My 1960's house has a small (2.5m x 2.5m) upstairs bathroom built as an extension in the 1980's I think. The room is very cold in winter. It has 3 external walls, and a pitched roof. There is no access to the roof space above the ceiling, though I know the hot/cold supply pipes for the shower run above the ceiling. I think the walls have cavity insulation. The room is tiled floor to ceiling.
I wondered if I could improve the insulation by fixing eg. 100mm Celotex/Kingspan panels directly to the existing plasterboard ceiling. I guess I could glue the panels directly to the ceiling, which is sound plasterboard.
Two problems:
(1) the pipes in the ceiling would be more likely to freeze up. Where they disappear through a hole in the adjacent wall of the main loft, they have only thin 'woolly' insulation, which I suspect is inadequate anyway. I could cut enough of a hole in the ceiling to access the pipes so I could insulate them properly, but I'd prefer not to take the whole ceiling down if possible.
(2) What to finish the panels with. I was thinking of upvc cladding (though I'm not a great fan) which would save more plasterboard + plastering. Not sure about fixing them - I don't know if gluing to the insulation panels would be strong enough, or if I would have to find the ceiling joists and screw through to them.
I could just fit a bigger radiator, but that seems like giving in...
I'd appreciate any advice on this, or any alternative ideas.
I wondered if I could improve the insulation by fixing eg. 100mm Celotex/Kingspan panels directly to the existing plasterboard ceiling. I guess I could glue the panels directly to the ceiling, which is sound plasterboard.
Two problems:
(1) the pipes in the ceiling would be more likely to freeze up. Where they disappear through a hole in the adjacent wall of the main loft, they have only thin 'woolly' insulation, which I suspect is inadequate anyway. I could cut enough of a hole in the ceiling to access the pipes so I could insulate them properly, but I'd prefer not to take the whole ceiling down if possible.
(2) What to finish the panels with. I was thinking of upvc cladding (though I'm not a great fan) which would save more plasterboard + plastering. Not sure about fixing them - I don't know if gluing to the insulation panels would be strong enough, or if I would have to find the ceiling joists and screw through to them.
I could just fit a bigger radiator, but that seems like giving in...
I'd appreciate any advice on this, or any alternative ideas.
