I want to redo our loft insulation but not sure if it's too big a DIY job!

grumbler

Grandad2b said:

Risteard said:

Very few LED downlights are insulation-coverable, and those that are carry a specific symbol to indicate this. Collingwood H2 Lites are about the only make and model I can think of which can be covered by insulation.

Honestly cannot see the amount of heat lost from LEDs being a problem underneath mineral insulation.

The problem, possibly overestimated, is overheating of the lights under insulation, not heat loss.

grumbler

ashe said:

if a hood is fitted then seems insulation is ok?

Yes, but most fittings in the specification state the minimum head space, IMO, with a very large margin. A hood has to meet the specifications.

ashe

Ok so where I am currently at;

I've sorted out the loft condensation with a mix of lap vents and pieces of lagging inbetween the felt overlap , and installed temperature and humidity sensors so I can track in home assistant.

electrician has fitted last of our gu10's and confirmed wires in the loft are all safe. 

for loft insulation I am a little but stuck, I've installed the loft lids and will be sealing them down once I've recovered from a minor operation. 

I've got concerns though about how I will access the space above each room once the second layer of insulation goes down, for things like maintenance as well as knowing where things are. 

I had a joiner round to look at boarding a walkway to the point above each room so that there was a safe space to stand on, but he said we've got so many beams up in our loft as well as a support structure around the boiler, it's not really feasible especially with the extractor fans up there. 

Would there be an issue, before I put the insulation down, in screwing some narrow hardwood ply walkways down to the joists rather than using loft legs, and then laying the insulation on top of these? I was thinking to then use some kind of spray to mark where the boards are, as well as any electrical items like light fittings or water pipes - to make any future work easier to carry out? This would make it all easily DIY'able and still give me easy access to ceilings above where rooms are