How to raise and insulate the FLOOR ON the BALCONY.. Design features

How to raise and insulate the FLOOR ON the BALCONY.. Design features

When working on the balcony weatherization, you should familiarize yourself with the main features of the room design. Usually the base of the floor here is a concrete slab. If it is not covered with insulating material, all efforts to insulate the walls of the balcony will be in vain. The cold will be transmitted from the floor surface of the balcony. Therefore, the most important when working on the insulation of a balcony is floor insulation.

The technology of wall surface insulation on the balcony does not differ from the usual work on wall insulation inside rooms.

Note! For quality insulation of the balcony, it is recommended to use plastic windows, which will well protect this room from the penetration of cold air currents. Also, to preserve heat, you should take care of double-glazed windows.

If it is not possible to install plastic windows, it is necessary to completely close and seal all gaps.

At warming it is worth paying attention and to a balcony ceiling. This is especially true of balconies located on the top floor of the building. The ceiling of the balcony can also serve as a concrete slab. If its surface is damaged, not only moisture and dampness will get inside the room, but also cold air flows, which will reduce the level of heat in the room.

To insulate the floor on the balcony, you should study the process technology, choose the most suitable material and calculate its required amount.

Modern technology development allows the use of various types of materials for insulation. To choose the most appropriate, it is necessary to study the main characteristics and features of each of them.

How to insulate under raised Sunroom. Windows and Heat Loss in Your Sunroom

One of the biggest energy loss factors of your sunroom may be the windows. You want windows that fit securely so air is not transferred around the frames. Heat can come in during the summer and go out in the winter through tiny gaps between the window frame and the wall.

The glass in your windows can present an insulating challenge. If your windows are old, they may only contain one pane of glass with no insulating factor. However, upgrading the windows could have a big impact on the energy efficiency of your sunroom. New windows can be made with multiple panes of glass that contain clear insulating material like gas to block heat transfer.

Installing new insulated windows in your sunroom could be a do-it-yourself project, but since most sunroom windows are often special order, you probably won’t be able to return them easily if your measurements are off. For that reason, and to ensure you have the best insulating components possible, it can be beneficial to work with a professional.

For help with all your sunroom replacement window needs, contact Garrety Glass. Our professional staff can help you select the right windows for the job and get the precise measurements. If you like, we can even install the windows for you to ensure the best fit and insulating value for your sunroom.

When we remove the old windows, we’ll be sure to clean up the openings so there are no obstructions for the new installation. We’ll level your window before securing it in the opening and caulk around the window to fill any gaps and keep air from escaping.

A Comfortable Sunroom All Year Round

The best way to control the temperature in your sunroom is to consider your sun exposure when you build the sunroom and adapt your selection to how you want to use the room. A year-round sunroom can be created with the right insulating factors for the sun exposure in your location.

How to insulate a Sunroom floor. How should I insulate the floor of a Sunroom I’ll be building over a raised deck?

Updated on July 8th, 2021

How should I insulate the floor of a sunroom I’ll be building over a raised deck? It’s about 9 feet off the ground, with a hot tub underneath.

The easiest, neatest and least expensive option is to apply 2 inches of extruded polystyrene foam on top of the deck that forms the floor of the sunroom , with a layer of 5/8-inch plywood installed over the foam to act as a subfloor . Secure this ply with screws driven down so they extend one inch into the deck floor. You can install any kind of floor you like over this, and the foam alone is enough to support the ply. No wooden strips are needed to hold up the plywood. The only thing you need to be careful about is sealing joints between and around foam sheets to prevent indoor air from leaking down around the foam and causing condensation during winter. Lay down beads of expanding spray foam on each joint just before assembly.

Spray foam applied to the underside of the floor frame is another option, and it both seals and insulates . It’s more expensive than sheet foam applied on top, and messier to work with, but you don’t need to worry about sealing. Factory finished metal roofing is an excellent option to cover the foam and create a ceiling above your hot tub. It looks good, it’s strong and it’s easily pressure washed to remove cobwebs and dirt. Just fasten the metal to the bottom edge of the deck floor joists using the same waterproof screws designed for a roof installation.

Insulate underside of deck. How to insulate underside of roof deck in 1927 conditioned space

I have lived here for 18 months. First thing I did was re shingle to roof. Roofer is a pro and said decking was in great shape. Shingles are mid-dark gray in color. This is a 1.5 story home in central MN with the second story “finished” at some point with Homasote on the walls and ceilings. Homasote is a brand name associated with the product generically known as cellulose based fiber wall board, which is similar in composition to papier-mâché. It is in bad condition and needs to come down. There are two unfinished spaces behind knee walls that are accessible. There is a little bit of fiberglass batting under the roof deck but mostly newspaper from 1933.

The roof rafters in the exposed areas are 3.5 inches deep. There is no ridge vent. There is a single vent in both unfinished spaces. There are vent holes in the aluminum wrap on the soffit but I have no idea if they are actually functional. Contractor says that in a house this old they are typically blocked and useless. He thinks the best solution is to spray 3″ of closed cell foam on the complete underside of the roof deck making it a “hot roof”.

My original idea was to use 2″ rigid polyiso foam between rafters then another layer perpendicular to that taping all the seams. This seems a much more reasonable DIY project. Contractor says I would be asking for trouble. I can’t get anywhere near the code requirement on R value unless I reduce headroom in this finished space by 6-8″ with rigid foam “under” the rafters in addition to the spray foam. between rafters. Mostly I want to seal leaks and insulate better than the existing newspaper.

I am doing a lot of reading and my head is spinning. There are 4 windows, 1 heat vent and no cold air return. Co-worker is telling me I need to extend a cold air return up there from the basement ductwork. The house exterior is stucco.

