Billbo Baggins 2nd

Ceiling/roof insulation. Can any one recommend a way to insulate a concrete ceiling. I live in an old bastide and the top room has a pitched ceiling made of concrete and is very cold in winter. I can’t afford to loose to much in head height. There is no space above the ceiling as the roof tiles are laid directly on the concrete ceiling/roof. I do not have a problem with condensation at the moment and wonder if insulating the ceiling/roof might cause it. Your thoughts on the above would much appreciated. Regards Bill

stanage2

Is this southen France
If so how do the locals get over it?

Jazzy n Lol

As you don't want to lose too much height internally, why not go external? You don't say how big your roof is, so this may not be feasible, but you could remove the old tiles, apply some mastic asphalt or similar, apply felt, then roof insulation, secure with timber ready to take new tiles. You may also need some ventilation.
I helped a friend do a stable roof like this once, as there was no room inside. It made a difference - the water in the trough never froze again!

Alternatively, good old polystyrene ceiling tiles may take the edge off and be a cheaper option.

stanage2

Sounds a bit Trop chere to me.

Would need more info.at this point in time.

Andrea50

Some friends of ours used a sort of silver insulation stuff, it was very thin, apparently used in the Space Shuttle (don't know how true that is) and stuck it on with some sort of adhesive? We saw some in a DIY place in Caussade in Tarn-et-Garonne. Quite expensive but might work. Failing that, Jazz's idea sounds your best bet.

Don't know what you would cover it with on the face you would be looking at, but probably quite sassy if a bedroom as almost like a mirror!!

treskillard

What about those plates of plasterboard with a layer of condensed polystyrene like stuff attached like a sandwich. They are thin (4cm?) or some are anyway - work well, have a good finish, can fit together like tiles and could glue on without a frame.

stanage2

Now thats a good way of do-ing it.

Ka Ora!

If there is nothing on it currently best method I can think of is to Batten it out at 60 cm intervals/spacing with 4x4 and a 4x8 at the 120cm interval making sure you fasten the battens well to carry the load and then get rolls of 4cm insulation after this plasterboard it fill the gaps with tape and a few coats of crepie to follow if you can loose a bit more ceiling height then go a bit thicker the more insulation the better and you want to keep the insulation on the inside of the building as above is a large mass that holds negative heat loss well. Having used that space shuttle stuff all I can say is I am glad I don't live in a space shuttle. Plaster boarding it without the insulation will help as you are putting an air cavity between you and the ceiling but the insulation would be best and 10 cm of insulation would give better results.

If you go to your local builders merchants they should sell Placo fixing system for suspended plaster board ceilings and the metal rails it cost's a little more than wood but is far quicker to get a nice level ceiling up that needs space for insulation, and can be set up to hang at any distance you require. And tool hire places here rent out Ceiling plaster board fixing machines which also is a god send when trying to get plasterboard on a ceiling on your tod, it's like a big jack so you can get the boards in to place and fix them on your own.

Billbo Baggins 2nd

Hi.
Thanks to all who took the time in replying to my question. It has given me a few very good ideas to work from.

Regards Billbo Baggens

Im_and_Er

Sell it to a Brit of course

Sorry I really don't mean to mock or be unkind, this just brought out the devil in me

A dry lining of some sort would seem to be the most practical and cost effective plan.

Actually I have my own insulation connundrum to solve. A shallow pitch roof with no access and no insulation.

I've thought of that reconstituted paper which is blown in by something akin to a leaf blower fed from a hopper. Anybody seen such a thing in France ?