Loft conversion?

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Have moved into my new house (YEY!) and made the school girl error of going into the attic and coming off one of the beams..... Now have a rather fetching hole in the ceiling!!!

That's just being fixed now but it's occurred to me that I really should board the attic floor if I plan on going up there - Is it easy enough to do yourself? I wouldn't know where to start mind! I don't want to turn it into anything other than a storage space so nothing too adventurous

Off to Google but suggestions, tips and even laughs at me falling through are welcome


EDIT: I seriously doubt its as easy as it looks........ >;)

jhs14

What do you want, just as a storage space? If you only go up there a couple of times a year it might not be worth boarding, just make sure that boxes etc are sitting firmly across the joists, and watch your footing!

However, if you want to board, theres no reason why you cant do yourself. Just dont be too enthusiasitc with hammer and nails, ceiling joists can be rather thin and you're likely to crack the ceilings below if you bash too hard. For that reason, screws are preferable.

Also consider einsulation - current recommednation is about 30cm - joists are usually 10cm so you probably won't have room below the boards for adequate insulation. You can get insulated boards for this purpose, or google loft legs.

Bear in mind though that this isn't a loft conversion, it wont make the loft a useable living space.

TheCyclingProgrammer

Plenty of options for boarding out a loft depending on your budget, how much you want to board over, how much insulation you presently have and how much you want to have (ideally you should have it up to 27cm I believe - normally 10cm between joists and 17cm top-up above joists).

I've researched this myself as I plan to upgrade the insulation and board out in the house we are in the process of purchasing.

Your options are, generally speaking:

* Raise the joist height by fixing beams along or across the existing joists, fill with insulation and board over with chipboard loft panels. Should be relatively cheap but more time consuming.

* Use something like Loft Legs (you can get them from Wickes) instead of the above to raise the level where you need storage, board over with regular loft boards, make sure you leave an air gap between top of insulation and boards for air flow. Shouldn't be expensive either but I've read reviews that say the Loft Legs are fiddly and awkward if your joists run out a bit.

* Base layer of insulation between joists, top-up layer where you don't need storage and insulated loft boards where you do. Good option if you only need a bit of storage but expensive if you want to board out most of the loft - the boards about 5x as expensive as normal loft boards.

* LoftZone storage system - this is my preferred option and whilst not the cheapest, its cheaper than using insulated loft boards per square metre and looks quite simple to fix: http://loftzone.co.uk

HTH.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

yes sorry @ jhs14 - I didn't mean conversion I couldn't think of what to call the thread.


I have had loft insulation fitted by British Gas (Gov scheme thing) but off the top of my head I cant remember what depth it is (Will check paperwork when I am at home)


I definitely need it boarding - I fell through the ceiling after I missed a joist


I just want to be able to put a few bits and bobs up there, nothing heavy but I'm now worried about coming back through the floor again lol (It hurts, I wouldn't recommend it!)


Thanks @ TheCyclingProgrammer - that's some very useful info

jhs14

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel wrote: »

yes sorry @ jhs14 - I didn't mean conversion I couldn't think of what to call the thread.


I have had loft insulation fitted by British Gas (Gov scheme thing) but off the top of my head I cant remember what depth it is (Will check paperwork when I am at home)


I definitely need it boarding - I fell through the ceiling after I missed a joist


I just want to be able to put a few bits and bobs up there, nothing heavy but I'm now worried about coming back through the floor again lol (It hurts, I wouldn't recommend it!)


Thanks @ TheCyclingProgrammer - that's some very useful info

If the gov scheme insulation was recently then it will be 270mm.

You could just lay a couple of planks perpendicular to the joists to make a walkway?

Furts

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel wrote: »

yes sorry @ jhs14 - I didn't mean conversion I couldn't think of what to call the thread.


I have had loft insulation fitted by British Gas (Gov scheme thing) but off the top of my head I cant remember what depth it is (Will check paperwork when I am at home)


I definitely need it boarding - I fell through the ceiling after I missed a joist


I just want to be able to put a few bits and bobs up there, nothing heavy but I'm now worried about coming back through the floor again lol (It hurts, I wouldn't recommend it!)


Thanks @ TheCyclingProgrammer - that's some very useful info

If your roof has been built over the last 50 years it is likely to be be pre fabricated timbers known as trussed raters. With these, the giveaway identification is the galvanised metal plates stamped into the timbers where they join to each other. If you have this type of roof it is not a strong construction and is not intended for much weight in the roof. These roof members are usually at 600mm centres - you can measure yours to see if this is the case. If you fix chipboard floor sheets to the timbers you should have 22mm thick chipboard, and I would recommend type P5 - you can identify this by the green colour.

My suggestions may sound a little nerdy, but the loft boards I have seen sold in B&Q are thin, and prone to moisture damage, so they fall short of this requirement by a woeful amount.

deepbluejay123

I had a similar situation - my loft was virtually unusable and I had completely run out of storage space in a home I love. After a couple of quotes from reputable builders I went with a local company called Ecoloft.

Their basic package was all I needed - some ladders, flooring, boarding and a light switch and i've turned my loft into valuable storage space for a lot cheaper than moving house.

I'd recommend giving them a call and see if they can do something similar for you? Hope this helps

TheCyclingProgrammer

First post, digging up old thread, recommending specific company (who I must have come across before as they appear to be in my internet address history)? Smells spammy to me.

Doozergirl

Fritters, anyone?