Loft insulation in Brockenhurst

What is up there when the hatch comes off. Usually one settled layer between the joists, thinner than it started, patchy near the edges, gaps where a cable was run and nothing at all in the corners. Older roofs in Brockenhurst often have no underlay at all under the tiles, so wind has been lifting and moving the wool for years. Anything wet or contaminated with droppings is bagged and taken away rather than covered over.

Material, and the depth that matters. Mineral wool in a roll does most Brockenhurst lofts, glass wool or rockwool, the first layer friction fitted between the joists and the second laid across them to 270mm finished. That second cross laid layer is the one that counts, because it takes the joists themselves out of the heat path. Batts help where joists sit at odd centres, loose fill goes where nobody can crawl, and rigid board such as PIR or Celotex is for tight headroom.

Ventilation, and an unfelted roof. Insulation in a Brockenhurst loft stops at the wall plate. Vent trays hold the air gap open at the eaves so cross ventilation still works. On an older roof with no underlay the loft ventilates itself through the tiles, which is a help, but loose wool blows about up there, so the edges have to be held down properly. On a re-covered roof with breathable membrane the eaves detail matters more, and a ridge vent covers the case where they cannot be opened.

The hatch, the tank and the storage. The hatch is the biggest hole in the ceiling: insulated on the back, draught sealed round the frame. Any cold water tank and its pipework get lagging once the loft is cold. Cables are lifted and clipped over rather than buried, and recessed lights get fire rated covers. Where you store things we build a raised floor on loft legs and board that, so full depth survives underneath and the loft ladder still works.

Sloping ceilings and rooms in the roof. Where a dormer or a room in the roof already exists, the work follows the rafters: rigid board cut between them with a clear gap left to the underlay, another layer under, joints taped so vapour is not driven into the timber. Done as a warm roof while the covering is off, it costs less and performs better.

We do not price a Brockenhurst loft by the square metre. The open floor goes quickly. The awkward edges take the time. Getting in. A hatch on a landing with room for a ladder is easy. A trap in a cupboard, a crawl space you can only get through on your knees, or a boarded loft that has to come up and go back takes time before any material is laid.

The roof above. An old slate roof often has no underlay, so the loft relies on air moving through the slates. Packing insulation past the wall plate into the eaves there can cause condensation, so the eaves are kept clear, and sometimes a breathable membrane or vents are added.

The structure. Traditional joists with a clear run are quicker than a trussed roof full of bracing, and old joists at uneven spacing mean more cutting. In an older roof there is rarely any boarding to work from, so crawl boards go in first.

The details. Depth into the corners and round the hatch, boxing over downlighters, and lagging pipes and tanks. Approved Document L sets the target.

Ask any quote what depth is going down and in how many layers, whether the old material comes out, and whether the eaves are kept clear.

Thomas Hannen owns the company and is the one who goes up into your loft and prices it. We are Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719, based in Boscombe, 12.7 miles from Brockenhurst. Before you book a visit in Brockenhurst, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

We insulate lofts in the village, Boldre, Lyndhurst, Lymington and the Forest villages between them, with Lymington just outside the National Park. On Checkatrade, one of our customers has left a verified 10 out of 10. Coming out costs nothing, and the written quote, listing each item, is free as well.

Most repairs in Brockenhurst need no application at all. What decides whether a change to the outside of your house does is who the council is, whether a conservation area or a listing applies, and whether the place sits in a protected landscape.