Re-Installing Loft Flooring and Fixing the Errors of the Past

[~Divine~Wind~]

Spoiler

I've been a bit on and off with this over the weekend but have some progress and plenty of images. Words are of course optional .

I went a bit MacGyver and fabricated a tool from extension poles, a tree felling wedge and plenty of duct tape so that I could reach the eaves to clear the soffits of insulation. I really didn't want to clear or crawl over all that insulation! Worked a treat .

The MacGyver'ing continues - ripped a length of old board to make my Stick Of Support. Obligatory power tool image . I'm such a Makita tart.

First few uni-supports in their place.

Then ran a datum line (using strimmer line pulled taught as I'd ran out of string!) and the tri-supports in place, the Stick Of Support guiding the way.

Then some more supports and then crossbeams fitted.

Next section, skipping the uni-supports as these can be placed under the crossbeams later, saves marking out all the joists.

Some more crossbeams fitted...

...and some more.

The previously compressed insulation is really starting to lift now.

Taking of insulation....

The part nobody likes. One roll down.

This insulation has cuts semi-made so makes placement over the crossbeams a lot easier.

The third roll of insulation down.

That's half of the loft done like this but I'll be putting the boards that this section first before moving on.

It's pretty easy stuff, just takes time and feeling like Tarzan going from one truss to another keeping your feet on the joists.

Itchy.

Ive gone all itchy just looking at these

how much roughly to do the entire loft?

I'm hoping I can do away with some of the new build chaos bracing in the loft

 

[Mysterae_]

Braver than me stepping over the rafters! I was worried about falling through so I did it more it iteratively.

I can recomend a hatch like below I made

Nicely done! That'll definitely help access and prevent anybody falling down the hatch. Funny that you mention it as it's the one area that I've not finalised yet.

The additional height of the legs will raise the loft flooring by 300mm so it'll be quite a big step from the loft ladders so will need a handle or support to aid access. Additionally the loft hatch door has the ladders integral to it and it's not insulated and I'm sure leaks a bit. Seems a bit silly to go to such lengths to insulate the loft and leave this obvious weak spot.

I'm wanting to make something that will seal the loft from the house but still allow air to flow over the hatch, eave to eave and under the loft flooring. I'm thinking something along the lines of a piece of insulation board that I can pull down in place before folding the ladders and closing the hatch. It'll then need lifting and pushed out the way when access is required. There's a few videos on youtube where they've done something similar.

 

[Mysterae_]

Ive gone all itchy just looking at these

how much roughly to do the entire loft?

I'm hoping I can do away with some of the new build chaos bracing in the loft

Oddly enough the new insulation I used wasn't as itchy as the stuff that was already down, easy enough to cut or tear too.

To do this section of loft at an area of 30sqm it was £1,366 rounding the pennies (LoftZone stuff - £659, flooring - £452 and the insulation - £255). It wasn't until after the ordering that I found out I could have got a discount on the flooring and insulation if I had bought it in person so perhaps £150 cheaper. I worked out if I wanted to floor the entire loft rather than just this section it would cost around £3k as the insulation is fine in the other areas and the boards would be smaller, but I thought that it was a bit of diminishing returns. The area floored is ample already.

You mention new build - the insulation should already be at least 270mm already so are you just looking at flooring it?

 

[Macky]

Looks good! That loft zone equipment is much more expensive than the plastic loft legs I used.

 

[Mysterae_]

Looks good! That loft zone equipment is much more expensive than the plastic loft legs I used.

Indeed, it took some justification to go down the loft zone route. B&Q sell the XL loft legs at £130 for 72 of them, two packs would have been enough. I could have used thinner insulation and 18mm boards (or attempted to reuse the old bent and stinky ones) for an even bigger saving.