Cold sunroom

J

JohnF

Guest
We added on a sunroom this summer with a tiled roof. Went for a tiled roof so that the room could be used throughout the year - well that was the plan.
However in the cold weather, the room gets very cold very quickly once the heating goes off. In the mornings, going from the living room into the sunroom via the patio doors is like going outside.
The walls were insulated. The windows double glazed. We put 6" of rockwool insulation under the felt and fitted a tongue and groove timber ceiling under the rockwool. I feel there must be tiny gaps between the boards around the ceiling corners and apex where the cold air is getting in. Was thinking of applying a thin bead of clear silicon in the gaps although this will be a messy job.

Any ideas or is it normal for such a room to be so cold compared to the remainder of the house ?

JohnF
 
For a start, I am sorry to say, that you should NEVER use rockwool for between rafter insulation, it can get damp and will get damp if there is not enough of a continuos air flow between underfelt and insulation. You should have used rigid between rafter insulaion and then a layer of insulation backed plasterboard over rafter, before timber cladding.
 

Have to agree with that, you should have put up the plasterboard, and sealed all the joints before cladding.
 
we put on a sun room with tiled roof a few years ago and it never feels that cold it has slatted timber roof and wooden floor and we did not put up double doors, but left it open on to a kitchen dining room so our open space is very big. I feel you must have some problem if it is that cold
 
Recently completed a sunroom. Rock Wool was used in insulating the roof (was unaware of any dampness problems at the time). Used Careys Vistatherm elite glass for windows,doors and 4 velux type roof windows. It has a very low emmisivity value.

have a look at the link below.

[broken link removed][broken link removed]


I find it keeps all the heat in the room very well during the winter. I know replacing your glass is an expensive option but it might be worth it. Its about 20% dearer than normal double glazing. Im very happy with the results.

Shammy
 
JohnF, is the heating enough to heat the sunroom and what type of heating have you installed in the sunroom.
 
Thanks all for the replies

Froggie, there is a 1200 mm radiator in the room measuring 10 ft by 12 ft

I'm inclined to agree with the suggestions above that we should have fitted foil backed plasterboard above the timber ceiling. Will probably go with this option in the new year.

JohnF
 
can you recommend a good sunroom construction firm?[dublin/castleknock area.}
 
Last edited:
Hi John,
just wondering if you ever fixed this problem, I have a sunroom which sounds very similar

Dan
 
qwerty? said:
Have to agree with that, you should have put up the plasterboard, and sealed all the joints before cladding.
Click to expand...

To what thickness of plasterboard - do you mean xtratherm or equivlant?

Would it make a difference if it was a kitchen extension with a lean to roof, i.e. the internal wall is mostly gone and replaced with an RSJ?
 
JohnF - I'm in a similar position and had a number of people out to view and provide recommendations. The real issue is that I have standard double glazing windows which account for a large percentage of my wall space. If you find yourself in a similar position then insulating the roofspace with plasterboard will only have a minimal effect.

Make suer to get an expert opinion before you try a piecemeal fix.

All the best.

 

Is rockwool ok in a normal attic, is it any different to glass fibre in this regard?
 
I had planned a high wooden ceiling in my room until I was in my brothers sunroom at xmas. You could see your breath it was so cold, complete opposite in summer. Any heat went up into the apex of the roof. I decided against a high roof into the joists and went with a flat ceiling instead. I also recommend dry lying the walls of a sunroom with at least 38mm board. You could use the same board on the ceiling to keep in the heat. I can now sit comfortable in my sunroom at Xmas playing the Wii !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register