Hi,
I am planning to board my loft mainly for light storage and an occasional quiet study area. It will mainly be used for storing cardboard boxes and fairly light weighing clutter. The study area will be a desk with a computer and a chair. This is not a loft conversion as the roof is not high enough and have nowhere to put a staircase. I just plan to board the floor and the rafters. So it will be more of a large storage cupboard accessed with a loft ladder. Most of the time, I will be the only one accessing the loft and I weigh 75 kilograms. The stored junk (spread across the two sloping sides of the roof) and study stuff will probably not exceed 100kg at the most. Then there is the existing cold water tank.
My house is a mid terrace which was built in 1926. It is of rafter and purlin style as seen in the pictures. The purlin isn't fixed to the brick wall, they are purely supported by three beams which are fixed to the ceiling joists at the bottom. The rafters are the same as the ceiling joists in both wood and size.
The ceiling joists are 4x2 and spans between the load bearing walls at the front and back of the house at 12" centres. There is also an additional load bearing wall more or less at the centre partitioning the font/back living room and master bedroom/hallway. There are also a few more non load bearing walls on the second floor which separates individual bedroom. Therefore there is some support at a few metres at the most. I don't know what wood the ceiling joist and rafters are made from, but they seem very solid. However warning from other people about the fact that ceiling joists cannot support a floor, I plan to install extra 4x2 joists (raising the floor by 2 inches) to cross batten existing ceiling joists at 12" centres to slightly strengthen the floor and to allow pipes and wires to remain undisturbed.
Due to various reasons, it is unfeasible to sister the existing ceiling joists, so I want to run additional joists at 90 degrees angle with a 3" screw at each existing ceiling joist. This framework of wood, will in theory, help spread the load to minimise floor deflection, but in practise, is this method good enough for strengthening the floor? If not what alternative do I have? Also are the rafters strong enough to support plasterboards? (They are currently supporting Marley concrete tiles which replaced natural slates).
I know loft boards and chipboard floorings are REALLY HEAVY! The last thing I want is for the ceiling joists to snap and the entire ceiling/roof structure to collapse! As this is my parent's house... the consequences are unthinkable! I would want to die if it happens. Can anyone advise me on what to do?
Overview of the loft.
The rafters- what wood are they? When cut, it has a sour smell.
The existing ceiling joists (4x2)
I intend to lay extra joists on top (similar to the ceiling tie beam) to support the floor. Each indicated by a blue line.
The purlins are supported by 3 support beams of which each one of them are held by three ceiling joists.
I am planning to board my loft mainly for light storage and an occasional quiet study area. It will mainly be used for storing cardboard boxes and fairly light weighing clutter. The study area will be a desk with a computer and a chair. This is not a loft conversion as the roof is not high enough and have nowhere to put a staircase. I just plan to board the floor and the rafters. So it will be more of a large storage cupboard accessed with a loft ladder. Most of the time, I will be the only one accessing the loft and I weigh 75 kilograms. The stored junk (spread across the two sloping sides of the roof) and study stuff will probably not exceed 100kg at the most. Then there is the existing cold water tank.
My house is a mid terrace which was built in 1926. It is of rafter and purlin style as seen in the pictures. The purlin isn't fixed to the brick wall, they are purely supported by three beams which are fixed to the ceiling joists at the bottom. The rafters are the same as the ceiling joists in both wood and size.
The ceiling joists are 4x2 and spans between the load bearing walls at the front and back of the house at 12" centres. There is also an additional load bearing wall more or less at the centre partitioning the font/back living room and master bedroom/hallway. There are also a few more non load bearing walls on the second floor which separates individual bedroom. Therefore there is some support at a few metres at the most. I don't know what wood the ceiling joist and rafters are made from, but they seem very solid. However warning from other people about the fact that ceiling joists cannot support a floor, I plan to install extra 4x2 joists (raising the floor by 2 inches) to cross batten existing ceiling joists at 12" centres to slightly strengthen the floor and to allow pipes and wires to remain undisturbed.
Due to various reasons, it is unfeasible to sister the existing ceiling joists, so I want to run additional joists at 90 degrees angle with a 3" screw at each existing ceiling joist. This framework of wood, will in theory, help spread the load to minimise floor deflection, but in practise, is this method good enough for strengthening the floor? If not what alternative do I have? Also are the rafters strong enough to support plasterboards? (They are currently supporting Marley concrete tiles which replaced natural slates).
I know loft boards and chipboard floorings are REALLY HEAVY! The last thing I want is for the ceiling joists to snap and the entire ceiling/roof structure to collapse! As this is my parent's house... the consequences are unthinkable! I would want to die if it happens. Can anyone advise me on what to do?
Overview of the loft.
The rafters- what wood are they? When cut, it has a sour smell.
The existing ceiling joists (4x2)
I intend to lay extra joists on top (similar to the ceiling tie beam) to support the floor. Each indicated by a blue line.
The purlins are supported by 3 support beams of which each one of them are held by three ceiling joists.