Converting store to computer room

[kjharve]

Hi there,

At the back of our house is what we call our store, linked to the main property via an area we use as a utility room. The store is single brick with a damp course and is where our oil burner is located.

I'd like to convert this into a computer room as the space is a bit wasted at the moment and I'm fed up with sitting under the stairs!

The temperature of the room is obviously great in summer but gets very cold in winter. There is a thermostat within the store fixed at 5 degrees to prevent the pipes freezing. From what I can see there appears to be no issues with damp.

I'd like to know what I'd need to do to this store to be able to keep computers in there? Would it be sufficient to get a radiator fitted just to keep the temperature up or would I need to do something with the walls?

Any ideas / potential issues would be gratefully received!

Thanks,

Kev

 

[Deluks]

You should insulate and line the area with plasterboard at least. And heat/ventilate adequately to make it comfortable for you and the computer.


When you say a thermostat keeps it above 5 degrees, where does the heat come from, the burner itself?

How big is the room? Does the oil burner take up a lot of space? Any windows? Roof construction?

 

[Deluks]

deleted dupe

 

[chessspy]

hi, deluxe,
you need to go in there and look all around.
up, is the roof insulated? I doubt it so, if you can see joists, then put up some wool and foil backed board.
Down, is it a concrete floor? brrrrr cold put something on to insulate it, if only cheap carpet.
Walls, the DPC is purely decorative if it's 4" brickwork, so, clad it and 'thinsulate' and foil backed boards.
If you plan to use it all year you need to be comfortable, look at the door if it is a cheap thin thing consider changing it of clad it internally.
What about the window, is it single glazed?

 

[kjharve]

The window is single glazed (wood is all in good condition, no sign of damp), the floor is concrete and the roof is not insulated. I can see the joists. Putting board up on the ceiling with some insulation between the joists will be easy enough.

There's only a door to the utility room, not outside, so I don't think I need to do too much with that.

The thermostat just fires up the burner if it gets cold, there's no other heat source there. I'm not sure how successful that would be at keeping the temperature up.

So if I boarded the ceiling and the walls, would I then still need a radiator? The room itself is only about 8 foot square (before insulating).

 

[chessspy]

I wouldn't think so,
my workshop is insulated in a similar way and I just use a small electric heater in the winter.
whereas your room already has some waste heat which will probably suffice.

 

[Deluks]

Just turn the stat up when you're in there, sorted. Foil backed boards, insulation of some sort and maybe some kind of secondary glazing for the window? Any vents of any kind? 8ft sq would soon get stuffy and moist without any.

 

[chessspy]

Stuffy AND moist, oooh lovely.

 

[mattylad]

You might also like to consider boxing in the boiler so its not always heating u the room with the pc's in. add openable vents so you can get heat when needed.

Its not always comfortable working in a room with a boiler.