Insulating loft and storage

loulou41

Hubby is trying to insulate the loft, not a DIY man, a bit concerned of his skills!! We also use the loft for storage e.g suitcases, Xmas trees and odd bits etc. I am just wondering after he has insulated the loft, can he put the suitcases and empty boxes over the insulation or does he need to do something else? I have read about boarding but does not really know what it means. Thanks

bockster

it,s definitely not advisable to squash the insulation with stuff.
1, the insulation qulity will be reduced
2, you will probably inadvertantly be putting weight onto the plasterboard ceiling.

do insulate though, you won't regret it, follow the instructions or get advise on how to.

get a handyman or diy neighbour to look into boarding or (i created huge shelving up there). but beware some work such as raising the height of joists may need to be done before lagging goes down.

hope this helps.

wallbash

Easiest ( but not the cheapest ) is to buy loft boards at one of the 'sheds'
I think !! BQ are the cheapest, but it really depends on your location.
Buy them in pkts of five. Will go thru lofthatch, T/G gives a really nice flat floor.
If you only do the easy bits, might not need to cut any about.


Now the small problem, boarding and insulation. Few years back, we insulated between rafters, boardered over the top job done. ( still did this a few weeks back)

Now people want to retain more heat, therefore more insulation .
Do you extend the rafters??
Its all a matter of choice. How important is storage?
Could you insulate ... board... store... then throw more insulation over the top??

Your choice

27col

If you board the roof then you are limited to only 100mm of insulation, unless you go to the bother of extending the rafters. A compromise would be to limit the boarded area to be as small as you can get away with. It is probably true to say that most stuff in lofts is not required and should be disposed of. If the loft is not boarded than the insulation can be increased to a really useful depth, like 250mm. Storage and insulation are mutually incompatible. You really need to decide which is most important to you. As I have said, a compromise would be to board an area near the hatch and double the insulation elsewhere. I have recently cleared our loft of a couple of hundred model fire engines. It is surprising how much the space required was reduced after they were all returned to their boxes.All the old toys are being given to a local cat rescue centre and the rest stored nicely in boxes that are of the same size. This seriously reduces the space required.

ema_o

27col wrote: »

All the old toys are being given to a local cat rescue centre and the rest stored nicely in boxes that are of the same size. This seriously reduces the space required.

This has given me a great image of a load of rescued cats chasing after 200 toy engines :rotfl::rotfl:

loulou41

I do not seem to be able to make hubby sees sense. He is insulating the loft and then put the suitcases on top of the insulation, he says a lot of people, do that. Do they, I am not sure!! I do not trust him to do anything else, may he could left a small portion uninsulated for his suitcases, does this make sense? I have also read not to cover the wires, but when he was checking, the previous fitter did cover the wires with insulated material. Thanks

Meadows

Why not insulated and then board a small area near the opening to store the cases.

We have actually insulated and boarded the whole of out attic so we can use it to store things, did this about five years ago, don't know whether it was wise as we now need to have a sort out up there :j

27col

You have stated the problem in one. Just because a lot of people do something, does not make it right. Hubby does not need to leave the storage area uninsulated, he can still put in100mm to reach the top of the joists. Two of us on this thread have told you the answer, just board in a small area near the hatch and put the thick insulation everywhere else. By the way, do not put any insulation under the water cistern, if you have one in the roof. Insulate any water pipes as well.

Altarf

If you want to use part of your loft for storage, but still have it properly insulated, you could always use this stuff - http://www.space-insulation.com/board.html