Builder forgot to insulate loft

Norman_Castle

Owen76 wrote: »

The joists are only 430 apart so no off the shelf option, I didn’t want a hatch it was their suggestion!

Please use the quote button so we know what you are responding to.


There won't be much difference in the price of a chippie making a frame and hatch or a plasterer boarding and skimming. Both will need painting.
They should do whichever you want for free to compensate for the extra disruption.

Davesnave

I've never heard of a house/flat without a loft hatch.

While it's possible in modern houses that there are no services up there except electric, it still seems very short-sighted and a waste of potential storage space; a triumph of fashion or economy over utility.


If the OP didn't want a hatch and chose that as an option when giving the builders their brief, this proves my point.

RelievedSheff

Davesnave wrote: »

I've never heard of a house/flat without a loft hatch.

While it's possible in modern houses that there are no services up there except electric, it still seems very short-sighted and a waste of potential storage space; a triumph of fashion or economy over utility.


If the OP didn't want a hatch and chose that as an option when giving the builders their brief, this proves my point.

Whilst it is certainly the norm to have some sort of access to the loft space there are an increasing amount of homes with bedrooms in the roof that have no access to the remaining loft space at all.

It wouldn't be my choice to have no access but some people don't seem put off by this lack of access.

Mistral001

Owen76 wrote: »

The joists are only 430 apart so no off the shelf option, I didn’t want a hatch it was their suggestion!

The argument will probably revolve around whether by not explicitly saying you did not want a hatch you actually consented to having one.

There is also an argument as to whether putting a hatch in is more expensive than repairing the hole and making good the ceiling. The hatch could probably be put in by a joiner or experienced handyman and then the paintwork touched up by the same worker in one visit. Repairing the hole with plasterboard would require a plasterer and take at least two visits as the plaster would need time to dry. They would also need to redecorate the whole ceiling with the repair solution.

Jakg

Davesnave wrote: »

I've never heard of a house/flat without a loft hatch.

My house has a chimney breast in the middle dividing the loft in two.

The previous owner of my house moved some internal walls around and removed the existing loft hatch.

They then fitted a bathroom - inc extractor and ducting - and then fitted the ceiling.

The extractor was fitted badly so I had to add a loft hatch to get back up in there to replace it all.

I have no idea why he thought this was acceptable!

Mojisola

Owen76 wrote: »

my builders (term used loosely) forgot to insulate the loft space! And when I challenged them about it the admitted it, so they then cut a whole in the newly plastered roof and insulated it correctly!

How did you know they hadn't insulated the loft if there was no access to check it?

Barny1979

Mojisola wrote: »

How did you know they hadn't insulated the loft if there was no access to check it?

Owen76 wrote: »

When the sparky cutout the down lights!

Posted earlier in thread

dan958

If there was no access to the loft, I highly doubt the insulation was something they 'forgot'. Most likely just thought you would never notice.

Owen76

Davesnave wrote: »

I've never heard of a house/flat without a loft hatch.

While it's possible in modern houses that there are no services up there except electric, it still seems very short-sighted and a waste of potential storage space; a triumph of fashion or economy over utility.


If the OP didn't want a hatch and chose that as an option when giving the builders their brief, this proves my point.

It is an extension, and the loft space above the room is not useable space due to the type of A frames they have constructed the roof from! I have a loft in the existing house which I have a hatch for!

Davesnave

Owen76 wrote: »

It is an extension, and the loft space above the room is not useable space due to the type of A frames they have constructed the roof from!

Most of our property (with 3 lofts) is built with A frame roof trusses. The extension in what was the garage is the only bit with a traditional cut roof. Being narrow, it's quite a shallow pitch and cramped up there, but it's still good storage and it has a hatch. Two weeks ago, our plumber had to go in there to move pipework, which would have been awkward without access.

As for the rest, I've made plywood shelving that fits in the cross piece of the 'A.' Given that there was once a 200 litre tank up there, I think they're fine for the job, but I don't put anything very heavy on them.

Our property is 45 years old, except the garage extension roof, which is 4 years and specified to take storage. It's true, modern roof trusses are pared-down to the bare minimum, so that might be why yours aren't creating a 'usable space.' The other reason is that no one wants you to invalidate a guarantee by doing something up there like I've done.