a plasterer would be your choice - they should be as equally familiar with the 'boarding-out' part as they are the skimming.

My only concern would be to check that they understand the need to mitre the sheets at the butts at the angles and walls, and ideally to run a bead of expanding foam along these joints before screwing them in place - this will fill any gaps and make the insulating layer continuous.

As for the draughts, you may not 'feel' the breeze coming from under the skirting boards, but if you feel the accumulated draught as it passes in or out that room's door, then there's clearly leakage there. In my experience, the under-skirting gap is the biggest culprit, along with general seepage through T&G floorboards.

This might be a big issue only in windier conditions, so you could always try a smoke taper when there's a breeze?

When your old kitchen is removed, that's a good opportunity to block gaps around pipes, and - again - around skirting boards (if they are even fitted).

Mil's new bungalow had visits from a friendly mouse, and under the base units I discovered that they hadn't bothered with skirting boards, and there were HUGE gaps along parts, with the cavity insulation being exposed. Just carp. Access was impossible to much of it as the waste pipes were run in front of it, so I ended up firing three aerosol cans of mouse-deterrent foam along there. Not pretty...

With the old units out, make it part of the job to seal along the floor, and NOT just fit skirtings (if they are missing); fit skirtings held in place with foam adhesive! SEAL it all! :-)

Grenage

I suppose one could remove the ceiling from below and put insulation board in between the joists.  Very messy though, and the board is expensive.

There probably isn't a good and cheap option.

Brebal

Bendy_House said:

Brebal said:

So...I've been told that i do have cavity wall insulation.

I think I might have tracked the draught back to behind the kitchen units.  I'm having a new kitchen in a few months and new flooring etc, so will make sure that's all done properly and maybe it could help? (The kitchen is an extension by the way).

I can't feel any draughts around skirting boards in any other room.

I'm not particularly handy but could do something like attaching lightweight polystyrene stuff to the walls/sloping ceiling.  If there was going to be work that would make a massive difference, I'd pay up to £1000 but suspect that wouldn't be enough to rip up floors and insulate properly. I got quoted over £200 just to chuck some insulation in the only accessible eaves....

Can you confirm, please - which ceiling is it you wish to insulate? Is it the actual 'converted' loft, or is it the (presumed) bedroom under the loft?

Are you capable of plasterboarding? Do you know what is required? If not, then have a look on YouTube and then see if it's within your skills remit.

If you decide it is, then I'd use insulated plasterboard to whatever thickness you can afford, room-loss wise (within reason).

If you want a tradesperson to quote, then a plasterer would be your choice - they should be as equally familiar with the 'boarding-out' part as they are the skimming.

My only concern would be to check that they understand the need to mitre the sheets at the butts at the angles and walls, and ideally to run a bead of expanding foam along these joints before screwing them in place - this will fill any gaps and make the insulating layer continuous.

As for the draughts, you may not 'feel' the breeze coming from under the skirting boards, but if you feel the accumulated draught as it passes in or out that room's door, then there's clearly leakage there. In my experience, the under-skirting gap is the biggest culprit, along with general seepage through T&G floorboards.

This might be a big issue only in windier conditions, so you could always try a smoke taper when there's a breeze?

When your old kitchen is removed, that's a good opportunity to block gaps around pipes, and - again - around skirting boards (if they are even fitted).

Mil's new bungalow had visits from a friendly mouse, and under the base units I discovered that they hadn't bothered with skirting boards, and there were HUGE gaps along parts, with the cavity insulation being exposed. Just carp. Access was impossible to much of it as the waste pipes were run in front of it, so I ended up firing three aerosol cans of mouse-deterrent foam along there. Not pretty...

With the old units out, make it part of the job to seal along the floor, and NOT just fit skirtings (if they are missing); fit skirtings held in place with foam adhesive! SEAL it all! :-)

It’s the loft ceiling itself. 

I’ve never done plasterboarding, I’d probably have to get someone in for that if it’s difficult, but I’ll check YouTube. 

Bendy_House

Brebal said:

It’s the loft ceiling itself. 

I’ve never done plasterboarding, I’d probably have to get someone in for that if it’s difficult, but I’ll check YouTube. 

Oh. In that case, isn't the room you want insulated the one below? The one that has a radiator, and that folk actually live in?! Or do you wish to use the adapted loft room more?

How is it heated?

Brebal

Bendy_House said:

Brebal said:

It’s the loft ceiling itself. 

I’ve never done plasterboarding, I’d probably have to get someone in for that if it’s difficult, but I’ll check YouTube. 

Oh. In that case, isn't the room you want insulated the one below? The one that has a radiator, and that folk actually live in?! Or do you wish to use the adapted loft room more?

How is it heated?

The loft room isn’t heated in any way. 

I just thought that’s a place where heat escapes. So if I have the heating on, the hot air is all going to rise up and out the roof, therefore why people insulate lofts? 

I suppose I could stop the heat rising through the ceilings and into the loft in theory but didn’t realise that was a practical option? There’s two bedrooms ,  a bathroom and a landing area underneath the loft. 

Edit- I’ve added photos 

Bendy_House

That's a useful space, right enough.

I don't think insulating the ceiling of that room is going to help much with retaining the heat in the rooms below. If it's the rooms below that need heat retention, then they are the ones I'd personally focus on. And the simplest way would be to insulate the ceiling.

Are the two bedrooms below similar? Ie, on similar sides of the house, size, etc? It would be interesting to line the ceiling of one, and then comparing them. But also look at draughts...

The eaves in the loft room - I presume the above-ceiling parts in there are loft-insulated? Can you see under the loft room floor from there - does that also have loft insulation in there, between the loft's floor, and the bedrooms' ceilings?

Brebal

The bedrooms below - one is at front of house, one at back. One is half the size of the other. I hadn’t known there was a way to insulate the ceiling from the underside. 

The eaves access is only on that one side.  There’s insulation in there but not very good. Basically a roll has been thrown in. Got quotes £200 to sort that. Wonder if I could do it myself tho. 

I think it was just flat boards under the carpet tiles. I could take the carpet up and lay some insulation board down if it would help, and be ok to walk on. I’d only have about an inch though before it affected the cupboards opening.