We have an extension added recently which is approx 18′ x 14′. The whole room is very cold and it feels like you are outside. Can anyone recommend any options to insulate all the walls and the ceiling without having to take down all the sheetrock?
thanks


Comments

  1. Bond’s question is fair, I have a similar situation with a smaller (8×10?)old backyard extention, and it’s BOTH, poor insulation and a smaller radiator that is not functionining 100%.

    I can bleed the radiator, get a new valve/cap thing which had been spray-painted over, but am also open to recs for someone to come inspect the structure, walls, and assess the options for improving the insulation. I’ll certainly give Dave’s Federal Conservation a call… luck with yours…

  2. Probably not what you want to hear but: We had the problem for years, and tried various halfway measures. Finally, we took out the floors and walls and peeled back the (tin) ceiling and insulated everything. It’s now a usuable room in winter and the whole floor is warmer. Good luck!

  3. Might sound like a silly question, but are you sure that the problem is insulation? You might want to have one of the heating experts on here come by and take a look before you start punching holes in sheetrock, an undersized or under functioning radiator isn’t going to be able to heat a large space even if that space is insulated. How involved were you during the build-out? Do you know that no insulation was used? While I shouldn’t be surprised at this point by anything a contractor does, I still find it hard to believe that someone would build that size of an addition and not insulate. Did you check for air flow around the doors and windows? Seal the outlets? Is the addition on a slab or crawlspace? Did you have anyone with a thermal imaging camera come by and check? You might save yourself some aggravation and money by making sure of what you are dealing with before you pay someone for a remediation that doesn’t address the problem.

  4. We just had an extension built, similar size. Cinder block has insulation on the outside, with a coating of stucco on it. Also radiant heating in the floor. I suggest looking into both.