Loft Boarding and Loft Ladders

Richie

Richie

Richie

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
10,454
Location
7th Level of Hell...
So I am looking at boarding out a park of my loft and will go with Loftzone but I have a couple of questions:

Is this relatively straight forward for a DIY-er and can it be done by 1 person?
Loft ladder - I kinda want to keep my existing hatch as it would be less hassle than having to fit a new one with the ladder attached - any recommendations for a loft ladder that will keep the existing hatch?

Cheers
 
Richie said:
So I am looking at boarding out a park of my loft and will go with Loftzone but I have a couple of questions:

Is this relatively straight forward for a DIY-er and can it be done by 1 person?
Loft ladder - I kinda want to keep my existing hatch as it would be less hassle than having to fit a new one with the ladder attached - any recommendations for a loft ladder that will keep the existing hatch?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Yeah I did a big chunk of loftzone solo, once you get a section in place your dandy
 
How much are you looking at spending?

I had a quote recently of just over 2K for around 700sqm of loft flooring.
They dont affix anything to the current ceiling beams instead they create a new frame connected to the trusses 6inch or so above the existing.
The flooring is then connected to this new frame
 
~Divine~Wind~ said:
How much are you looking at spending?

I had a quote recently of just over 2K for around 700sqm of loft flooring.
They dont affix anything to the current ceiling beams instead they create a new frame connected to the trusses 6inch or so above the existing.
The flooring is then connected to this new frame
Click to expand...

Oh nowhere near that amount.... Probably looking at their 1.8m x 3.6m or 1.8m x 4.8m kits as the space between the trusses is narrow (typical new build style). Its only to get a bit more storage and move some boxes etc up there.

From the LoftZone site that would be around £270-£350 depending on what size I go for. This includes their supreme boards and screws.

I am a bit more lost with loft ladders, It looks like you can get some that don't require a new hatch and bolt to the joists/new floor meaning I dont need to change the entire hatch over and I would prefer this to save any hassle. The hatch opening is about 780mm x 530mm and is the typical new build style of plastic with a block of polystyrene insulation on the loft side and drops down on a hinger and hangs open on the hinge.
 
Richie said:
So I am looking at boarding out a park of my loft and will go with Loftzone but I have a couple of questions:

Is this relatively straight forward for a DIY-er and can it be done by 1 person?
Loft ladder - I kinda want to keep my existing hatch as it would be less hassle than having to fit a new one with the ladder attached - any recommendations for a loft ladder that will keep the existing hatch?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Have a look at my thread here where I used the LoftZone stuff to board my loft, a few pictures of the install.

It's pretty easy once you get going, the only issues I had were unrelated to LoftZone, mainly removing the old boards and previous owner problems. I'd recommend not using an impact driver for putting the screws in if you think the plaster on the ceilings below might be at risk; use a drill/driver with an adjustable clutch and find the setting that sinks the screws in enough.

You mention their "supreme boards" - I got my loft boards from Travis Perkins and the quality was poor so wouldn't recommend those.

About the loft ladder - get one that is long enough so that it can bolt on to the new flooring and sits on top of it when stowed - measure the height from floor to loft floor as you'll have gained some. You'll lose some loft floor space when it's stowed though, and you'll need a pull rod (stick with a hook) to get the ladder down if it doesn't come with one. My loft ladder is attached to the loft hatch door so these weren't an issue for me.

Good luck!
 
my first loft ladder was one that slid up and kept the existing hatch but i found it was quite flimsy.
Then I bought one that is attached to the top of the loft door, it comes as a complete kit, with new frame/door with ladder already attached.
Pretty easy to fit.
I got mine from here

Warehouse Clearance Sale in UK | BPS Depot

BPS Depot has a warehouse clearance sale on loft ladders, multi-purpose ladders & extension ladders with a free lifetime guarantee. Buy now!
www.bpsdepot.co.uk www.bpsdepot.co.uk
 
Mysterae_ said:
Have a look at my thread here where I used the LoftZone stuff to board my loft, a few pictures of the install.

It's pretty easy once you get going, the only issues I had were unrelated to LoftZone, mainly removing the old boards and previous owner problems.
Click to expand...

