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Evening all,
Anyone got any experience of sorting their loft out. Feels like some wasted space that I could use for storing bike stuff and maybe even setting up a trainer. Space is about 3m x 7m. At the moment it’s home to most of Kent’s spider population and a few boxes of crap. It has a few boards there to let you store stuff but would need complete boarding. And the roof would need boards and maybe insulation too.
Feels like it could be something I do myself but would it actually be cheaper in the long run to get someone who knows what they are doing? Given I am pretty bad at DIY…
Use loft legs to space the boards of the current insulation.
Rough estimate from B&Q's prices about £400 for the boards and legs.
You would need screws for this as well.
While your at it bung a bit more insulation up there under the new boards.]
It's a pretty easy straightforward job, tbh
Only tools you would need are tape measure, saw, hammer and a battery screwdriver!
I paid 1350 for;
c 50 square meters of top up insulation
1 new hatch and wooden folding ladder (old one way to small)
C 4 square meters of boarding in raised legs
1 new led strip light and switch
Old hatch plaster boarded and skimmed
Not sure if that helps
I keep threatening to do something simmilar, any reccomentadtions for insulation to put on top of the existing glass wool or whatever it is, that doesn't require a hazmat suit?
DB did you do that yourself on get someone in to do it. One quote I got was £85 per square metre which seemed high…
I paid 1350 for;
c 50 square meters of top up insulation
1 new hatch and wooden folding ladder (old one way to small)
C 4 square meters of boarding in raised legs
1 new led strip light and switch
Old hatch plaster boarded and skimmed
I did new hatch - and about 30sqm of boarding, legs and insulation top up. No light fitted.
Cost about 600 quid and 3 days of my time. It was a shit of a job but I couldn't get it done in time for the batteries being fitted so just got on with it
I did it myself. Insulated to the depth of the existing joists, then fitted new timbers at right angles and filled again. Loft boards screwed down over the top.
I did buy a paper suit and mask, it's a messy job.
DIY about 18 month ago, £500 materials for 22m^2. Including top up insulation all round, LED batten, all screws and hardware etc. Loft leg system. CLS timber frame around the hatch perimeter. Used 2.4mx600mm floorboards as they were slightly cheaper but definitely more efficient with waste on my 450mm joist centres than the small boards.
Put in a proper extractor fan and insulated duct whilst I was up there, not included in cost above.
Also worth putting some lap vents in the felt and making sure insulation isn’t right into the eaves as it’s a lot colder up there and warmer in the bedrooms now.
Get yourself a decent filtering mask! Trust me. Especially when relaying insulation
Only tools you would need are tape measure, saw, hammer and a battery screwdriver!
Add eyes and a brain.
Many pipes are chopped into the top of joists, so when you place the board over the top take note of where the pipes are/go. Last thing you want it to screw down into a water pipe.
Many pipes are chopped into the top of joists, so when you place the board over the top take note of where the pipes are/go. Last thing you want it to screw down into a water pipe.
Hence the reason for the loft legs they raise the flooring by 6 inches at least.
Strewth! This is a bit like the first aid thread. Go and buy some boarding packs and a few rolls of insulation and use your head.
It was The Loftman Company I used. Really couldn’t be bothered with DIY’ing it. 2 guys came and were done in less than a day.
I used the loftzone kit. I also used recycled plastic insulation so no need for paper suits or masks.
Before you do any of that.
What kind of roof structure is it? Some trusses are not designed for loads a few boxes here and there might be okay but if you floor it and start piling stuff in you might have a problem.
Before, well actually after a half-arse attempt at doing the floor to replace the hardboard(!?!?!) that the last people used
During, Floor down with insulation under it, insulation under the low bits of the roof ready for walling up. The insulation inside pink bags is a lot better than the uncovered stuff but still gets itchy.
Now, wals plasterboarded and then used lining paper to cover them as is was a lot easier and cheaper than plastering the walls. One coat of paint over the thick liniing paper and it looks just fine. Used small, but more expensive, sheets of plasterboard so I didn't need to cut each one to get it into the attic. This added about £20 to the build cost but saved untold hassle and mess.
