#1

So Gregory you mentioned the other night you had a cleaver solution to my dilemma?

I have boarded out two lofts in the past with no problems but both of them were standard height insulation up to the level of the beams. 

However my new house has the double height insulation, i could rip out half the insulation and board down on the beams but that seems to be a bit of a waste plus i will have the ball ache of getting all the excess insulation out of the loft and to the dump.

After many hours on the internet and no not looking at gay porn like you there seems to be two schools of thought.  Rip it all out and board on the beams or use stilts and build a raised floor allowing for the double height insulation.

Some people say the stilts are brilliant and other people say they are shit so i am a bit of an impasse

Last edited 22 Feb 2017 at 09:27.

#2

This is a bit of involved topic as you have no doubt seen. The long and short of it is you need 270mm of fibre glass insulation to reach the required insulation value. However, using other materials you can achieve this with less insulation.
If you use celotex or another type of pir board you achieve the same insulation requirements with 150mm of material. 
So basically I am ripping out the fibre glass, installing 100mm beams of wood directly on top of the exisng rafters (for strength and weight distribution) then lumping 150mm celotex down. 
So you get rid of the fiber glass, the celotex is not an irritant so you don't need a mask to go ib the funking loft and you put boards down as normal. 

#3

I see what you mean and yes that would work very well but there are a couple of problems.

Firstly i would have to get rig of all the insulation in the loft, down through the house and to the dump in my car in about 100 trips!  Then i would have to purchase all new insulation and get it back up there, plus the extra weight of the wood to increase the beam height.

I will have to think about it some more.  Maybe i just get rid of some insulation around the door and make a small landing straight on the beams.  Then make a raised area with some stilts about 5m2 in the middle of the space its only for storage after all but TCT.

#4

There are loads of ways to do it, ultimately it's what fits with you. 
Also the 270mm regulations can just be ignored if you want. It's your house and if you sell it I very much doubt it would be checked. 

As for the weight of the beams, I would not worry. Putting a beam across the top only strengthens the beam, prevents it bowing and transmits any force to the top chords like it was designed to do. 

When I get the first bits of mine done I will show you some before and afters. 

#5

One thing with the stilts, you are heavily built and I would think 80kg+, so the legs will place your weight, the weight of the boards and the weight of the items on 4 - 6 points on the joists. 

If you do use them, use a LOT if them to spread the load as much as possible. 

#6

Are you suggesting i am a fat bastard?

Yes i was going to use more stilts than suggested but it haven't made a firm decision what i am going to do yet

#7

Actually no, you are fairly stocky which generally equates to being heavier. 

Well if you want to go for the more rolls Royce approach I am available to lend a hand. Also if you use the stilts and need a hand just give me a shout. 

#8

Cheers for the offer of assistance i may well take you up on that when i decide which route to take and purchased the materials.

#9

could you go warm loft maybe? if you've got a dual layer you could reuse the thicker top layer on one side of the roof, whilst just boarding down to the rafters on the floor? then you'd not lose any loft space or have any wastage and you'd have a nice space you could work on later, if you could be bothered - could carpet, plasterboard, chuck in some power etc.

#10

A fair point. But before considering this you would have to check on the type of sarking used in your loft. If you have the semi permeable type you do not want to impeded the removal of moisture from the roof space. 

I would suggest pir board would be better for such a conversion as keeping fibre roll in position would be a fucking nightmare. 

#11

isn't sarking the layout of insulation, between rafter, or not, so noggin to rafter? do you mean the membrane? I would've thought it'd be a moot point seeing as the roof space will now be warm and your vapour control layer will avoid any interstitial condensation?

but yes, a pir like celotex or similar would be the way forward, great to work with, maybe you could get Alfie to cut it!

#12

The vapour control layer being presumed to be where in this situation? If it's a ventilated roof and you plug it up with insulation I would think you are gonna have a bad time. 

Yes I was referring to the membrane. 

I would also question the logic overall of a warm roof when its only for storage? Why expend energy heating and in an inhabited area?

#13

Re reading that, i seem to have come over rather more passionalty than the subject of loft insulation deserves. 

I will qualify that my understanding of the topic is based solely on stuff from the net. That was until I got bored of reading about it and just decided to get on with it.

#14

lol

#15

I'd be assuming the vapour layer to be on the warm side, to control vapour from the internal air which is at a higher humidity and avoid wetting the insulation. I was only thinking of ideas to avoid raising floor height and/or dragging new insulation through the house to the skip, rather than suggesting Mark renovate his house to my specification! 

I guess the logic to a warm loft could be questioned - don't forget it'd be a larger surface area overall to insulate, as well as requiring additional materials, but again, just an idea for the future!

Everyone gets passionate about something, especially if it's something you're doing at the moment and it's fresh on your mind. Some people talk it, but some people, just get on with it

#16

Blimey guys. Talk about over complicating and overreacting things.

#17

Do you think a vlc is worth it as a retrofit? I have been inclined to say fuck it as there is plasterboard with artex which has been covered with pva and plastered over then sealed with paint. 
I can't see how any air is going to hit the cold side through 150mm of celotex. 

#18

Expon what is your opinion on the matter. Is insulation and stuff something you have to deal with for work?

Also i meant to type VCL in my previous message not VLC as in the media player.

#19

Can anyone think of a way to get expons opinion this matter?
A reward of a biscuit or something?

#20

Don't you feel this topic has wondered far enough into pointless-ville as it is, Greg?