I ha a look at your thread as it was happening so got my idea from there :)

The fortunate thing I have is there is no previous owner and so no "issues" from dodgy installs of wiring/plumbing etc. Also, it should be a little nicer to work in there as it hasn't had decades of crud building up :)

The only "issue" I see is the vertical pipe from the bathroom extractor which goes to the roof vent tile but, as long as I plan it correct, I should be able to put the struts on either side and cut a hole in the board(s) as required. I may get a couple of downpipe fixings and use them to effectively clamp the vertical pipe to the boards to give it a little support for any wayward nudges/hits with my feet etc whenever I am up there.

Mysterae_ said:
You mention their "supreme boards" - I got my loft boards from Travis Perkins and the quality was poor so wouldn't recommend those.
Click to expand...

These ones - https://www.loftzone.co.uk/shop-loft-boards/supreme-moisture-resistant-loft-boards/

18mm thick and treated for moisture resistance. Again, perhaps overkill as its a modern home with eaves and roof tile ventilation built in.



Mysterae_ said:
About the loft ladder - get one that is long enough so that it can bolt on to the new flooring and sits on top of it when stowed - measure the height from floor to loft floor as you'll have gained some. You'll lose some loft floor space when it's stowed though, and you'll need a pull rod (stick with a hook) to get the ladder down if it doesn't come with one. My loft ladder is attached to the loft hatch door so these weren't an issue for me.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Yeah I am likely going the ladder that isnt attached to the hatch. I may lose a little space but, with the direction of the hatch, it means it the ladder folds up in the direction of the eaves so will go towards the trusses and not be in an awkward position if it went along the floor (so to speak i.e. gable end direction)

Might try and remember to do a log on it whenever I get around to it.
 
MassiveJim said:
my first loft ladder was one that slid up and kept the existing hatch but i found it was quite flimsy.
Then I bought one that is attached to the top of the loft door, it comes as a complete kit, with new frame/door with ladder already attached.
Pretty easy to fit.
I got mine from here

Warehouse Clearance Sale in UK | BPS Depot

BPS Depot has a warehouse clearance sale on loft ladders, multi-purpose ladders & extension ladders with a free lifetime guarantee. Buy now!
www.bpsdepot.co.uk www.bpsdepot.co.uk
Click to expand...

I would be more inclined to go with that style if it meant a direct fit into the exact existing opening. I CBA with changing the size of the opening and all the hassle with plaster/paint etc that it all entails.
 
Richie said:
I ha a look at your thread as it was happening so got my idea from there :)

The fortunate thing I have is there is no previous owner and so no "issues" from dodgy installs of wiring/plumbing etc. Also, it should be a little nicer to work in there as it hasn't had decades of crud building up :)
Click to expand...

Ha, the thread has faded to about 4 pages back so wasn't sure if you'd seen it. I haven't updated it as work got busy and excuses excuses...

Richie said:
The only "issue" I see is the vertical pipe from the bathroom extractor which goes to the roof vent tile but, as long as I plan it correct, I should be able to put the struts on either side and cut a hole in the board(s) as required. I may get a couple of downpipe fixings and use them to effectively clamp the vertical pipe to the boards to give it a little support for any wayward nudges/hits with my feet etc whenever I am up there.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good plan. If only I had a roof vent I would have done something similar but I don't have much luck with roofers so was not getting one fitted. I'd recommend using a condensate trap on the fan if it's mounted vertically, just run the condensate pipe to the soffits just like a tank overflow, or accept drips to coming back down to the bathroom. My vent pipe has too many bends which kills the air flow and how far the moist air is chucked out the vent leading to moisture on the wall.

s!Ahf7xhLzGq1QsTttphqg9o3WBuUE

Richie said:
Yeah I am likely going the ladder that isnt attached to the hatch. I may lose a little space but, with the direction of the hatch, it means it the ladder folds up in the direction of the eaves so will go towards the trusses and not be in an awkward position if it went along the floor (so to speak i.e. gable end direction)

Might try and remember to do a log on it whenever I get around to it.
Click to expand...

It'll be the easier option, my previous house had something similar and was just a few fixings to install and fold away. Just be mindful of the additional height the loft legs makes the loft floor, you might need a step to put the ladder away!

You certainly should do a log, the more info sharing the better as folk are always interested (or so I like to believe!).
 
Richie said:
I would be more inclined to go with that style if it meant a direct fit into the exact existing opening. I CBA with changing the size of the opening and all the hassle with plaster/paint etc that it all entails.
Click to expand...
It was bigger than my existing opening so there was no plastering to be done.
Just cut the plasterboard to the larger size, and fit new trim afterwards, they do supply it with some trim but I bought architrave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom