Is it really worth insulating under ground floor (1900s terrace)?

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We’re getting to the pointy end of our renovations where we’re looking where we can save a little bit.

Kitchen is having a couple of walls knocked down to open it up, and then new kitchen installed. As part of this piece of work we’d asked about replacing the floor and insulating underneath. However having chatted about LVT flooring and the cost, the idea of splurging probably £7-8k across the ground floor seems a little unnecessary. The flooring here is actually not that bad to look at. It’s a laminate wood topper/effect but it’s actually ok. What we don’t know is if there’s any insulation underneath. We’re assuming not given the poor state of the rest of the house when we bought it (some original sash windows, roof not insulated at all etc.)

So, suspended timber floor with vinyl/laminate/whatever you call it. Would we really see a huge benefit by ripping it up and insulating underneath?

As mentioned, we have already converted the loft so have the floor and roof there nicely insulated. The back side return roof has been done in the kitchen and they will insulate those rear walls. We will redo the front bay roof in the lounge, and get a new front door (also trash), and most rads are getting replaced too. I’d like to think we’d see a heck of an improvement without bothering with the ground floor?

 

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I don't know what actual difference you'd see but I wish I'd done it when I had the opportunity. Some netting, a few rolls of insulation and you could do it yourself on the cheap as long as you can get under the floor.

Well the first part is really what I'm asking Unfortunately I don't think we could easily get under the floor but I don't know how we would find out. I don't think there's much e.g. crawl space or anything like that. Possibly just mud, joists, then floorboards and laminate.

I mean the first question to ask is, do those rooms get cold in winter and does the floor seem cold?

We've only been here one winter and it was cold. Especially in the kitchen where we could store beer in 10c in the rear cupboards even when the heating had been on!* We'd have a blanket over us in the lounge but I think my girlfriend would have that regardless.. There was a big draft down the chimney which hopefully we wouldn't have.

But the floors weren't particularly cold being that we wear slippers and it's some sort of wood topped laminate. It's so hard to judge this when it's 27c

But like I say, we've now done/will do the following anyway;

• Loft conversion w/ entirely new roof tiles, membrane + insulation
• Loft floor insulated
• First floor ceilings reboarded, plastered
• Kitchen sloped roof insulated, retiled
• New kitchen windows and french door
• Rear kitchen side-return will be properly insulated (currently single brick)
• Front bay roof in lounge will be retiled, insulated
• Chimney cowels and pots replaced
• Fireplace in lounge replaced, blocked up
• Will be new radiators pretty much throughout

*The kitchen will see the biggest improvement what-with insulating the rear walls and new doors/windows.

I'd like to think we'd see a heck of a difference with all that changing.. but if we get to the end of all this work and get to winter and it's still cold that would be mighty annoying.

 

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If you are lifting the floor anyway then do it, nothing to lose and a small gain. But it's not worth ripping up a good floor to do it.

Think as above if you've got the floor up it's a no brainer.

Yeah, thing is we’re not ripping it up. We’re just removing a couple of internals walls in between the kitchen/dining room. Assumed we would have budget for a new floor and insulation but actually seen as it’s the same flooring through the kitchen, dining room, hallways and lounge then it’s going to cost circa £8-10k to do the lot; insulate and put in new parquet style LVT.

Will speak to the builder this week so find out if they can make good the existing flooring where the walls are coming out. Fortunately it’s the same flooring in the bathroom upstairs (which is being ripped out) so hoping they can take some of that to use. Don’t want it to look like a bodge though! Thing is, the flooring really is ok. It’s almost exactly what we’d choose so it seems rather silly to rip it up just for the insulation… hmm.

We did have a friend from up the road over, he’s self building his extension and although he insulated the new floor under the extension, he hasn’t bothered anywhere else in the ground floor.

 

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If you are knocking walls down you will need new flooring regardless as there will be a gap where the wall used to be!

Haha, yes I'm aware of that Need to talk to the builder about it, to see if he can make good those areas. He is taking the same flooring out of the bathroom so we will have some going spare. If not, we can talk to the flooring company as they may have fitted what we currently have (for the previous owners).

Thing is it's not just about how much money you bleed out, it's about how comfortable the house is through the year and thus improved living quality which you can't put a value on.

Totally agree and this was our mindset initially. But, budget is budget and I'm not convinced we will see much benefit in comparison to all the other improvements we are making. When it comes to insulation we are doing as much as we possibly can e.g. paying extra to insulate the eaves.

 

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Slight update. The local carpet shop we'd gone to for our loft/stairs thought they had laid the existing carpet, so we asked them about the downstairs flooring. They looked up the old owners, sure enough they laid the flooring downstairs too. Even better, what we have is still current and supplied. Long story short even if our builder can't bodge it from the flooring taken out of the bathroom, we'd be able to get them to sort the flooring where our walls are coming out in the kitchen. For that reason we really don't think we can justify the cost of taking it all up to insulate and re-floor. It'd be minimum £4k I reckon for the kitchen/dining only and that would leave us with different flooring in the lounge and hallway. Unless of course we opt for the same flooring again which wouldn't be our choice, and also makes it seem even more silly to spend £4k+ just to insulate and end up with the same flooring!

 

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Still think you are mad and will live to regret it when your floors ar cold to stand in and energy prices keep going north. Basically you are polishing the outside of your house for show and ignoring the important bits! I would also have no faith in someone ‘patching up’ the floors when the walls come down to an acceptable standard particularly with a floor you already admit isn’t what you would choose! Stick what you can’t afford now on an interest free credit card you heating bills and warm feet will thanks you!

Well, we don't recall the floors ever being cold even when the house was. Did you not read above? Completely replacing all roofs, insulating, felt, new tiles etc. and insulating the first floor, and kitchen rear external walls I wouldn't call just "polishing". That's going to make a very real difference, oh and we're going from crappy plastic windows and original sash window in the dining room to brand new windows and french doors too. As for patching up, we'll leave it for the builder to decide if he can do a good enough job but I suspect he will suggest we get the flooring company back to do it properly which is fine. I'd have no issue spending <£1k to sort it.