Can I insulate a sloping roof from the inside?

[missrose]

I've tried googling this but not really coming up with any solutions...

Our bedrooms have a sloping ceiling which is joined onto the roof so no room for insulation. The rooms are freezing in the winter and heat isn't retained when we have the radiators on.

Is there anything we could put on the ceiling, just for this winter, to insulate the rooms and try to retain heat? I have seen insulation panels but how would I make sure they are ventilated? One of the rooms is for my toddler so obviously whatever we do would need to be safe.

I have had a couple of roofers come round and the suggestions have been to reroof and insulate from the outside (not an option financially at the moment) or take the ceilings down, insulate and replaster but I'm not keen on scale of the work or the mess. Also, don't really want to pay up to £1000 for this and then reroof next year.

It just needs to be for this winter really and hopefully we will be able to reroof next year.

You could fit this reflective bubble insulation easy yourself and it is very cheap and effective until proper insulation can be installed, the lightweight insulation can be fitted with double sided tape or even drawing pins if you want a cheap and quick solution.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-SQM-EASY-FIT-FOIL-BUBBLE-DIY-LOFT-ROOF-INSULATION-/261107027459?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3ccb310e03

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-SQM-EASY-FIT-FOIL-BUBBLE-DIY-LOFT-ROOF-INSULATION-/261107027459?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3ccb310e03

You can fit thermal wallpaper to the ceilings. We are doing that to our very cold end terrace

You will not need to have your roof removed nor the plasterboard ceiling removed, there are commercial companies that will spray foam insulation into the roof void via small holes drilled in the plasterboard. You can also do this yourself very easily as the product is readily available from any good DIY store and will cost peanuts not thousands yet do the exact same job.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EXPANDING-FOAM-FILLER-AEROSOL-GRADE-GAP-FILLING-INSULATING-SPRAY-BOND-IT-750ml-/150804478681?pt=UK_Crafts_Cardmaking_Scrapbooking_Glue_Tape_EH&hash=item231ca5bad9

I don't like to disagree, but the foam applications to insides of roofs have a poor reputation as they tend to trap moisture against the timbers and accelerate rot. Roofers complain that it makes it very difficult to remove tiles and repair the roof.

A thin insulating wallpaper will have negligible effect. Remember that the modern standard for loft insulation is 270mm of mineral wool. A 4mm layer of insulation on a roll will make little difference.

If you have enough headroom to lose several inches, you could apply a rigid foam board to the slope inside the room, such as Kingspan or Celotex. It is available with a plasterboard surface.

If you can see into the void from the loft, you can push insulation down, making sure that it does not block insulation at the eaves, and there is an air gap under the tiles. This will be more difficult if it is a lath and plaster ceiling as the insulation will snag.

If you are going to re-roof within a year, that would be the time to do it properly.

What piglet john said.
Have a look on the kingspan and celotex websites and speak to their helplines though. You may find that to get plenty insulation in, plus ventilation gaps replastering is necessary anyway.

Thanks everyone. I'll look into the foam boards. We could probably do with not losing the height but as it's not the whole room and it's only for the winter really I'm sure we'll be able to work something out.

Thanks again.