Insulating Internal Stud Walls With Cavity Behind

[PictishPanda]

I am looking to insulate two stud and plasterboard walls, however, I am not sure of the best way to do this. I am relatively new to DIY, but I am willing to give it a go.

The room I am looking to insulate has a cavity behind it due to our house being built onto an older property. Most of the older property was demolished in the 70s, except for the gable end and rear walls. The internal walls are offset from this and constructed of studs and plasterboard.

From the loft, I can see down behind the stud walls at the gable end and into the old fireplace opening, but there isn't enough room to squeeze down there and fit insulation boards. From what I can see, in each gap between the studs, there is a thin sheet of polystyrene and a plastic sheet, which I assume is the vapour barrier as it is between the plasterboard and the studs.

My current thoughts are to pull down the plasterboard, fit some Kingspan boards (100 mm thick? ), and place a new vapour barrier on top. Sounds easy, but I am clueless and a little bit daunted by the task.

Would this be the best way to tackle it, and is it easy enough to do for a beginner? Is there anything I need to watch out for when doing this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, or even being pointed to some useful videos on this would also be a big help.

Thanks!

 

[noseall]

I am looking to insulate two stud and plasterboard walls, however, I am not sure of the best way to do this. I am relatively new to DIY, but I am willing to give it a go.

The room I am looking to insulate has a cavity behind it due to our house being built onto an older property. Most of the older property was demolished in the 70s, except for the gable end and rear walls. The internal walls are offset from this and constructed of studs and plasterboard.

From the loft, I can see down behind the stud walls at the gable end and into the old fireplace opening, but there isn't enough room to squeeze down there and fit insulation boards. From what I can see, in each gap between the studs, there is a thin sheet of polystyrene and a plastic sheet, which I assume is the vapour barrier as it is between the plasterboard and the studs.

My current thoughts are to pull down the plasterboard, fit some Kingspan boards (100 mm thick? ), and place a new vapour barrier on top. Sounds easy, but I am clueless and a little bit daunted by the task.

Would this be the best way to tackle it, and is it easy enough to do for a beginner? Is there anything I need to watch out for when doing this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, or even being pointed to some useful videos on this would also be a big help.

Thanks!

Sounds reasonable. Just be aware of pipe and cable runs, when you start attacking the plasterboards with a crow bar or recip' saw. We often see boarded ceilings or walls as sacrificial, when carrying out building work, especially when the plumbers and electricians start doing their stuff.

Your biggest headache will be removing the fixings and getting rid of the gypsum.

 

[cdbe]

Personally I would use cavity batts, I find them easier to fit, Dritherm 32 offers very good thermal performance. I presume there are noggins (horizontal studs) preventing you fitting loose fill from above.