Loft Boarding Floors And Roof

by Martin
(Hastings, England)

Are there any rules or regulations that stop me from boarding the floor and insulating and boarding the the roof?

There will be a light in the loft.

It is for storage and insulation to keep the warmth in, not as a living room.

The house dates from about 1910.

Thanks

Martin

Loft boarded

Hi

I have had a joiner board my loft out with tongue and groove chipboard sheets, I asked if he needed to strenthen the floor as I intend to store books up there and was told no.

He said storage should be ok, but I have also noticed that there are what look like plugs come through the hall, bedroom ceilings in a continuous line, consequently the plaster has fallen in small pieces the size of a 1p piece.

Do I insist he strenthen parts for book storage?

Also he took my new insulation out and when I asked why he said it was to thick, I thought it would of flattened down with the boards.

Is this right?

Any advice would be appreciated

Thank you

J Fox

Loft Boarding

by Richard Haydon
(Bristol)

I have just moved into a brand new built home.

If I put loft boarding down this would compress the insulation, would this therfore reduce the U value of the insulation and therefore the overall insulation value of the house.

And if so is there another way around this

Thanks for your help

Boarding a loft

by Jackie
(Wolverhampton)

Do you have to leave a gap around the edge of the boarding panels against the walls?

Boarding the loft floor

by John
(Durham)

I am thinking of starting a project in the loft with my intension of cross battening the existing 5 x 2 joists with 4 x 3 battens then laying T&G loft boards on top to create a storage only space of approx 4.5m x 4m.

My only concern is the extra weight this extra battening and flooring will add to the existing joints?

Our house is a mid terraced house built in about 1900 which has a purlin and rafter roof but as I can recall since it is a long time since i have been up there I can not remember seeing any cross beams or diagonal struts etc on to the supporting wall under neath which splits the loft in half.

And after reading various posts and seeing pictures of other lofts is starting to cause me a bit of concern or is this normal?

If all is normal, after the flooring my next stage would be to plaster board this section out by adding vertical struts from the roof rafters down to the joists to form the walls to attach the plaster board to and then attach plaster board to the roof rafters to form a room shape.

As I have said this will only be for storage and not a habitable room but was hoping to do this just to keep it tidy etc.We have tile vents in the roof ( 2 at the back and 2 at the front ) so I think the air flow would be ok with what comes through at the eaves as well and i was going to add some vents in the plaster board to allow air flow into the plaster boarded out sction so as to stop condensation happening.

This is my intention but but i am hoping for advice on the matter and any given would be most appreciated especially regarding the lack of cross beams and diagonal beams from the roof.

We have lived in the house over 20 years now without any problem with the roof but just want to make sure all is ok as i am starting to wonder if the previous owner removed these for some reason leaving the roof unstable.

Thank you.

Boarding the Roof

by Dave
(Nottinghamshire)

We recently had a basic loft conversion for additional storage purposes only. This included flooring, loft hatch and ladder, velux window, light and roof insulation.

The area is now accessible and suitable for storage however is still fairly dusty / dirty due to exposed walls and roof installation.

We were advised that this would not require building however I would like to plasterboard the roof and stud wall / plasterboard the party walls to create a cleaner space. I doubt we will plaster but possibly paint.

I assume building regs are not required for roof paneling but am not familiar with regs and would appreciate your advise.

Thanks

Board remainder of loft space to extend storage

by Ruth
(Manchester)

In 2001 we had a full dormer loft conversion added across the full width of the rear of our mid-terraced property (built circa 1900) which fully complied with building regulations (ie fixed staircase, fire alarm & fire retardant doors along with RSJ across width of property).

At the same time the contractor boarded most of the floor (at the front of property) with T&G chipboard, for use as storage.

However, there is still 3ft x 14ft that is not boarded which is not currently usable. I would like to redistribute the stored items to this area (ie under the slant of the roof) so that I can create a play area for the kids & their many toys!

Can I just continue with the existing T&G flooring to cover the full loft or will I need to strengthen any of the joists before doing so?

Secondly, in this area there are 6 vertical 2x1" slats going from the floor joists to the roof joists. Is it possible to remove these slats in order to maximise the space (and make it easier to lay the flooring) or will I just have to work round them?

Thirdly, there is some loft insulation where I want to put the flooring but the idiots that put it there just appear to have dumped it haphazardly over the joists and not between them. Would I be ok to reuse this if placed in the proper place.