Thanks for reading all this. I wanted to be as complete as possible. What would you do ?

How to insulate floor joists from above. Bonus-room floors

There are two important reasons to do a careful job of air-sealing the floor of a bonus room over a garage: to improve the home’s energy performance and to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the room. Even after air-sealing, it’s essential that you install a CO detector.

When insulating a bonus-room floor, you’ll usually be working from below. If the area of the heated bonus room above the garage is smaller than the area of the garage ceiling, you’ll need to install blocking between the joists to provide an air barrier where the floor insulation stops. Locate the blocking under the kneewalls.

Blocking can be made from 2x lumber or rigid foam. If it is being installed between I-joists or floor trusses, rigid foam will be easier to cut into odd shapes than lumber. Whether you use 2x or rigid foam, it’s important to seal the perimeter of each piece of blocking with caulk or canned spray foam.

If the floor is the same size as the garage, it’s essential to air-seal the rim-joist area carefully. If ceiling joists extend from the house into the garage, you need to install blocking between the joists to maintain the home’s air barrier. Once the blocking has been installed, seal air leaks at the blocking and the rim-joist area on all four sides of the garage.

Air-seal, and hold insulation tight to subfloors The first step in energy-smart floor assemblies is air-sealing, which is particularly important in garages, where carbon monoxide and other toxic chemicals can leak into the living space above. Another significant detail is to make sure the insulation is held tight to the bottom of the subfloor; gaps negate the R-value of the insulation.

Floor above a garage This detail shows a garage bonus-room floor framed with open-web floor trusses. To prevent air leaks, it’s important to install caulk at all of the indicated locations. Ideally, the floor assembly won’t include any ducts. If there’s no way to avoid installing ductwork in the floor, specify deep floor joists, such as trusses, that provide plenty of room under the ducts for insulation, and be sure to include a continuous layer of rigid foam under the joists.

Smaller room over a large garage It is important to maintain a continuous thermal boundary between conditioned and unconditioned spaces. The weak link in this situation is the kneewalls. Install blocking (either wood or rigid foam) under the kneewalls, and insulate the walls, floor, and ceiling as shown.

Insulating floor exposed to outside. Responses (4)

Mike Reynolds 2 years ago

You have a couple of questions here, I will try to answer but I’ll have some of my own.

Given that your gazebo is exposed all around, you have all surfaces to insulate – floor, walls, roof. I don’t think going from 7.5” to 5.5” thick of Rockwool insulation is a problem, the bigger concern I’d have is only having 1.5” in the walls. Any way you can thicken that? And are you planning to heat it constantly or is this something you would heat up for occasional use?

Typical construction techniques should apply though, so yes to a vapor barrier on the interior of the insulation before you do pine. And keep in mind that aluminum will be a thermal bridge and cause heat loss , so putting insulation between metal will reduce the performance even more.

What about adding a thicker layer on the interior? I’m wondering if maybe you can attache strapping to the current metal ‘studs’ in some way to provide a nailing surface. That way you could possibly install a thicker layer, then vapour barrier and strapping and Pine. Does that make any sense? And can you spare any space on the interior?

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Eric Dalpe 2 years ago

Hi Mike, thanks for the reply. This is a  3 season gazebo with 5 tempered glass doors and angle roof. The roof is made of pine, war paper and sheet metal panels. I wont isolate the roof. This is for occasional use and I have a Carbon Infrared heater.

I agree the 6 inch bat would work and will add 1" rigid board on top of the 2x8 studs. I Just hope the 1.5 inch of space left on the 2x8 (7 1/2") wont cause any problem or fall down on the rigid board. No vapor I read under the floor correct?

The walls are panel of aluminium and wood 2x4. I will have to cut the rigid board to insert between the horizontal 2x4. The walls have 1.5 " space. If I go 2" it could work but with the 1/2 " pine Im losing 1" of wall not a big deal I guess. So 2 inch foam, vapor barier than pine? Wish I could add a picture.

Thanks for your help

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Mike Reynolds 2 years ago

So here are some more thoughts Eric – If you aren’t insulating the roof then I wouldn’t bother going too crazy anywhere else. May as well do the walls with a bit of insulation since you plan to add pine anyway, but you’d lose a lot of heat through the ceiling. Warm air rises and with no insulation in the roof, the floor insulation won’t  make a big difference, so certainly don’t concern yourself over the thickness I would say.

But, that said – for occasional use and specifically with an infrared heater (which is a pretty efficient way to keep people warm in an enclosed space) I wouldn’t worry too much. Heating with electricity where there is clean energy like in Quebec makes a difference too, especially with an occasional use room like you are talking about. In your case, the carbon footprint of insulation as well as the cost of buying it starts to add up, so adding thick insulation in the floor won’t help you save money or energy I think.

 I may even be so bold as to say an occasionally-used gazebo in Quebec with an infrared heater would have a lower carbon footprint than a campfire. It's starting to sound a bit like an emergency Covid Socialization room, am I right ?  Don’t lose sleep however you choose to do it.

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Eric Dalpe 2 years ago

Hi Mike, I just your reply I had no notification you did so.

I see your point here and yes its more to work outside for a few hours, kids doing homework, dinners when sunny.

Heated floors would of been the best but you think insulation wont do much. I saw somewhere to sandwitch the rockwool between 1.5 in of rigid board ( under the decking and over the 2x8 stud)?

I was planning to get the material tomorrow so dont want to spend $ for nothing.

I guess the floor with 2x6 rockwool  overed with OSB would do then? Any vapor before the OSB? I read the vinyl floor act as a Vapor barrier.

The walls I will go 2 inch, vapor and pine.

The celling is all pine finish.

Thanks for your help.