Insulation advice

[StephenStephen]

My amateur response would be - why not just fix insulation underneath the passageway boards? (as aveatry is suggesting), maybe insulated plasterboard?
I'd also insulate under the floor from above

 

[aveatry]

My amateur response would be - why not just fix insulation underneath the passageway boards? (as aveatry is suggesting), maybe insulated plasterboard?
I'd also insulate under the floor from above

Not sure if plasterboard will be happy outside. If access is easy from above then you could do both I suppose

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

I'm just unsure of the best option and dont want to do anything which could make things worse.

The passage way is split 50/50, next doors front bedroom overhangs the entire front half and our rear bedroom overhangs the entire back half.

I do have access from above if I pull up the boards and was planning on ripping up the carpets anyway.

I guess if I can avoid disturbing those potentially harmful boards then that would be the preferred option although a bit more fiddly.

Obviously I want to try and get rid of the cold/damp without going nuts too and going over the top.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I do have access from above if I pull up the boards and was planning on ripping up the carpets anyway.

I guess if I can avoid disturbing those potentially harmful boards then that would be the preferred option although a bit more fiddly.

Obviously I want to try and get rid of the cold/damp without going nuts too and going over the top.

I would discuss it with your neighbour, and maybe make it a combined job for the outside part at least. You will both benefit.

 

[hllns]

I would discuss it with your neighbour, and maybe make it a combined job for the outside part at least. You will both benefit.

Probably not as It looks identical to the passageway alongside my 50s newtown place, the party wall is normally one side of the passage rather than on the centre, my neighbour has all of the space above the passage and a flying freehold over half of it for a bit of their house.

Edit: Apologies, just read the newer bit above about it being a front/back split

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Not sure if plasterboard will be happy outside.

Correct, there are suitable insulated boards that can be used for external soffits or insulation + the board mentioned earlier in the thread. Or just do everything form above and ignore the soffit, also mentioned earlier.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Pulled a couple of boards up and confirmed there is nothing in the void so going to order some insulation and vapour barrier and fill from above.

Couldn't see under the floor enough to tell if these joists are open to the rest of the ceiling space or not. If they are I might block it up with some timbers but not sure until I can pull a few more boards.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

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 suspect lifting some floorboard, and inserting insulation over the area, would be the easiest, cheapest, and most effective solution.

 

[JohnD]

Do you mean the damp is on the floor? Or the walls? Windows?

Is the room cold?

Post some pics to show the damp patches please.

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

Well we used to have a wardrobe over this bit of the floor that covers the passage way and we had to get rid as it all went mouldy. We had it pulled away from the wall a few inches but all the back was green as where some of the clothes.

We've since got rid of the wardrobe and had our clothes in bags on the floor whilst we worked out the cause and have now found clothes in the bags have started going mouldy too.

Since this part of the floor is going to be colder than the rest I assumed that would be why we had problems with this part of the room.

Over the last few days I've installed a piv unit and the difference it's made is amazing, all.windows completely dry but I'm still keen to get some insulation under this part of the floor as it can't be helping.

 

[JohnD]

If it is a wooden floor, you can easily insulate it and block draughts by taking up the boards and packing with mineral wool

However you have a source of damp in the room.

Water vapour is lighter than air and tends to rise so condensation on floors is quite rare

Is there some other source of damp, such as a leaking radiator, or a spilling gutter running down the wall?

 

[Seanchadwick2k3]

I think the damp could have just been poor air flow around the house. Since installing the piv a few days ago all of my windows are completely dry which we never had even when running a dehumidifier for 6 hours every night.

No source of moisture around that area at all really, no heaters, no gutters as it's against a wall.between us and next door. No gutters nearby as it's sort of in the middle of the two house.

Your point around water vapour makes sense I just couldn't think of any other cause but maybe it was just ventilation.