Insulation - Where's Best To Start

[chuckalicious]

Couple of questions here....

I live in a Victorian terraced house, which has the original wooden floors on the ground floor, and the original slated roof. Some of the ground floor is carpeted, and some is just open floorboard.

Some of the house, ie the loft and under the floor, has been insulated with some glasswool/fiberglass, but it's old, thin and falling away at places. I know fine well I need to remedy this.

Due to the size of the project, I'd like to know what you all thought I'd be best doing first? Under the floor or the loft.

The roof isn't felted and is fairly breezy, but under the floor has about a 3 foot gap between the ground and the floorboard, so it's fairly breezy too where there is no carpet (and sometimes even where there is!).

I'd like to insulate the most imporant bit first, but don't know which that is!

Either way, when doing the loft, should I use the pre-packed roll of fiberglass (with foil back) or should I get the un-packed/foil backed stuff, as I've read here that it'll breathe better if it's not stuck in a packet.

Thanks

 

[topgazza]

Packed is OK...as long as it is at least 100mm...the more the merrier although there comes a point where too much adds no more value.

Why do folk insulate between floors ? Its stops the natural warmth of the house spreading upwards and is not recommended by any insulation guides for warmth...sound maybe but then you lose that heat transfer.

I would also suggest cavity wall as well and you may be able to get a subsidised price from your power company. They were given big chunks of taxpayers money to encourage this sort of thing and if they've got any left...that may well include the loft as well.

Contact your energy supplier as well as your local council for info and grants.....much cheaper than buying and someone else will professionally install it.......my local council offer heavily subsidised grants for insulation so I would think your's would as well

 

[chuckalicious]

Now there's a point, I'll check out the council.

As for insulating between floors. It's not between floors as such. Because of the age of the house, I can get under my ground floor, under which is just rubble, stone and a few air bricks. What this means is that it's flipping freezing under there, and the cold air just comes up between the floor boards, making the ground floor cold and a little bit draughty. I wouldn't insulate between floors (ie the floor of the first floor/ceiling of the ground).

 

[topgazza]

Ah..right. Nothing worse than a cold stiff breeze from underneath. If you have good access under the floor....being an electrician in days gone by...I spent many a happy hour crawling in such spaces...you could always put Kingspan between the joists under there to block the draft...silver side down. Quite expensive though as are most of the foam damp resistant insulation products.

Powergen cavity walled my 4 bed detached this year for £50...yes, £50. Company that did it reckoned he would normally charge £350 mimimum for an unsubsidised job