Loft Office Suitability Query?

EachPenny wrote: »

No, the answer is in what you say. You spread the load over more members, but this in itself doesn't strengthen anything.

It is the equivalent of carrying one shopping bag in each hand rather than carrying two bags in one hand. Your arms don't become stronger because each one is only holding one bag, however as a system the load is easier to carry because the load is spread and balanced.

I do prefer to use both hands with two bags, I could carry four bags with two hands, but I could not carry four bags in one hand. If I had a rucksack, I could carry more than four bags

OK, one last try ...

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

I assumed that in it's current state, the warm air would rise while the cold up in the attic would cause dampness and/or condensation. There are only boards on the floor in the loft at the moment. Would it be beneficial to board the walls and roof of the loft? Even without insulation?

So, you already have structural alterations to the loft (floor boarding) and you are considering further structural alterations (boarding the walls and roof). As you already have a window, that's getting pretty close to what most people would call a loft conversion.

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

I think you're reading me the wrong way. Clearly text is not a great way of communicating or showing emotion sadly. So if my comments seemed like I didn't accept any professional advice, I apologise.

I 100% accept help over my own advice as I know nothing about this sort of thing.

What you said about the static load over several more beams makes sense as to how it could withstand the weight over such a long period of time.

So my next guess is, if I want an inhabitable (not habitable?) room to do some work, I need a structural engineer out to strengthen the beams first?

I'd suggest the figure is below 100%. And yes, I think it's been suggested you might need the advice of a structural engineer, several times. So maybe 100% accept that advice, and come back and let us know what the structural engineer said.

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

"underestimating the strength of lofts in Scotland". Now, THAT is what you call tongue in cheek. Clearly I wasn't basing the strength of my home on the place it was built.... And assuming all houses in the UK are built to a certain standard, I had no idea that the place of build would determine a different outcome. Nobody asked where my house was, therefore I had no idea it was relevant. Judging by your response, it sounds like it IS relevant?

And no, changing the use of the loft doesn't mean it's a conversion. You added the word "Structure", not me. I am not changing the structure at all. If you refer back to the OP, you will see this "in it's current condition" - Meaning, no structural changes. - Hope this helps?

I'd suggest that is exactly what you said. Maybe use emoticons if you want to convey you weren't being 100% serious?

You already have structural changes, and as per above, you are considering further structural changes. Adding load (boards) to the structure is a structural change (a change in the load).

I hope you aren't in Stirlingshire and you don't have nosy neighbours who might call the Council to come and inspect the alterations to your loft. Even though you didn't make those previous changes, the Council could enforce you to apply for a retrospective building warrant.

Many of the questions you are asking have been asked and answered in previous posts - just search for loft, or loft conversion.

Over and out. Good luck.

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

My question was, and STILL IS "is there a way to cheaply keep my loft (in it's current state) free from condensation as I want to use electricals in my loft for an hour or so as well as keep electricals in the loft with my storage".

I dont get why you keep saying that you have/may get 'condensation' in your loft.
Do you mean dampness, which I dont get. My loft is dry but cold.

wolfmansgotnards wrote: »

My question was, and STILL IS "is there a way to cheaply keep my loft (in it's current state) free from condensation as I want to [STRIKE]use electricals in my loft for an hour or so as well as [/STRIKE]keep electricals in the loft with my storage".

Maybe we can take a little heat out of the discussion by separating the two issues of using the loft for activities other than bringing stuff up/down for/from storage and actually just storing something up there.

For "storing" stuff: It really depends on the state of your loft and roof. If it is in a good state and well ventilated, then it may just get cold, but not necessarily damp. Then I wouldn't see any problem storing stuff up there. In my life, I used to store a lot of electrical stuff on attics without a problem.

One issue might be smell: In particular in winter it might get slightly damp (not so much that's a problem for electrical items) which may cause this typical "attic/loft" smell. Thus, storing fabrics, clothes, etc. may be a problem because they may take up the smell. For this, we bought rather cheap plastic boxes with lids, put the stuff in there with a big pack of silicate or alike and then "seal" the box using masking tape around the lid. Worked very well so far, and if your electrical equipment is precious, you may do the same thing.

Condensation is a different issue and may happen if warm air from your house (living space) can go up into the attic on a constant basis (e.g. the loft hatch isn't sealed properly). Then the humidity in the warm and humid air from your living space will condensate in the cold attic (e.g. at the membrane, the window, etc.). Since you said you haven't seen this so far, there shouldn't be a problem in this respect.

Insulating the roof: If the floor is already insulated, I'm not sure that insulating the roof will change much in the loft space with respect to temperature and dampness. After all it is not heated and will adjust largely to the outside temperature. If you do it properly (damp proof membrane, etc.) you may get lower levels of dampness. But you'd have to do this very properly, because even tiny mistakes here may have huge effects in terms of condensation, dampness, mould, etc. But about all of this I'm not really sure as I'm not an expert on this.

I'm keeping myself out of the discussion whether you should use the space for your YouTube videos. I presume that you already thought about using a bedroom or living room for this...

Best wishes,
Andre