cold dormer ....

oakshade

Hi all,

I have a dormer bungalow, a few years old and I have noticed that the upstairs bedrooms can be very cold in winter. As I said the house is new, well insulated as far as I can see but I think the issue may be related to air vents in the fascia?

I have done a bit in investigating but I'm definately not a DIY'er, there is a crawl space at one side and I have checked the insulation which looks ok. However there are a load of air vents completly open to the air, so much so that earlier in the year I accidently left the attic light on and a few weeks later there was close on 500 dead flys in the attic.

Can I cover or close some of these vents, how can I do it? Any help or suggestions in general appreciated.

Many thanks

starbelgrade

Roof spaces are ventilated for several reasons, but primarily because it extends the life of the roof timbers & all the metal components (including nails, roof straps etc).

A poorly ventilated roof can lead to warped timbers, rusting metals, mould, fungii, dry rot etc., so it's not a good idea to block up air vents.

Air vents in pitched roofs are usually around 10mm wide (or the equivalent of a 10mm gap across a number of smaller gaps. The reason why insects are entering the attic space when the light is on is because the vents weren't fitted with an insect mesh, or that the mesh has been breached in some sections.

The coldness of the room could caused by many things - the walls of the studs in the roof space not being insulated properly is usually the main problem, but it could just as easily be that the spec on the insulation is not high enough.

North facing rooms are always colder too & if your bungalow has a large roof mass, this will add to the problem.

The best solution to finding the cause of the problem is with a thermal imaging camera - you should be able to find someone near you if you Google them. Once you know where the heat loss cause is, it's a lot easier to fix it!

starbelgrade

The best alternative to unheated roof spaces - or roof spaces at all - is to eliminate them altogether.

There really is no need for them.

Every space in a house should be usable, practical, or add to the aesthetic of the house.

Roof spaces add little or no value to any of those.