Finally, what kind of insulation and/or soundproofing will I need to use, if any, between the roof joists before I plasterboard the roof and on the party walls. The storage space already has plasterboard to 2 walls from when we had the loft converted and the roof slates to the front of the property were recently re-slated and the roof lined?

I would really appreciate your advice on these matters as my children are anxious for mum to start the work (as dad is dangerous with anything other than a computer mouse!)

PS. I'm pretty handy with MY tools and perform all the DIY tasks at home.

Thanks in advance.

Loft Boarding and Storage

by Issac
(Cheshire)

HI, hope you can assist; I have a loft area measuring 40ft by 25ft on a 1930 detached property, with a rather small height of about 6ft 2".

I would love to convert but would means bringing ceilings down etc. I have settled to use as storage only and insulate as much as possible.

Currently the roof is supported by old purlings running along each side, supported by built up walls, which have formed a wall straight across the loft in two sections, the joists are 4*2.

My plan is to double up with 4*2 on existing and create noggins or lattice structure to strenthen over floor, giving me 8*2 altogether, increase insulation and screw tongue and groove to further create stability and strength and break-out a walk way between these walls.

Also thinking of boarding up where required, just to create a clean usable storage space, accessible by a drop down ladder.

The joists are running over at least 3 load bearing walls, 2 directing back to foundation/ floor level and one into a I beam.

there is another 20ft of loft but that is an extended part and is constructed via trusses etc, will be leaving that as it is.

Any input or advice?

loft boarding

by alexis
(milton keynes)

I have recently had my loft insulated to a high standard.

I now can't lay the board onto the joist's.

How would I now lay a new floor without causing any damage to the new insulation and stopping it from working.

Diaphragm action

On our planning drawings it mentions ply boarding over some ares to prevent diaphragm action, what does this mean ???

Boarding Parts Of The Loft

by Mike Skinner
(Oxford)

I am having new insulation put in the loft shortly.

It will be 270mm which will rise much higher than the joists.

I can screw blocks on to the existing joists but what other options do I have please?

Loft Boarding

by David
(Newcastle)

Last year we got top of over loft insulation which they put new installation roll cross.

This now covers the rafters, and now we're thinking to board the loft, we have being advised that we need to remove new insulation and lay same as other and then installed counter battens (200mm deep) so its easy to screw the loft board.

Is this the right way- as it seems quite a lot of work to remove and re lay the insulation?

Mezzanine Floor

by Damian Cooper
(Perivale, London)

I live in a standard 3 bed 1930's semi. The 3rd room (the box room) is just that. It only fits the smallest of single beds and nothing else (Literally).

We have made enquiries about a loft extention but were advised about a year ago that the head height was such that all ceilings upstairs would have to be dropped by a certain amount to achieve the required head room in the loft.

As an alternative is it permissable to open up the ceiling above the box room and create what in effect would be a small Mezzanine floor over the adjascent bedroom or upper landing area to house a larger bed.

The area in use would be walled from the rest of the loft.

I assume its posisble (physically), but is it permissable, would I need planning? Is it even worth considering.?

Any assistance or guidance would be much appreciated.

Boarding out loft for music area

by Michael O'Connell
(Slough)

Hello

Im thinking about boarding out my loft making the joists stronger by puttin in 2 steels to hold the roof.

Also to insulate the roof and put plaster board up and making the hatch bigger with a ladder.

My question is I want to put my decks in there because im a dj so I'd be standing around in there.

Would I need windows for this and would stairs have to be put in or could I just use the hatch?

Loft boarding

Hi,

My loft floor joists are 40mmx1000mm and are 4400mm apart.
I want to put a fllor down for a hobby / occasional room.

Will this floor need strengthening?

Thanks

Boarding out my loft space for storage only..

by Trish
(Cornwall)

Hi I'm a woman needing some help please!!

I have just moved into a 1950's/60's semi house where I would like to board out the loft using half inch T&G loft boards approx 4x1ft, (taken from previous rented house that I had boarded out myself).

The loft joists are 4x2 with a max span between load bearing walls of 10ft. The joists have 18" centres.

Can I fix my boards directly on to the existing joists (this will compress the loft insulation very slightly) or would it be preferable to put additional batons at right angles and fix onto these.

Alternatively would you recommend an different method.

Thanks and looking forward to your advice

Trish