Warming a country house: how to ensure comfort

Recommendation points

• House wall insulation
• Internal thermal insulation
• External thermal insulation
• Basement, basement and floor insulation
• Roof insulation
• Final touches

Having a country house is not just a matter of prestige, it is also an opportunity to escape from the bustle of the city, relax in nature, gain strength, and listen to yourself. The middle and older generation of people in our country most often perceive the dacha as a summer house. But it is much better to still be able to leave the city at any time of the year. In the bitter frosts, sitting by the fireplace and listening to the howl of the wind outside – what could be better? True, the romance of a winter evening away from the city noise is justified only if it is warm in your house. Moreover, it is very desirable that by the morning the water remaining in the mug on the table does not become covered with a crust of ice. In order for the heat of the stove or fireplace to remain in the house as long as possible, it is necessary to provide high-quality thermal insulation.

Thermal insulation of a house is a matter that requires an integrated approach. Ideally, you should think about this even at the stage of designing your future home. In this case, it is possible to properly calculate the thickness of the walls, plan multilayer masonry, initially use materials with low thermal conductivity, and so on. However, during the operation of the house, it is also not too late to think about insulation. In order for the house to be really warm, you should take care of the thermal insulation of the entire structure from the foundation to the roof.

So, solving the problem of warming a country house, the owner needs to solve the issue of thermal insulation:

• basement and basement
• floor and attic floor
• walls
• roofs

At the same time, getting off with one heat-insulating material for the whole house will not work. Insulation materials used in different areas should have different characteristics. Therefore, let’s talk in more detail about the individual stages of warming a country house.

House wall insulation

Walls are the largest surface area of ​​a building through which heat can escape. According to some estimates, a properly selected insulation and competent installation of thermal insulation will save up to 45% of the heat in the room. Agree, this is a considerable savings. When planning the implementation of work on the insulation of a house, first of all, it is necessary to determine how the walls will be insulated – whether it will be external or internal insulation.

Internal thermal insulation

Installation of a thermal insulation layer on the inner surface of the walls allows you to keep the architecture of the building unchanged In addition, in this case, insulation work can be carried out at any time of the year. However, this, perhaps, limits the advantages of this type of installation of thermal insulation. But the list of its shortcomings looks more impressive. Firstly, due to the insulation, the useful area of ​​the room is reduced. Secondly, in this case, the load-bearing wall is located outside the heat-insulating layer, so in winter it freezes, which not only has a bad effect on its durability, but also contributes to the formation of condensation on the insulation layer, therefore, it is required to provide vapor barrier between the insulation and the interior finishing material. But at the same time, the appearance of mold and fungi on the insulation itself and the outer wall is not excluded. In general, in this case, the heat storage capacity of the outer wall is completely unused. Finally, the internal insulation of walls often makes it impossible to prevent the occurrence of so-called cold bridges at the junction of walls with horizontal ceilings. Premises, the walls of which have an internal heat-insulating layer, heat up rather quickly, but also cool down faster.

Having decided to still perform the internal thermal insulation of the premises, you should use materials that minimize the disadvantages of this method of insulation. Among the most promising solutions to this problem can be called sprayed polyurethane foam. Also used for these purposes are materials such as polystyrene foam, fiberboard, mineral wool, chipboard and even felt. Alternatively, you should consider a special thermal insulation plaster..

External thermal insulation

External insulation of facades looks more attractive from the point of view of the further operation of the building. And there are several options:

• insulation according to the “sandwich” principle
• external insulation of “wet” type
• ventilated facades

Multilayer structures

Thermal insulation of the “sandwich” type assumes the presence of three layers: the actual enclosing structure, a layer of thermal insulation material and an outer layer consisting of blocks, brickwork or other facing material. Often, the outer layer is also covered with decorative facade plaster, which not only gives a finished, elegant look to the building, but also improves the durability and operational characteristics of the facade, and also improves, in addition to thermal insulation qualities, the sound insulation of the house. Mineral or basalt wool, polystyrene foam, expanded polystyrene can be used as a heater in such systems..

Wet facades

Thermal insulation of the “wet” type with thin plaster also implies several layers: a layer of mineral wool or expanded polystyrene, a reinforcing layer consisting of an adhesive composition and fiberglass mesh, a base and finishing layer of plaster. Insulation used in “wet” facades must have increased peel strength. The facade system with thick plaster differs slightly from the one described above. If a denser insulation should be used under a thin plaster (for example, the desired density of mineral wool is 140 kg /³, and expanded polystyrene – 15-25 kg / m³), then in a system with thick plaster, mineral wool or glass wool with a density of 30-100 kg / m can be used³. In this case, the insulation is applied to special anchors, closed with a welded stainless steel mesh, and then covered with a thick layer of plaster. Among the most popular heaters on the market today are Penofol, Rockwool, Isover, Penoplex.

