The veranda can be used for recreation, storage of various items or for agricultural needs. When it comes to year-round use, a warm veranda is the best choice. For insulation, it is enough to choose suitable materials and study the installation features. The technology is simple and does not cause problems even for beginners.
The need to insulate the veranda
A summer veranda is present in almost every private house or country house. An extension of this type is an additional place that everyone uses at their own discretion. The veranda is turned into a recreation area, a storage room or a small warehouse or other utility room. Often there is a need to use it all year round, and not only in the warm season. Insulation helps to create conditions in the extension under which temperature changes will be more even, in this case, the material will play the role of a "thermos" and will allow you to use the room at any time.
Special frost spots that need attention: ceiling, walls and floor. Windows are the main source of heat loss, so they need to be double-glazed or standard double-glazed windows. The entrance to the veranda can be internal or external, if the extension has an additional door from the street, it is changed or insulated. Correct warming of the veranda is a complex of works that should be carried out according to step-by-step instructions. There are three options for carrying out thermal insulation:
- laying of insulation material during construction and erection of walls, when the space between them is filled with insulation;
- external insulation, during which work is carried out from the side of the street;
- internal insulation, during which work is carried out inside the building.
For a wooden house, it is better to carry out work inside. Since such buildings are made from natural boards, transferring the dew point to the walls will avoid excessive accumulation of condensation. In brick houses, the walls are insulated from the outside, otherwise they will begin to quickly collapse.
Materials used
Before insulating the veranda, you will need to assess the total amount of work and decide on the material. There are several options available, which include rock wool, styrofoam, polyurethane foam, and polystyrene foam. The first two are the most popular, with their help you can insulate the extension with high quality and save the family budget. It must be borne in mind that the thickness of a standard foam sheet is 12 cm, this helps to reduce the usable area of the veranda. Minvata is better able to retain heat and will not cause problems during installation. For it, you will need to make an outer layer of foil or create double-sided metallization.
If the extension area is too large, but at the same time it is necessary to keep warm in the room even in severe frosts, it is better to carry out combined insulation. For this purpose, rolled thermal insulation is mounted on the walls and after sheet polystyrene.
Mineral wool
To install a heat-insulating layer of mineral wool, you will need to make a special frame.It should be borne in mind that this material loses its density and its main properties 4-5 years after installation. Sheathing can be carried out using basalt wool, which is safer and more environmentally friendly than mineral wool. Glass wool is also a good option, which surpasses other analogues in strength and elasticity.
Penofol
The material is of the highest quality and most modern, it goes well with other types of insulation. Ideal for insulating any building, including a country house. Penofol has a low level of vapor permeability and belongs to the category of environmentally friendly materials. It does not cause problems when installing with your own hands and is a profitable option for those who choose a budget installation method. Penoplex, which has similar properties, will also be a good choice.
Styrofoam
Polyfoam is one of the most popular materials for veranda insulation. It is light enough, has a good level of rigidity and good technical characteristics. In the process of foam insulation, you can choose the installation option with or without a frame; it also does not require an additional layer of waterproofing. Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting an increased level of danger in the event of a fire. When creating thermal insulation according to a standard project, a layer of polyurethane foam is first laid, then foam and lining. Next comes the frame rack, OSB slabs, as well as block houses and sheathing bars.
Polyurethane foam
Polyurethane foam combines the properties of high-quality insulation and durable foam, has good technical performance and does not cause problems during operation. It is possible to create a heat-insulating layer using this material even without special building skills. Belongs to the category of non-combustible and safe materials. But it must be borne in mind that polyurethane foam is characterized by increased sound permeability.
External or internal insulation
To insulate the veranda of a house for winter living from the inside with your own hands, experts advise choosing the most practical way. External insulation has many more advantages compared to internal insulation. If we are talking about installing insulation inside, the freezing point can move into the wall, which ultimately becomes the cause of its destruction. With the outdoor method, the walls are strengthened and accumulate heat. It also allows you to save the area of the veranda and not waste time dismantling the finish. There are many options for insulation outside, depending on the material, budget and climatic conditions.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to install a fireplace on the home veranda. The builders recommend doing it on the terrace to reduce the risk of fire hazard. The same rule applies to the oven.
Installation of thermal insulation
Warming a veranda in a brick or wooden house for the winter means installing thermal insulation on the floor, ceiling and walls. It should be borne in mind that not all types of materials are suitable for this purpose. You need to study their features in advance and make the right choice. Most often, heaters are used based on natural components with good air and vapor permeability.
