Outdoor open Porch converted to a closed living room with a very cold floor/ambient temperature. Need advice.
Hey all, I would appreciate some advice on a project I just *finished*.
I had a 20′ x 20′ open outdoor wooden porch build 3 years ago, it served me well, however due to the cold NY climate it becomes virtually un-useable in summer/winter due to extreme heat or extreme cold.
I decided to get it completely enclosed as an extentision to our home and to make a new living room, it is now fully done and the floor is extremely cold even with a layer of thick black plastic + fiberglass insulation underneath the flooring.
My question is how exactly should I have it insulated for better temperature control?
Currently there is about a 2.5-3ft tall crawl space underneath the converted porch and it’s above dirt. It has some fiberglass insulation on the wood porch panels that were there previously, but clearly not enough, and the side opening of the porch are sealed off (not airtight) with plywood. I put my hand underneath this (crawlspace) and it feels very very very cold and I feel wind. I am wondering if the entire space needs to be filled with EPS foam for better insulation + a slab of concrete over the dirt or if its too late for the concrete seeing that it’s now all completely built.
Some advice please, sorry if this is everywhere I am just a little flustered with how incredibly cold it is in this room, also the contractor never added an extension vent for heating so I have to rely on electric space heaters that mildly make it less miserable in the cold.
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Sorry to learn about this disappointing experience. I dont have answers but want to give your narrative a bump in hopes an expert may chime in.
LaDonaFlor,
I wouldn't spend much time on trying to air-seal the skirt surrounding the porch. Instead work on the underside of the floor. Add a layer of rigid foam, 1 1/2" or 2" , tape the seams, and cover it with plywood to protect it from being damaged. The foam will do three things:
- It will increase the insulation value of the floor.
- It will stop heat moving through the floor joists as easily (thermal bridging).
- It will air-seal the floor, stopping drafts.
That should solve the problems you have found with the floor, but I suspect that if you are finding it as cold as you say, you've problems with the roof and walls too.