1930s Semi Refurb - Part 4 of ... (Edition: Loft Insulation)
- Thread starter dlockers
- Start date
Soldato
How come you went for loft legs instead of cross battening with timber? I'd imagine that would spread the load more than legs do.
Cost, simplicity and to be honest there won't be all that much weight up there.
What’s your roof made from?
So much cleaner than my loft.
Mine is slate with horsehair mortar on the underside of the slates where they are nailed. It’s all crumbling to dust and drops into the insulation/onto everything below. Sweep/hoover it up every time I go up but can’t win.
My loft is already boarded in the centre and has stuff up there so would be a monumental job to lift all the boards and redo it
I did the eaves with 170mm top up when we moved in.
So much cleaner than my loft.
Mine is slate with horsehair mortar on the underside of the slates where they are nailed. It’s all crumbling to dust and drops into the insulation/onto everything below. Sweep/hoover it up every time I go up but can’t win.
My loft is already boarded in the centre and has stuff up there so would be a monumental job to lift all the boards and redo it
I did the eaves with 170mm top up when we moved in.
Soldato
Get some paper roll or thin cardboard and lay it across the roof joists, so that the material that falls off the slates slides down to the sides instead of falling vertically down to the floor.
It's Rosemary's on wood, so could be 90 years old. It's due tbh but I'll consider a loft conversion before that.What’s your roof made from?
So much cleaner than my loft.
Mine is slate with horsehair mortar on the underside of the slates where they are nailed. It’s all crumbling to dust and drops into the insulation/onto everything below. Sweep/hoover it up every time I go up but can’t win.
My loft is already boarded in the centre and has stuff up there so would be a monumental job to lift all the boards and redo it
Soldato
Great work you have done...
Looking for a loft hatch as i got to reposition the loft entrance.
You impressed with the one you installed?
I will be doing the same work in my attic. Not looking forward to it. Especially with my bad back!
I will need to choose a loft ladder too.
Looking for a loft hatch as i got to reposition the loft entrance.
You impressed with the one you installed?
I will be doing the same work in my attic. Not looking forward to it. Especially with my bad back!
I will need to choose a loft ladder too.
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It's ok - it was super inexpensive (not sure how much I thought a loft hatch would cost lol), but it is VERY modern - like a big chunk of plastic on your roof. It fits perfectly though and seals really well, so given it is in a potential bedroom, I think it is good.
Haven't thought about a ladder yet but I need something that can do the 2.4m vertical height + the 270mm height of the floor. Not sure the old one has enough reach on it and the spring loaded mechanism has failed.
Let me know if you get educated on loft ladders!
Soldato
I been looking at them...
I was toying with getting the all in one hatch and ladder but, quite expensive compared to buying them separately...
Soldato
I may end up making my own hatch as i have done before.
Did you get this finished? I’m going to do a little bit of the boarded bit of my loft. The boards aren’t T&G but they have all been cut to size nicely.
I’m only doing the section on the landing adjacent to the loft hatch, as all the warm air from downstairs just buggers off upstairs and out the gap here. It’s 2.5m by about 1.2, the full loft width being about 5-6m so 20% ish of the total left “uninsulated”. The eaves have all been at least topped up with wool over the existing insulation of totalling 100mm original wool & vermiculite to top of joists.
I’m going to use loft legs as this bit is just used for storage but in the remainder of the centre where I walk I think kingspan is my only option.
I don’t want to lose 200mm off the headroom with legs and wouldn’t work with the loft ladder anyway I don’t believe.
I’m only doing the section on the landing adjacent to the loft hatch, as all the warm air from downstairs just buggers off upstairs and out the gap here. It’s 2.5m by about 1.2, the full loft width being about 5-6m so 20% ish of the total left “uninsulated”. The eaves have all been at least topped up with wool over the existing insulation of totalling 100mm original wool & vermiculite to top of joists.
I’m going to use loft legs as this bit is just used for storage but in the remainder of the centre where I walk I think kingspan is my only option.
I don’t want to lose 200mm off the headroom with legs and wouldn’t work with the loft ladder anyway I don’t believe.
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Not yet but I am booked in for the weekend (y)
Ah! I just went to get the Xmas decorations down and noticed condensation between a gap in the boards in mine which has prompted me to do something more hasty. It’s also been dropping at least a few degrees at night upstairs and I’d rather it held heat a bit better. With the cold weather coming this week I was going to try and press on and get it done tomorrow/Tuesday.
Whoever boarded used flat blade screws to fix things down so getting them up could be a challenge. Already broke one screwdriver bit even with the torque turned down getting the first board up.
I have to shift everything around a bit at a time, but at least it gives me a chance to clear things out, a lot of what is up there is all good stuff and organised into plastic storage boxes and covered with a tarp. An old TV aerial, a 15kg heavy L bracket, and some old empty packaging boxes gone today though!
Whoever boarded used flat blade screws to fix things down so getting them up could be a challenge. Already broke one screwdriver bit even with the torque turned down getting the first board up.
I have to shift everything around a bit at a time, but at least it gives me a chance to clear things out, a lot of what is up there is all good stuff and organised into plastic storage boxes and covered with a tarp. An old TV aerial, a 15kg heavy L bracket, and some old empty packaging boxes gone today though!
Out of interest what plastic boxes did you get? I need to relocate all the stuff out of the workshop/out building/garage into the attic to make good space so need to get rid of the moisture retaining cardboard I think...
The “Really Useful” boxes I find are the best. Plastic is of a high quality, not brittle, lids overlap/come down the side a bit to stop dust/dirt getting in and they stack well. I think they are made in GB. The 35L size is a good one for home, fit through the hatch, can’t fill them too heavy and easy to handle.
Hobby craft sell them but not the cheapest place. Think most of mine came from B&Q but they moved onto selling cheap imported stuff now.
Hobby craft sell them but not the cheapest place. Think most of mine came from B&Q but they moved onto selling cheap imported stuff now.
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Ah spot on. Yeah I spotted those at Homebase earlier today but they are outrageously priced. I did get a MASSIVE recycled plastic set of boxes from B&Q that were super cheap comparatively but not see-through (and too big for a loft hatch tbh).
Will give them a go, thanks
@dLockers I'm about to do my loft with the Knauf stuff from B&Q & it's not dissimilar from your loft by the looks of it, though my house was built in 1906. Out of interest, is the gap between your joists 400mm as per how the roll is pre-cut? I measured mine earlier & annoyingly, the gap is 320mm 
Mine were between 300 and 430@dLockers I'm about to do my loft with the Knauf stuff from B&Q & it's not dissimilar from your loft by the looks of it, though my house was built in 1906. Out of interest, is the gap between your joists 400mm as per how the roll is pre-cut? I measured mine earlier & annoyingly, the gap is 320mm
I originally cut the Knauf stuff down with a large wood saw whilst it was still in the bag, but tbh I found you can get away with cramming the 400mm into a 320mm hole as long as it isn't "squashed" down, it was kinda resilient to being squeezed sideways.
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Ah that's good to know! I've already hacked 2 of the 400mm lengths down to size which wasn't fun with a stanley knife. I'll saw it down in the bag going forward. I've also got the added fun of having to remove the old blown insulation first by hand. Potentially odd question but did you find any random bits of slate on your lath & plaster ceiling? I'm wondering whether it was used an an old school form of insulation or sound proofing.Mine were between 300 and 430
I originally cut the Knauf stuff down with a large wood saw whilst it was still in the bag, but tbh I found you can get away with cramming the 400mm into a 320mm hole as long as it isn't "squashed" down, it was kinda resilient to being squeezed sideways.
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