Walls
Wall insulation is carried out by fixing vertical bars along the entire perimeter of the floor and fixing them using vertical and transverse inserts located horizontally. Outside, you will need to sheathe the walls with the selected finishing material, having previously laid a layer of steam insulation on them. Insulation is mounted in two layers between transverse vertical inserts.Depending on the thickness of the material, it must be additionally fixed; when it comes to mineral wool, such fixation can be dispensed with. After the vertical surfaces are insulated, a final layer of steam insulation is applied and the interior walls are finished.
Floor
You need to deal with the floor after the foundation has been built. A strapping made of a bar is installed on the floor supports, it is desirable that its cross-section is 150x150 mm, and the installation of the lathing is started. Before floor insulation, wooden elements are treated with a protective compound. After that, a rough floor is fixed on the beams from edged or unedged boards with a thickness of at least 25 mm. Above it is necessary to install the selected insulation material and an additional layer of steam insulation. Since the main heat loss occurs through the floor, several layers of insulation are placed on the lower floors and alternate their directions at angles of 90 degrees.
Ceiling
The ceiling in the attached veranda is assembled according to the frame scheme, similar to the principle of assembling the floor using wooden beams.
According to the rules, the ceiling must be insulated even before the roof is mounted; for this purpose, a finishing surface cladding is made from the underside of the bars, after having installed a vapor barrier.
The insulation is mounted on the finish in one or two layers, then it is covered with a draft ceiling. If the veranda does not have a separate roof with an attic, the sheathing should lie on top of the sheathing, then you will need to install the roof.
Foundation
The reliability and durability of the veranda directly depends on the foundation, it is advisable to install it if the extension is being built from scratch. Most often, the veranda is built together with the house, making a common foundation in order to avoid skewing the entire structure, as well as damage to the main load-bearing elements of the building. When the veranda is set apart, care should be taken to create a solid foundation. There are several options for the foundation, which differ in design, installation method and bearing capacity.
If the extension is being built of brick, a strip foundation would be the ideal choice. This is a monolithic structure, which is created using concrete or cement mortar, sand, reinforcement and auxiliary materials. It is built according to the instructions and left for several weeks, after which the walls and roof of the veranda itself are erected. Those who plan to build a lightweight veranda should choose a pile foundation. A simple option is bored piles. It does not require large costs; for such a foundation, you will need to install a grillage and a concrete structure.
Another popular option is a columnar foundation, suitable for lightweight timber extensions and block structures. It is mounted on several supports that are not connected to each other, their depth should correspond to the level of the foundation of the house. A more modern and durable option is a screw base on piles, supplemented with special blades. They can be easily screwed into any type of soil, their diameter is determined depending on the weight of the veranda itself.
When choosing the type of base for an extension, you should focus on its design and materials.
Heating the veranda in winter
You can create the most comfortable conditions on the veranda with the right heater. If there is a boiler room with water heating, additional pipes are brought to the terrace to the annex and connected to the main system. This option is considered the most profitable if the veranda will be used all year round. Otherwise, a hot water heater will cause additional costs in the summer. Another way would be to install an electric boiler or heater of any type.
A simple heating element, radiators, air heater or oil heater are suitable for the veranda. Additionally, you can install a warm floor if such a system is already present in the house itself. High-quality insulation is realized with the help of one or two devices, if necessary, their temperature is reduced to a minimum by adjusting the thermostat or disconnecting it from the network during the warm period. Maintaining a minimum temperature is convenient if the owners of the house plan to leave or do not want to heat the veranda completely.
Using the oven
Those who do not want to waste time and money laying pipes or paying for additional electricity should pay attention to traditional wood heating. If the area of the veranda allows, any type of stove is installed on it; to save space, it is better to choose compact and modern options. Many manufacturers offer stoves with different effects and original designs to suit a particular type of interior. All stoves are heated according to the standard principle, they need wood or coal, depending on the type. It must be remembered that the stove presents an increased level of fire hazard, and take care of the availability of protective equipment and devices. The floor and walls of the veranda must be protected from contact with open fire.
Fireplace
Another good option would be a fireplace that can create a cozy atmosphere on any veranda. Fireplaces come in various types, for an extension you can choose between a traditional wood-fired appliance or a modern electric version. A properly selected fireplace will heat the room and will become an additional element of the veranda interior design. Like the oven, it belongs to devices with an increased risk of fire, which should be borne in mind during installation. Traditional heating devices save time and money spent on electricity, but require additional measures in terms of safety.
