loft board & ladder installation

Inigo_Montoya

Does anybody have any advice on how to go about finding a tradesperson or company to install raised loft boards & a loft ladder ?

When you do a google search it seems to bring up companies that specialize in loft boarding but I am wondering if it might be cheaper 
to just get qoutes from self employed local carpenters instead who will not have the extra overheads that a larger company would have ?

BTW I know its a job you could DIY but I just do not have the time or the inclination so just want to find a tradesperson that will
do it at a reasonable price

MikeJXE

Try your local builders merchant and ask if they can recommend a local chippy (carpenter) 

Could also try building control at your local council 

gsw55

Checkatrader an ratedpeople websites might find local tradesman you could contact.

tacpot12

Do you have a structural survey that says your loft joists are strong enough to support the load you want to put on the raised floor? If not, few tradepeople will be willing to do the work, and only a specialist company with access to their own expertise (or structural engineer) would take the job on.  

ashe

Just be aware that a reasonable price will still
be very expensive 

these companies that advertise in Facebook make it sound like you get loads of storage for £800 or so on the deal by saying 100 square feet of boarded space but that's only 9 square meters so a 3m*3m space. Wood is expensive so loft boarding is quite pricy now, and no guarantees your foot can cope with a lot of weight.

local carpenters might give you a better price but might even be more expensive as might do a more thorough job of it - the one we asked about it said he doesn't use loft legs etc but builds new full lengths of timber to raise floor level and allow extra insulation between it, but was fully booked for 5 months anyway 

Section62

tacpot12 said:

Do you have a structural survey that says your loft joists are strong enough to support the load you want to put on the raised floor? If not, few tradepeople will be willing to do the work, and only a specialist company with access to their own expertise (or structural engineer) would take the job on.  

And those who would take the job on without the question being asked and answered are unlikely to be the type of people it is sensible to let loose on your house.

Inigo_Montoya

I found someone on "mybuilder" who visited but I wont be using him as he didnt even know you have to raise the boards above the insulation - I had to specifically mention it as he was going to board on the existing joists & flatten the insulation

also when I mentioned about the raised floor he said he might attach the timber floor supports to the diagonal roof supports (apparently called "webs"  or "struts" ? i.e. see https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/roofing-building-steel-frame-cover-roof-1768504637)
- doesnt sound safe at all

he had good reviews but he seemed to be more of a general handy man without any specialist knowledge 

now waiting for 2 more specialist firms to visit - I may still try to find a proper local carpenter who will understand the concept of load bearing 

BTW the actual total cost is not the issue - I just want to find someone that will provide value for money whatever that amount might be 

We are not planning on putting a huge amount of weight in the loft so a structural survey sounds a bit over the top IMO - there is also a solid bedroom wall down the middle of the area we are boarding which should help