How to insulate and clad this outdoor patio?

[AverageAtBest]

 

 

 

Hi all, first time here. Seems like a wealth of knowledge and I’m a recent first homeowner and average DIY enthusiast.

i want to completely redo the ceiling of this patio, but don’t know what order to do things. My plan is to insulate and clad with something like VJ panels, include some new downlighting and one or two fans.

Gabled roof area is about 36m2 and there’s a joining flat rectangular section that’s about 23m2. Going to try and do as much as possible with a mate except for electrical work. Any suggestions on process, materials, cost or general ideas greatly appreciated! Also any links to similar projects so I can educate myself. Thanks!

 

[AverageAtBest]

 The wife’s inspiration comes from these, including the floor eventually.

 

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @AverageAtBest,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it's brilliant to have you with us. This sounds like a fantastic project that I'm excited to see come to life.

The first step I'd suggest taking is to confirm that your patio structure is adequate to support the additional weight of both insulation and ceiling sheets. If you were aware of the manufacturer of the patio, you could contact them to confirm, otherwise you would need to contact an engineer for their recommendations.

Make sure you have a sheet product in mind before confirming the suitability of the structure as you may be required to add some additional framing to fully support the sheet products. This additional framing weight would come into play, so the manufacturer or engineer will need to be aware of it when making their recommendation.

As it is somewhat exposed to the elements, you'll need to use a product such as Easycraft easyVJ100 Primed Semi Exterior Wall Lining, which has been designed for use in semi-exterior applications such as this. For this product, the Easycraft - Product Manual describes the minimum standards for installation. If you were to use this product, this is the most important document to reference to determine if you need to add any further framing to your patio ceiling. If you choose a different product, they will have an installation guide similar to this that should be used as your primary point of reference.

Once you've confirmed the suitability of the products and the structure has been given the tick of approval, you should install any additional framing.

At this point, I'd advise you to get an electrician in to check out the job. They can tell you whether you'll need to install insulation before or after they've roughed in their cable runs.

Once your electrician has given you the go-ahead to insulate, ceiling batts will give you the best possible R-value.

After insulation, the ceiling lining should be attached following the relevant installation guide. At this point, it is often a good idea to put cutouts in your sheet products so that cables can be pulled through, however, it is best to confirm this with your electrician as they may be more comfortable doing this themself.

You can then move on to sealing and painting before getting your electrician back to fit off. A good quality exterior paint such as Taubmans All Weather Exterior Paint or Dulux Weathershield Exterior Paint, alongside No More Gaps Exterior Gap Filler will give you a fantastic finish. There are also timber and PVC trims that can be used to finish the angled joins and around the edges of the ceiling.

With a project like this, there will always be situations where you aren't quite sure the best way to do something, so the two main pieces of advice I have are to read and understand the installation guide for your sheet product closely and to work with your electrician to make both their job and your own as easy as possible. If you're still stumped after speaking with your electrician and reviewing the installation guide, post your questions here as myself, my colleagues and our wonderful community are more than happy to help.

Allow me to tag @Nailbag, @Dave-1, @Jewelleryrescue and @Noyade to see if they have any advice to offer.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob
 

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @AverageAtBest 

Nice  project,   rewarding  when finished.

@JacobZ  covers many key important points.  I am here to chime in with a couple of observations.

Job work timing is the key here I offer the following.

Step  1   If you have sparky run  light power lines fixed along the   rafters and have tails (power cable)  hang underneath  long enough 1M or so to connect to a nearby light.I think the sparky happy to do this. ADD CEILING FANS

 I would add  at lease 3x   50 inch wide DC fans on long metal  tubes  spaced down the room.  I use one 50 inch fan in a 8 metre room instead of  3 smaller  fans and it moves the air beautifully.  An extra cost but once the panels up an electrician has to run ugly external power lines to after though fans.  Or at least run cables  to fan locations.  Keep in mind a big fan needs good mechanical mounting point too and may be best to hand these at this  stage cut the sheeting later  to siut  fans.  Ps your wifes inspiration  pics has only the small  fans.  Big ones work better at slow rpms and have a wow factor,

Step 2 With the  power cables attached out of the way supported by rafters this will allow  easy access to add in batts and fix them with plastic strapping and not interfer with wiring.

Step 3 Now as you add Sheeting as  @JacobZ   suggested you can mark and add in holes as needed for light fittings into the sheeting and drop the cables through ready for sparkies return to  connect lights  etc.

Step 4 seal and paint  roof.

[AverageAtBest]

@JacobZ @Jewelleryrescue Fantastic, this is exactly what I was after. Planning definitely going to be the key here, and great idea with the big fans. Im thinking battens will probably be required and extra support for the fans, and be easier to attach the cladding. Or could the VJ panels be directly mounted on the existing steel frame?

[EricL]

Hello @AverageAtBest 

installation wise it's best to consult with your builder regarding the installation of a roofing frame for the EasyVJ panels. Lack of support might cause the panel to bow if only supported from the sides.

If you need further assistance, lease let us know

Eric

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @AverageAtBest 

I like your project I also think @JacobZ has really outlined decent steps to go through while planning it.

Cant add anything more really as you nut out each step the answers will show up. 

If you hit the question marks (as we all do) just ask as there are a lot of community members that have done something similar. 

Oh one thing, can you take a bunch of photos as you go? Apart from putting a project together and posting it later it is a great referance for seeing what is behind the cladding say or even types of products you use while building your project.

Dave

[AverageAtBest]

Cheers @Dave-1 , definitely will get some pics along the way!