Hello,
I am at the early stages of a full kitchen rebuild that began as “paint the cabinet doors, new countertops, and re-tile the backsplash”.
This is all happening in a granite home in Aberdeen, built c 1840. The room in question though is a more ‘modern’ extension, likely still a century or more old. This is granite on all four walls with stone floors and only a couple of windows, neither attracting much natural light. So it’s a cold cave much of the year up here!
The first major diversion from the original plan was when, during tile removal, I discovered the extend to which the current kitchen, installed in the early 1990s, reduced the size of the room by blocking the old fireplace including full height alcoves either side. I’ve since removed the wall to expose that fireplace and we’re set on recommissioning that and installing a wood burning stove.
This is the gable end and is partly subterranean; the wall appears to have some sort of tanking material applied to it but you’ll see from the pics that some amount of moisture has been allowed to pass. I’m not overly concerned as the kitchen has been in place 32 years in this way and we encountered a bit of mildew on only one cabinet (admittedly, near the sink), and a bit of ongoing wet to the wall base plate at the mouth of the chimney. The other three walls had minor damp that I’d attribute to build up due to a lot of rubble from degrading lathe and plaster.
I now plan to tear out all three remaining walls, back to the granite, and frame these out new, allowing me a chance to insulate. I’d like any advice here on my plan as follows:
Tear room out to blank granite and all four walls, stone floors. Clean and re-tank gable (chimney) wall only. Frame whole room, including alcoves but not fireplace, in new 4”/2” timber with PIR insulation between studs. I believe I need another thin PIR over studs as a thermal break but please confirm. Then plasterboard over top.
For the floor I’m proposing plastic sheet at a moisture barrier (or should this be topical DPM?), then floating floor comprised of PIR, sheathing, new laminate floor.
Should be a brand new room inside an old facade.
I’m aware of the pitfalls of adding internal insulation to a stone house. Does my method, assuming a 50mm, air gap between stud wall and granite, seem ok? I’m also curious to hear other’s advice on whether insulating 3.5 walls and a floor is all a big waste of time and money if I’m leaving a large stone fireplace exposed!
I’ve typed all this on a phone, on a bus on the way to work so I appreciate I’ve glossed over some required detail. For now, that’s it, and here’s some photos.
Thanks in advance for any input, it’s all appreciated.
JB
I am at the early stages of a full kitchen rebuild that began as “paint the cabinet doors, new countertops, and re-tile the backsplash”.
This is all happening in a granite home in Aberdeen, built c 1840. The room in question though is a more ‘modern’ extension, likely still a century or more old. This is granite on all four walls with stone floors and only a couple of windows, neither attracting much natural light. So it’s a cold cave much of the year up here!
The first major diversion from the original plan was when, during tile removal, I discovered the extend to which the current kitchen, installed in the early 1990s, reduced the size of the room by blocking the old fireplace including full height alcoves either side. I’ve since removed the wall to expose that fireplace and we’re set on recommissioning that and installing a wood burning stove.
This is the gable end and is partly subterranean; the wall appears to have some sort of tanking material applied to it but you’ll see from the pics that some amount of moisture has been allowed to pass. I’m not overly concerned as the kitchen has been in place 32 years in this way and we encountered a bit of mildew on only one cabinet (admittedly, near the sink), and a bit of ongoing wet to the wall base plate at the mouth of the chimney. The other three walls had minor damp that I’d attribute to build up due to a lot of rubble from degrading lathe and plaster.
I now plan to tear out all three remaining walls, back to the granite, and frame these out new, allowing me a chance to insulate. I’d like any advice here on my plan as follows:
Tear room out to blank granite and all four walls, stone floors. Clean and re-tank gable (chimney) wall only. Frame whole room, including alcoves but not fireplace, in new 4”/2” timber with PIR insulation between studs. I believe I need another thin PIR over studs as a thermal break but please confirm. Then plasterboard over top.
For the floor I’m proposing plastic sheet at a moisture barrier (or should this be topical DPM?), then floating floor comprised of PIR, sheathing, new laminate floor.
Should be a brand new room inside an old facade.
I’m aware of the pitfalls of adding internal insulation to a stone house. Does my method, assuming a 50mm, air gap between stud wall and granite, seem ok? I’m also curious to hear other’s advice on whether insulating 3.5 walls and a floor is all a big waste of time and money if I’m leaving a large stone fireplace exposed!
I’ve typed all this on a phone, on a bus on the way to work so I appreciate I’ve glossed over some required detail. For now, that’s it, and here’s some photos.
Thanks in advance for any input, it’s all appreciated.
JB
