Loft insulation in Burley

Start at the edge, because that is where these jobs are won or lost. The material is carried out across the ceiling until it sits over the wall plate, and there it stops.

Above it a vent tray at each rafter holds an air gap open, and along that gap cross ventilation runs from one eaves to the other and takes the moisture out of the roof. Ram the wool on past the plate and none of that happens. The dew point moves into the layer, interstitial condensation forms out of sight, water runs off the underside of the felt onto the insulation, and black mould works its way along the timbers. Approved Document F is the standard for it. Where a roof has boxed soffits that cannot be opened up, a ridge vent or a run of tile vents does the job instead, and a modern breathable membrane changes the detail rather than the requirement.

Then the depth, which is the easy part once the air is sorted. One layer between the joists, friction fitted so there is nothing open at the sides. A second cross laid over the joists at right angles, burying the timber so it stops carrying heat straight down through the ceiling. About 270mm all in is the mark a renovated ceiling is expected to hit under Part L in Approved Document L, and it is one of the cheapest reductions in heat loss an old house here has left. Mineral wool roll on the open runs, rockwool batts where the bays are all different widths, glass wool, loose fill where the timber leaves no other way in, sheep wool if you want a natural product.

Older roofs around Burley take a bit more thought. A cut roof with purlins and no underlay at all breathes beautifully, which is a help, but the wind gets in and shifts loose material about, so the layer is cut in and closed off at the perimeter rather than left to lift. Newer houses and extensions are trussed, and there everything is fed in from the hatch because the bracing will not let you move about. Either way it is work at height even though you are indoors, and the ladder, the hatch and the crawl boards are settled before anything else.

Rural lofts collect things, so there is nearly always a clear out. Material that has settled, gone patchy, been compressed under storage or is contaminated with droppings comes out in bags and goes on the van, and if something has been getting in through the roof we show you where rather than covering it over. After that the fittings: fire rated covers over every recessed light and downlighter, cable and wiring clipped above the new layer instead of buried in it, lagging on the cold water tank and its pipework now they sit in cold air, a board and a draught seal on the hatch, loft legs and a raised floor where you want storage so the boarding does not crush what is underneath, and the loft ladder checked against the new height. Where a room has been built into the roof already, the job moves to rafter level as a warm roof: PIR rigid board such as Celotex cut tight with an air gap kept above it, a layer under the rafters, taped joints, and multi-foil quilt in the sloping ceiling and dormer cheeks where the depth has run out.

A loft is priced by what is in the way, not by floor area. The open middle is quick; the edges eat the time.

The hatch. A cottage with a small hatch over the stairs, a modern house with a trussed roof full of bracing, and a bungalow with a boarded loft full of boxes are different mornings. A hatch over a stairwell needs a platform before a single bale goes up.

What is up there. Thin, squashed or damp insulation comes out in bags. If you want to keep your storage, the boards have to come up and go back, or be raised on loft legs above the new depth.

The trusses. Trussed rafters with diagonal bracing mean cutting the insulation round each member, which is slower than rolling it along clear joists.

Airflow. Blocking the eaves traps moist air, and it condenses on the felt. In a house shaded by trees, extra vents may be worth fitting.

Corners and extras. Getting full depth right into the corners and around the hatch, boxing over downlighters and lagging pipes and tanks is where most of the labour goes. Approved Document L sets the target.

Ask each quote to state the depth and number of layers, whether old material is removed, and what happens to what you store up there.

We insulate lofts in Burley, Bransgore, Crow and the BH24 addresses around Ringwood East. Burley is 8.8 miles out from Boscombe. The National Park Authority decides planning; New Forest District Council handles building control. The company is Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719. Before you book a visit in Burley, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

Up in the loft it will be Thomas Hannen himself, the owner, who surveys and prices the job. A verified customer gave us a 10 out of 10 score on Checkatrade. The survey and the itemised written quote cost nothing.

Most repairs in Burley 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.