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How to insulate existing patio roof?

medivh_sun
Finding My Feet

How to insulate existing patio roof?

Hey all,

 

Full disclosure — I’ve got very little DIY experience. Apart from painting, I haven’t really done much else around the house.

 

We want to insulate our existing patio — do it properly, but keep costs down. We looked at replacing the whole thing, but it was just too pricey. Plus, we actually love the current structure with the timber beams, so we’d like to keep it and just give it a bit of a refresh. The plan is to eventually semi-enclose the space with retractable clear vinyl blinds so it can be used as an indoor/outdoor dining area for entertaining.

 

After doing a bit of research (mostly from this forum — super helpful!), I’ve landed on Foilboard insulation (15 x 2400 x 1200 Foilboard Green) with fibre-cement sheeting (6 x 2400 x 1200 Duralux Fibre Cement Sheets) as probably the best option. Seems doable for someone with limited experience.

 

A few details and questions:

  • Roof: Zinc-alum with two Laserlite sheets for natural light. The roof sits on timber purlins running horizontally, supported by timber beams running lengthways.

  • Plan:

    • Cut 15 mm Foilboard to fit between the purlins, resting it on the beams and gluing it to the sides of the purlins/tops of beams.

    • Then cut 6 mm fibre-cement sheets to fit between the beams and fix them to the purlins.

  • Questions:

    1. Is that method sound? Any tips for fixing the Foilboard — what’s the best adhesive to use?

    2. Can I just glue and screw the fibre-cement sheets, or do they need a different fixing method?

    3. Is there a lighter product than the Duralux I mentioned — maybe something that gives a VJ-panel look without the weight (something lighter than Hardie Groove Lining)

    4. How should I finish the joins where the insulation meets the Laserlite — some kind of flashing (really struggling for a solution to this)?

    5. Lastly, at the end of the roof where there’s a gap between the horizontal beam and the sheets — what’s the best way to seal that? Just timber infills or something else?

Appreciate any advice or lessons learned if anyone’s done something similar.

Cheers

 

 

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EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to insulate existing patio roof?

Hello @Harro0599 

 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

 

Let me tag @Nailbag to make them aware of your query. I believe it will work, but it might be necessary to add extra timber battens for support as the beams you have appear to have large gaps between them.

 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

 

Eric

 

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Nailbag
Home Improvement Guru

Re: How to insulate existing patio roof?

Yes definitely @Harro0599 You will just need to add few additional supporting 70mm x 45mm joists to accommodate the sheet sizes to give you something to fix to.

Nailbag

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