Loft insulation in Redlynch

Boarding is where most of these Redlynch lofts go wrong before anybody touches the insulation. Chipboard screwed straight down onto the joists crushes the wool underneath to a fraction of its thickness, and the bit you crush is the bit over the room you actually use.

So the storage comes up on loft legs, a raised floor sits clear above full depth, and the platform is put where you need it rather than everywhere. Most houses want a deck by the hatch and nothing else, and the loft ladder gets checked so it still lands properly once the floor level has changed.

With that decided the rest follows in order.

Clearing. Anything in a Redlynch loft contaminated with droppings, anything that has been wet under a slipped tile, granular loose fill that has drifted into the corners and old quilt that has broken down into dust all come out. Sound material that is merely compressed and patchy is worth keeping, so it gets teased apart, straightened between the joists and covered over. It is dirty work, it takes a while, and you cannot lay an even depth over an uneven base.

Depth, in two directions. In a Redlynch loft the first layer goes between the joists, friction fitted with nothing open at the sides. The second is cross laid across the joists, which buries the timber so it stops working as a cold bridge into the plaster below. Miss that and you have paid for half a job. Around 270mm finished is the depth a renovated ceiling needs to reach the U value in Approved Document L under Part L. Mineral wool roll for the long runs, rockwool batts where hand cut joists put every bay at a different width, glass wool, sheep wool, or loose fill where bracing leaves no other way in.

The eaves, then the fittings. Insulation is carried out over the wall plate and stopped, a vent tray at each rafter keeps an air gap open above it, and cross ventilation runs on from one soffit to the other. Older roofs out in Redlynch often carry no underlay and breathe on their own; where one has been re-covered with a breathable membrane or the soffits have been boxed in, that path narrows, the dew point shifts into the structure and interstitial condensation shows as damp wool, water on the felt and black mould over the timbers. A ridge vent or tile vents deal with it where the eaves cannot. Then fire rated covers over recessed lights and downlighters, cable and wiring lifted clear so nothing runs hot, lagging on the cold water tank and its pipework, the hatch insulated on its back and draught sealed round the lining. Where the roof is already a room in roof with a sloping ceiling and a dormer, it becomes a warm roof at rafter level instead: PIR rigid board such as Celotex between and under the rafters, taped vapour control layer, multi-foil where there is nothing left to give.

A loft is not priced by the square metre. The open middle goes quickly, and the edges eat the time.

The way in. A hatch in a bungalow hall with room to stand is easy. A small hatch above the stairs, a loft you have to crawl through, or boarding that has to be lifted and relaid all come before any new insulation goes down.

What is in there. Flattened old quilt or damp loose fill may need bagging out, and stored boxes have to be shifted and put back. A trussed roof full of diagonal bracing is slower to lay than open joists at wide centres.

The eaves. Air must still move over the wall plate, or the roof timbers get wet. Pushing full depth into the corners without blocking that gap, working round the hatch, covering downlighters safely and lagging pipes left in the cold is where most of the hours go. Approved Document L sets the target.

Keeping it usable. If you store things up there, raised boarding on loft legs costs more than insulation alone.

With other quotes, check the finished depth and the number of layers, whether old material is removed, and whether eaves, hatch and pipework are all covered.

Thomas comes to Redlynch from Wolverton Road in Boscombe, an 18.2 mile run, and we cover the village as well as Morgan's Vale, Woodfalls, Downton, Landford and the SP5 addresses around them, and Wiltshire Council covers planning and building control.

Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719, is Thomas Hannen's business, and he climbs into your loft and prices the job himself. A verified Checkatrade customer marked us 10 out of 10. The loft survey and the itemised quote in writing cost you nothing. Before you book a visit in Redlynch, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

Most repairs in Redlynch 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.