For wall insulation, as a rule, plate, roll or sprayed heat-insulating materials are used. But bulk insulation, despite their good heat and sound insulation qualities, is undesirable to use for wall insulation – over time, granules or sand settle, thicken and can even burst the walls of the structure. Although such materials are still quite often used in frame houses. In this case, a few years after the house was put into operation, it is necessary to fill up the granules, having previously tamped the existing material. This is usually not difficult to do from the attic. If this procedure is not carried out, the voids formed in the thermal insulation layer will significantly reduce the thermal insulation qualities of the enclosing structures..

Basement, basement and floor insulation

But bulk materials are ideal for thermal insulation of basement floors. Here, such a property of granular thermal insulation materials as high hydrophobicity will come in handy. The basement, like the walls, can be insulated both from the outside and from the inside. Insulation panels can be attached directly to the surface of the plinth using various adhesives or mastics. Thermal insulation materials used for warming basements, in addition to low thermal conductivity, must have special compressive strength and resistance to moisture. Not only the temperature in the house depends on the quality of the foundation’s insulation, but also the durability of the entire building, because the insulation of the foundation or basement implies protection from ground and melt water, as well as from soil freezing. Accordingly, insulation is needed wherever basement and subfloor elements come into contact with the ground. The best option is a continuous external basement insulation. Extruded polystyrene foam is excellent for these purposes..

Thermal insulation of the floor is a task no less important than the insulation of the foundation, basement or facade. Up to 20% of the heat can escape through an uninsulated floor. Even if the house has underfloor heating, an insulating layer is absolutely necessary. In its absence, the energy spent on floor heating will be spent absolutely irrationally. At the same time, insulation is required both for the floor on the ground and for the overlap above the unheated basement. The requirements for floor insulation are, in principle, obvious:

• high compressive strength as the floor is very heavily loaded
• durability
• minimum moisture absorption (therefore, fibrous insulation is not used for thermal insulation – this parameter is quite high for them)
• fire safety.

For insulation of floors, foam plastics, extruded polystyrene foam, mineral insulation, various bulk insulation materials can be used. When insulating the ceiling above the basement, one should not forget about the attic floor – it is also advisable to insulate it.

Roof insulation

Finally, the roof of a country house must also be properly insulated, because about 10% of the heat can go through the roof. Its design is of great importance here. Pitched roofs, under which there is an attic or attic, are a source of heat loss to a lesser extent than flat ones. And it’s easier to insulate a pitched roof. Of course, the thermal insulation material for a pitched roof must be as durable, strong and, of course, fireproof as possible. In addition, it is important that it does not shrink – otherwise there is a possibility of the formation of a “cold bridge” under the roof ridge.

Most often, fiberglass slabs or mats are used for thermal insulation of pitched roofs. This material fully meets all the requirements put forward in this case for insulation.

Higher requirements are put forward for insulation of flat roofs. The heat-insulating material here protects against temperature changes, which entail the appearance of cracks, supporting the floor. Talking about low moisture absorption and strength of the material, in principle, is even redundant. And again, extruded polystyrene foam can be used for these purposes. The only thing, when equipping a heat-insulating layer of a flat roof, should not forget about vapor barrier. It will avoid the accumulation of condensate in the thermal insulation layer, as well as swelling of the roof carpet.

Final touches

When the insulation of the largest areas through which heat loss occurs is finished, you should think about the little things. Although it is not entirely correct to call it small things. Take the windows. No matter how powerful the insulation of walls, roof and floor is done in your house, if the window frames are installed incorrectly, the frames are dry and do not close tightly, there will be no heat in the house.

If the country house has stove heating, the chimney must also be insulated. Otherwise, you will heat the street. In addition, correct thermal insulation of the chimney will avoid intensive condensation and flue overgrowth. To insulate the chimney, you can use exclusively fire-resistant materials, such as asbestos-cement sheets or mineral wool. Plaster and brickwork are also used for this..

This is only in general terms about what you should pay attention to when insulating a country house. Today on the market there is a huge amount of all kinds of thermal insulation materials. In order not to be mistaken in choosing one or another insulation, you should accurately determine the area on which it will be used, take into account the structural features of the building, and also familiarize yourself in detail with the characteristics of the material itself. And if everything is done correctly, no frosts and winds will scare you – your house will reliably keep warm and cozy.