Insulating conservatory

[marshbrewer]

I'm looking at insulating our conservatory to make it a bit more useable. I'm not expecting miracles obviously.

The roof is a wooden frame with poltcarb roof. I'm thinking of insulating with either kingspan or that superquilt stuff. Has anyone in here done this? Superquilt looks lighter, but is it as effective?

I'm then thinking of insulating the floor, using a wooden frame, kingspan then a new floor over the existing tiles. Has anyone else done this; does it improve things?

Any general advice well received!

 

[terrym]

If you are only looking for a small increase in use it might be more cost effective to just heat it when you need it.

 

[Spapro]

If extra heat just for brewing may be simpler to build a chamber in the corner and heat that with a tube heater cycling on/off controlled by an inkbird 308.

Or a cheap fridge off ebay setup as a brew fridge would give you cooling and heating options.

If you generally want to make the conservatory warmer the above won't help !

 

[marshbrewer]

No, its not for brewing, its just for general use. I'm not expecting miracles, just to moderate the extremes of temperatures it has.

 

[BarnBrian]

I'm looking at insulating our conservatory to make it a bit more useable. I'm not expecting miracles obviously.

The roof is a wooden frame with poltcarb roof. I'm thinking of insulating with either kingspan or that superquilt stuff. Has anyone in here done this? Superquilt looks lighter, but is it as effective?

I'm then thinking of insulating the floor, using a wooden frame, kingspan then a new floor over the existing tiles. Has anyone else done this; does it improve things?

Any general advice well received!

No, its not for brewing, its just for general use. I'm not expecting miracles, just to moderate the extremes of temperatures it has.

Best go on HomeConservatoryForum.com :beer6:

 

[marshbrewer]

Eh?

 

[dad_of_jon]

Eh?

I swapped polycarb roof for self cleaning triple insulated glass quieter less temperature extremes and less cash in pocket :headbang:

seriously tho the old roof was 20 years old cost 6K to replace. I had thermal ceiling blinds with the old poy carb made a difference to keeping heat down they were around £1100 for a 4x3 meter conservatory

 

[BarnBrian]

I swapped polycarb roof for self cleaning triple insulated glass quieter less temperature extremes and less cash in pocket :headbang:

seriously tho the old roof was 20 years old cost 6K to replace. I had thermal ceiling blinds with the old poy carb made a difference to keeping heat down they were around £1100 for a 4x3 meter conservatory

+10 for triple glazing, just had some done.

 

[BeerCat]

I must be having another dyslexic moment as i read it to say insulting conservatory.

 

[BarnBrian]

I must be having another dyslexic moment as i read it to say insulting conservatory.

Was that "Insulting Conservatives", I agree, it should be compulsory.

 

[Clint]

Don't know about insulating but for heating try one of those electric oil filled rads. They are really good and cost pence to run.

 

[Duxuk]

In 2014 we built a garden room at the back of our house. I insulated the walls and roof with Celotex 50mm thick foam/foil. The roof is standing seam aluminium panels, which we formed ourselves. It's useable most of the year but if it is cold we found an oil filled radiator to be inadequate. Here is a picture during construction. The frame is 100mm square oak. I used double glazed windows made exactly to size and made the window and door frames from steel angle. The cost of materials was around £4000.

 

[Dutto]

Personally, I hate polycarbonate roofs so I would rip yours off and fit a solid one with insulation. The polycarbonate roofs and too hot in the summer (especially on south facing conservatories) and too cold in the winter (especially on north facing conservatories).

I built our conservatory about seven years ago. It's 3m x 3m so it didn't need any Planning Permission.

As it's south facing it needed good insulation to not be too hot in the summer and freezing in the winter, The way it's built means that it keeps the whole house heated in the Spring and Autumn and all we have to do is raise the blinds in the morning and shut them down at night. In the summer we just keep the blinds down if it's too hot and in the winter we close the door into the house when the conservatory cools down. It's been a great success.

The walls are constructed (out to in) as follows:

• 8mm horizontal plastic planks.
• 25mm air gap.
• Permeable membrane.
• 22mm OSB.
• 100mm Expanded Foam Silvered Insulation Board.
• Impermeable Membrane.
• 8mm horizontal pine T&G planking.

The roof is pitched on the outside and flat on the inside. Constructed (out to in) as follows:

• Wickes Exterior Roofing Top-Felt.
• Wickes Exterior Roofing Under-felt.
• 22mm OSB.
• Permeable membrane
• 100mm Expanded Foam Silvered Insulation Board.
• Impermeable membrane.
• 8mm pine T&G planking.

The air-space between the outside pitched roof and the inside ceiling is ventilated to keep it aired.

All the windows and the French Doors are double glazed.

For +/- three months in the winter (especially if we have visitors) a 2.4kW storage heater is switched on during the night to ensure that overnight temperatures don't fall too low.

Two beds, a cupboard and a desk+shelves section are all built in with storage space under two beds that act as seats when no one need to be sleeping in them.

I really do recommend removing the roof and doing a "proper job" rather than trying to insulate the polycarbonate roof. :thumb:

 

[Sheepish]

In case this helps, I’ve just converted my loft and the roof insulation to meet building regs is 50mm ventilated air gap (under whatever the finished roof is, so this is for a ‘cold roof’) 75mm kignspan or equiv., superquilt or equiv., 25mm air gap then finished ceiling.