Loft Office Suitability Query?

wolfmansgotnards

And here I thought I was asking a harmless question lol.

sevenhills

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

And here I thought I was asking a harmless question lol.

I am sure we are all wanting to help, but there are many differents ways to board a loft, add a person up there and its gets complicated. There are lots of other posts on this topic, do a search, easy to find.

EachPenny

sevenhills wrote: »

There is a thread about putting a combi boiler in a loft, similar issues as the OP here, some saying it must be boarded with a handrail etc.

No one has said anything about complying with building regulations or contacting a structural engineer; how far should people go?

The boarding in that case would only be sufficient to gain access to the boiler - so in effect a walkway with handrails either side to prevent the gas engineer straying off the safe route and falling through the ceiling.

Access to install and maintain a boiler is very different to boading a loft for storage.

One would hope the person who started that thread will be employing a competent and qualified person to install the boiler, and as part of that process would get advice on what the installer felt was necessary in terms of access. The installer is not going to risk their own life going into the loft if it doesn't look like the structure is sufficiently robust to support them and their tools.

Fire_Fox

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

And here I thought I was asking a harmless question lol.

:rotfl: You are an absolute trojan, welcome to the madhouse.

I obviously can't take the pace anymore. :shhh:

AndyMc.....

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I feel like I am in the twilight zone. After rereading the thread several times I finally realise people actually are contradicting themselves all over the shop.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5858567/loft-conversion

Fire_Fox

AndyMc..... wrote: »

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5858567/loft-conversion[/:think:QUOTE]

Teaae.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RhlXqYiTz2Q

wolfmansgotnards

EachPenny wrote: »

The boarding in that case would only be sufficient to gain access to the boiler - so in effect a walkway with handrails either side to prevent the gas engineer straying off the safe route and falling through the ceiling.

Access to install and maintain a boiler is very different to boading a loft for storage.

One would hope the person who started that thread will be employing a competent and qualified person to install the boiler, and as part of that process would get advice on what the installer felt was necessary in terms of access. The installer is not going to risk their own life going into the loft if it doesn't look like the structure is sufficiently robust to support them and their tools.

Nothing to do with a boiler anyways. But the fact that you mention this as if the loft is so delicate makes me worry slightly. As mentioned before, I have so much !!!!!! up the loft that it could cave in at any time?

And to make things more confusing, the only reason all my stuff is up there is because my parents have a similar house and I used to play up in their loft all the time with even more !!!!!! in the way.

Maybe you are underestimating the strength of lofts in Scotland? Maybe it was built better than most modern lofts? The house was built in 1955 and is a solid old style building. None of this paper thin house you get these days.

dunroving

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

Nothing to do with a boiler anyways. But the fact that you mention this as if the loft is so delicate makes me worry slightly. As mentioned before, I have so much !!!!!! up the loft that it could cave in at any time?

And to make things more confusing, the only reason all my stuff is up there is because my parents have a similar house and I used to play up in their loft all the time with even more !!!!!! in the way.

Maybe you are underestimating the strength of lofts in Scotland? Maybe it was built better than most modern lofts? The house was built in 1955 and is a solid old style building. None of this paper thin house you get these days.

It sounds like you know what you are doing, so maybe just go ahead and do the loft conversion. Time will tell whether the loft is strong enough to bear the weight.

When you come to sell the house and the new buyers query about building warrants for work done in the loft, you can just tell them that houses in Scotland are tough and they don't need to worry about that kind of thing.

Doozergirl

You are perfectly free to do whatever you like in your loft. Thankfully, none of us are going to sit up there with you.

No one is underestimating anything. If you really saw what most period houses are made of and how Victorian houses often have elements that literally defy gravity, you'd probably choose not to sit up there either.

EachPenny

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

Maybe you are underestimating the strength of lofts in Scotland? Maybe it was built better than most modern lofts? The house was built in 1955 and is a solid old style building. None of this paper thin house you get these days.

I had no idea where your loft was or how old it was.... that's largely irrelevant to the advice that you need to get a suitably competent person in to advise you.

As it happens, parts of Scotland do have increased requirements when it comes to roof structures because of the potential for greater depths of snow and higher winds. But then do either of us know whether the standards used in the design of your c1955 roof were higher or lower than the standards used today - given that we are told global warming is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events?

I also don't know whether your roof structure has rot, or woodworm, or if the nails holding it together have rusted through.

All of that means my response to your question is always going to be 'seek professional advice' if you are proposing to use the loft space for anything other than a few very light boxes (e.g. christmas decorations)