help with between floors insulation...

[Annpan]

The C&^$ F&*&^ A@^* W&%&s that are building my home stupidly and inconsiderately ignored us when we asked for insulation between the floors.

Result = our bedroom is like an echo chamber and the noise from it will travel everywhere in the house = NOT GOOD!!!!

The plaster board ceiling below our bedroom is not yet taped and plastered and I was hoping of a way to get insulation in there before this happens, with-out removing the whole of the ceiling.

I was hoping I could take down a small section and push insulation along inbetween the joists but has anyone got any ideas for
a) how to make it work
b) what type of insulation I should get (from B+Q tonight BTW)
c) any tips on how to do it
d) a blunt object to whack my builder over the head with.

[Nick69]

The only way youll do it is by getting something like Kingspan and slide it in. Just pray they havnt put any noggins in there otherwise youll be aout of luck sliding it anywhere.
If the builders were asked to do then, well they should do it. Have you spoken to them about it yet?

[Annpan]

Have I asked them? Yes.... but I have now had more than a dozen altercations with the builders when they refuse to do something that I ask them to.

Well - I was so upset about it that I took down few of the smaller bits of plasterboard to see what I was dealing with..... and yes, my builder is full of Sh1t.
There is lads of space to slide something along so we are about to head to B+Q to pick something up - I'll keep you posted

[Nick69]

50mm Kingspan will be fine and rigid enough to slide along.

[battybird]

Hi Annpan
In answer to d)
If the builders are that crap, I expect they have left some lengths of wood lying around...I suggest a few nails banged through a large lump would make a great object to hit them over the head with!! I would use the sharp end, sounds like they deserve it!
Hope you found something that works ok!

[homegrown]

Hi Annpan, a spade is good for crap builders especially if their name is doug, I would assume you have similar insulation products available up north, there is one that can be blown in to the wall and roof cavities called insulfluff, and others made from recycled newspaper or wool that can be fed in

[JulieSherris]

I have a 14lb sledgehammer in the boot of the car (I was putting our sign at the end of the lane today) and will be extremely pleased to catch the ferry tomorrow & head it up to yours to help...........

[Annpan]

lol... thanks guys

50mm kingspan would have been ideal... and yes, easier but..... it is pricey and also wouldn't fit in our car


Here is what I did:

I got a strip of the ceiling opened up so I could access each cavity between the joists - this was easy enough as I just took down sections of plasterboard along the middle of the room.
I used 100mm 'base layer' loft insulation (it was BOGOF at Wickes too ) - the fibreglass stuff that comes on a huge roll. I cut it in to strips (the side of the pack is marked so you know where to cut)
I got one 2.4m length of 40mm plastic water pipe and passed it along each cavity to sit on top of the 'dwangs' that were up there - this way, as long as I made sure the fibreglass went in on top of this I shouldn't encounter any problems.
I used one 1.8m length the same plastic pipe as a poking device.
I folded the insulation over the top of the pipe and pushed the whole lot into the cavity. Then I just kept feeding along until I could reach no further. (the walls upstairs are around 2m from where I was.)
After that I just had to pull the pipes back out and start on the next section.

It was really very simple to do (once I worked it out). Took me, on my own about 2-3 hours (I did need to shout at builders occasionally during this time)It probably only took about an hour to put in the actual insulation.

Only trouble is.... now I need to put back up the plasterboard (though I might smile nicely at kindly joiner and labourer to 'help' me)

----

The builder is a complete moron.... but each of the individual tradesmen that have been on site have been excellent. Just I get so fed up having to explain that I want insulation and reclaimed wood floors and to keep hold of the old bathroom suite.... and no, I don't have a spare £1000 to pay because someone you hired messed up.

[grahamhobbs]

For sound insulation Kingspan is not the right type of insulation and although it used to be used, lightweight glass fibre does not comply with the Regulations anymore.

There are specific insulations, a slightly denser glass fibre type insualtion that comes in rectangles made by people like Rockwool. I would not try to slide these in between the joists, easier to take the palsterboard down, if it hasn't been taped and skimmed.

If the work is being done by builders then it is their responsibility because the Building Regulations specify the insulation required between the joists and also the thickness and type of plasterboard underneath - 12mm standard plasterboard is not sufficient, it should be Soundroc plasterboard (the blue one).

[Annpan]

Graham - it is an internal ceiling - above is our bedroom, below is our kitchen. It doesn't specify on the plans that it was to be done (I thought it did) and building regs do not require it to be done - hence the problem with the builder (he never wants to do more than he is legally required to... and even then, barely...)

The insulation is loft roll insulation it is acoustic and thermal.

Also... on my own... there was no chance of me removing the whole ceiling, especially seen as the tapers were due today.

I had limited funds, time and experience... I am pretty happy with what I achieved.

[battybird]

Well done Annpan, I dont think I would have been as tenacious! I did sort of think of that type of insulation but know NOTHING about this sort of job! I think I would have just cried...not much help! BOGOF was really lucky, shame the builder cant be persuaded to pay something towards it!

[grahamhobbs]

Annpan, who said that insulation was not required under building regulations? Unless the work was purely the repair of a defective ceiling, for instance if other things were being altered that affected the ceiling, then the regulations would apply.

These days, unless it is a straight repair, the work even in old houses has to be done to current standards, these include sound insulation between floors within ordinary houses.

[Annpan]

Graham... my builder said it was not necessary. He said that they don't do it in new houses. I said I don't care, I want it.


Of course I don't trust my builder as far as I can throw him so who knows.

It is possible there are different laws in Scotland??? hmm, maybe not...

BTW I have now found that the insulation in the roof cavity is severly lacking so I will be going back for more bogofs this week...

[fruitcake]

You're right AP - insulation between floors in the one dwelling is not nec - the idea is that the insulation goes round the outside thus encapsulating the whole building.

We also had builder traumas over insulation and sacked one on the spot cos he wasn't putting insulation in behind external plasterboard

And we put glass wool inbetween the floors too - did it ourselves though - yeuch, horrid job. It doesn't deaden all the sound though and we've also found that it stops the heat rising from downstairs - we have underfloor heating downstairs and nothing upstairs - we reckoned enough heat would rise up the stairwell - but it doesn't - in the winter you can feel the cold air pouring down the stairwell - doh.

We've just fitted a woodburning stove upstairs and when in the loft discovered large gaps of uninsulated areas - after we overspec'd the insulation too - we've added it to the list of things to do before next winter (or pay someone else to do cos neither of us is rushing forward to volunteer to spend any more time rolling out glasswool )

You have my full sympathies and utmost regard for perservering and getting the insulation in despite the builders

[grahamhobbs]

Annpan, I have checked, it appears that in Scotland there is no regulation for sound insulation between rooms within a dwelling (new or existing) unlike in England.