Finding a contractor to upgrade loft insulation

Pat38493

Any ideas on what type of tradesperson I should be looking for if I want to pay someone to source and supply loft insulation in my house - it needs upgrading to the recommended type and thickness.

I am not even looking to get it done free on a grant or suchlike - I'm prepared to pay for it if it can be done before this winter.

I asked a couple of these energy efficiency companies about it but they only seem to be interested in selling me a heat pump system or solar panela for a 5 figure sum or whatever - there is no point doing this if my house is not well insulated.

I realise that in theory I can do this myself but I am useless at DIY so I usually pay experts to do this sort of job.

Would it typically just be a general tradesperson / handyman type to do this?

Alnat1

You don't need to be good at DIY, only equipment you need is a large pair of scissors. 

Sourcing the insulation is simply a matter of working out whether B&Q or Wickes etc. is cheapest and getting it ordered/going to fetch it. You might need a bit of maths to work out how many rolls you need.

Follow online guides and give it a go.

CSI_Yorkshire

But to lay it you do need to be comfortable moving around and unrolling it in the loft space.  Not all people are comfortable with this.

Give it a go (and maybe fall through your ceiling) isn't the best advice for everyone.

MeteredOut

and if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, get a recommendation for a friend/local facebook group for a good handyman who will lay it for you - that will be a *lot* cheaper than doing it through an energy efficiency company.

FreeBear

Alnat1 said: You don't need to be good at DIY, only equipment you need is a large pair of scissors.

You don't even need a pair of scissors - Rolls generally come pre-cut to suit standard joist spacing, and it can be pulled by hand if you need a short length. I've used a saw to cut rolls to width to suit non-standard spacing (best done before removing the plastic wrapping).

A general purpose handyman should be able to fit loft insulation for you at a reasonable price.

Scot_39

Alnat1 said:

You don't need to be good at DIY, only equipment you need is a large pair of scissors. 

Sourcing the insulation is simply a matter of working out whether B&Q or Wickes etc. is cheapest and getting it ordered/going to fetch it. You might need a bit of maths to work out how many rolls you need.

Follow online guides and give it a go.

Not all insulation is safe to work with.

Not all if a top layer needs to be joist width.

And care needs to be taken not to block any ventellation at say fascia / soffit level.

And crawling into the low roof space - even with crawl boards - is not for the unfit or elderly.

The old fibre glass - if you can still buy it - you needed a face mask gloves and ideally paper coveralls.

Edit : And come to think about it even if new stuff safe - you could be layering on top of old so in contact with and disturbing the potentially damaging fibres. And you don't want to be inhaling that at all.


The Rockwell piccies at Wickes for instance still show some of that ppe level.

It is a job I have done myself - but its certainly not for everyone.

As above if in doubt ask friends or colleagues for references or post for a quote on a trades listing site if cannot find any may be best for many.

jbuchanangb

A word of caution as to what is already up there. Many years ago when I upgraded my loft insulation to the recommended 11" depth, I discovered that the existing layer of polystyrene balls had to be fully removed, as they represented a fire risk! Needless to say the cost of removing them added considerably to the cost of the overall job.