Freezing cold panelling and shutter boxes

[PennyM]

In the current and previous spells of very cold weather we are struggling to keep our main living areas warm. No cavity wall doesn’t help but I have found that the shutter boxes and panelling in the bay windows are particularly cold. Is there likely to be a void behind these and if yes, has anyone found a way to insulate without stripping everything out?

 

[Feltwell]

Every house is different but there probably is a void. Do you have curtains down to the floor covering them? That makes a surprising amount of difference.

 

[PennyM]

Every house is different but there probably is a void. Do you have curtains down to the floor covering them? That makes a surprising amount of difference.

We do in the back room, and I agree floor length curtains with thermal linings do make a big difference, but we use the shutters in the living room. This has the advantage of reducing the mould that otherwise grows inside the shutter box

 

[Cubist]

Mould inside the shutter boxes is trifle concerning as it may indicate damp in the boxes. Have you investigated to determine potential root causes?

 

[fernicarry]

You might be able to pop the window board off the top of the paneling and go in that way if its just nailed on. Or treat the window board as sacrificial and make a new one afterwards. Most of mine got so badly beaten up when the window sills were repaired that I'm having to remake them anyway. Thermafloc loose fill insulation is a good option for irregular spaces like this. Get Henry to remove all the debris first.

For a couple of window recesses I was forced to disassemble the paneling to get at more serious rot below. I will reassemble these with wool insulation between wall and paneling. Possibly even in the very near future!

I've also filled the gaps between different elements with mastic (Soudal Acryrub) to improve air-tightness. There were quite sizeable gaps between the architrave and the plaster around one window letting in a nice breeze.

Of course as others say, make sure its all weatherproof before embarking on any improvements. Water ingress through deteriorated window frames has caused a lot of damage here.