ᐅ Is a screed necessary? Unfinished but insulated attic space
Created on: 3 Aug 2017 13:07
H
Holleradhiho
Hello community,
We are currently planning a semi-detached house with a developer and I need some advice on one question.
It’s about the attic, which is not living space and not heated, but will be used for storage.
The roof will be insulated with 240mm (9.4 inches) of mineral wool and OSB boards, and the floor consists of a 20mm (0.8 inches) concrete slab.
My question: Is it necessary to seal the floor with screed, or can this be omitted for a purely storage area? The costs seem relatively high, so I’m asking about the benefit.
According to the developer, the screed would of course contribute to thermal insulation; without screed, the upper floor would help heat the attic. But since I have insulated the roof, no heat should be lost.
Is it possible to estimate how many degrees the attic would heat up more without screed compared to with screed?
Is it really necessary to install screed, or would floor coverings be sufficient? I just want to store cabinets and boxes there.
Thank you very much for your help and support,
Best regards
Holleradhiho
We are currently planning a semi-detached house with a developer and I need some advice on one question.
It’s about the attic, which is not living space and not heated, but will be used for storage.
The roof will be insulated with 240mm (9.4 inches) of mineral wool and OSB boards, and the floor consists of a 20mm (0.8 inches) concrete slab.
My question: Is it necessary to seal the floor with screed, or can this be omitted for a purely storage area? The costs seem relatively high, so I’m asking about the benefit.
According to the developer, the screed would of course contribute to thermal insulation; without screed, the upper floor would help heat the attic. But since I have insulated the roof, no heat should be lost.
Is it possible to estimate how many degrees the attic would heat up more without screed compared to with screed?
Is it really necessary to install screed, or would floor coverings be sufficient? I just want to store cabinets and boxes there.
Thank you very much for your help and support,
Best regards
Holleradhiho
B
Bieber08153 Aug 2017 21:39Holleradhiho schrieb:
Underfloor heating on the ground floor and first floor. Then there should also be insulation on the ceiling between the ground floor and first floor, so that the underfloor heating on the first floor effectively heats the first floor itself and not the ceiling it rests on. I assume that's the case in your situation as well.
I agree with #17 and #18, as I already asked in #14 about the ventilation concept. And once again the question: How and where is the airtight building envelope constructed? Is it the same as the insulation (which would be typical)?
11ant schrieb:
With a storage room roof, the top floor ceiling is the more logical boundary layer. Of course, that depends on whether you want the storage room to be frost-free. Outside the insulation, it will not be frost-free.
A consistent approach would be: screed plus heating and, above all, a fixed staircase.
H
Holleradhiho3 Aug 2017 21:59Okay, thanks for your opinions.
That’s correct if I were going to use it as permanent living space.
The primary purpose of the attic is storage, but I want it to be frost-free.
The secondary purpose will be to install some climbing holds and use it for training.
That’s why my plan is to insulate the roof from the start, so I don’t have to do it later. Heating and a fixed staircase are not necessary for this purpose, and in my opinion, neither is a level or comfortable floor (screed).
But that means I’m reconsidering insulating the floor with wool towards the upper floor.
Thank you very much for your support.
Bieber0815 schrieb:
To be consistent: screed plus heating and especially a permanent staircase.
That’s correct if I were going to use it as permanent living space.
The primary purpose of the attic is storage, but I want it to be frost-free.
The secondary purpose will be to install some climbing holds and use it for training.
That’s why my plan is to insulate the roof from the start, so I don’t have to do it later. Heating and a fixed staircase are not necessary for this purpose, and in my opinion, neither is a level or comfortable floor (screed).
But that means I’m reconsidering insulating the floor with wool towards the upper floor.
Thank you very much for your support.
11ant schrieb:
Regarding energy performance in a different, more practical sense: insulation should not be surrounded by the environment but should separate warm from cold. For a pitched roof used as living space, insulating the building envelope is advisable; for a storage room roof, the top floor ceiling is a more appropriate separation layer.This is exactly how our architect explained it to us as well. If we want open ceilings, then the roof should be insulated; if not, then the upper floor ceiling is the better option.
In your case, the execution simply doesn’t make sense. As a result, you are now heating the attic.
K
Knallkörper4 Aug 2017 23:39Zaba12 schrieb:
This is exactly what the architect explained to us as well: if we want exposed ceilings, then the roof is insulated; if not, then the ceiling of the top floor is insulated.
In your case, it simply wasn’t executed properly. So now you are heating the attic as well.Heating the attic at the same time doesn’t really matter. How much greater is the heat loss compared to a construction with an insulated top floor ceiling? 2%? Totally negligible. I generally agree with 11ant—screed and insulation on the top floor ceiling only have a minimal effect and at the same time the disadvantage that you lose build-up height in the attic.
K
Knallkörper5 Aug 2017 11:07Estimate how much the total surface area of the building envelope increases, then roughly subtract a certain amount.
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