Insulation advice

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Hi

I've just bought my first home, we've actually been living in this house for 10 years now private renting and have bought it off the landlord.

We've always had a bit of a damp problem in one of the upstairs bedrooms and seems to be worst around a particular area which hangs over a passage way that runs between us and next door.

I suspect that there may be no insulation and this could be causing a cold spot for any moisture to condense and why that part of the room seems to suffer.

My options seem to be either pulling down the boards from the passage way and adding insulation or lifting floor boards and insulating from upstairs.

I am concerned about pulling the boards down as I have no idea what they are made of and don't want to be disturbing asbestos and I'm also unsure what the best options for insulation are. Can I just stick rockwool in there or will it need a vapour barrier? I guess if it does need a vapour barrier then filling from the bottom.is the only option.

I hope this makes sense

Thanks

 

[foxhole]

Rigid insulation board would be easy fix .

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Thanks for the reply!

So would I just have to drop those "ceiling" panels and replace with the rigid stuff you mention or would I be ok to overboard?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Insulating from above would be better, fill the void with mineral wool.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

That what I was planning on doing originally but I wasn't sure if a vapour barrier would be needed?

Cheers

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Probably wouldn't do any harm, even fit one beneath as well as on top, it's not much of a cost outlay.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Would I then need to drop the ceiling boards to be able to apply the barrier? Im no expert here as I'm sure you can tell but the barrier is that silver bubble wrap isn't it?

If so I'd have no choice but to drop the boards fill the void, cover with that bubble wrap stuff and reboard?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

No a vapour barrier is just a very thin impermeable plastic membrane eg https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Green-Polythene-Vapour-Barrier---2-5-x-20m/p/153230 You would lift the boards, then either lay the membrane in strips on the top of the soffit boards between the joists or I suppose you could lay it in the gaps and then lap it up the sides of the joists, the mineral wool will hold it in place, then drape another layer of VB over the whole lot beneath the floor boards.

I suppose in an ideal world you would remove the soffit to get a continuous VB beneath the joists but you know, this is renovation. Or you could leave the soffit as it is, staple a VP over it and then fit a soffit board eg Cladco fibre cement exterior grade backer boards to give you a nice clean soffit.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Thank you for your advice that makes sense and hopefully helps with our cold/damp issues.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thank you for your advice that makes sense and hopefully helps with our cold/damp issues.

Just check, before getting too involved - that looks rather like concrete, in that photo.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Thanks for the advice, it's definitely some sort of board as I can see the nail heads.

 

[Brigadier]

With the proviso that I am very reluctant to state with certainty from a photo alone, those soffit boards look very asbestos - like.
And very much "board", rather than cement, which is much more likely to release fibres if worked on.

I advise that you have a sample and test done, before embarking on anything further.

 

[aveatry]

So if that is a passageway between two houses how is it configured - does your room go all the way over the space or is it shared.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

It's shared, next door get the front half and we get the back

 

[aveatry]

It's shared, next door get the front half and we get the back

But if is front and back then I suppose that there is nothing to share unlike if it was split down the middle otherwise you could approach your neighbour and adding insulation underneath you can share the cost.
Either way if you use PIR then I think you can stick it in-place with the correct foam and avoid disturbing whatever is up there..

Question for others - if he used PIR underneath would this be a fire consideration