insulating loft

[alwaysbuilding123]

hi all

i wish to improve the insulation in my loft but need to ask a few questions before i actually start the job,

i will be either re-doing the between joist insulation or topping it up. currently i have the shredded paper style stuff and was originally thinking of adding 100mm roll type? would this be ok to do or should i remove the whole lot and replace completely?

i want to add some insulation in between the rafters but i am not totally sure how to do this without affecting the ventilation. am i correct in saying i need to leave a 50mm gap between any insulation i add and the felt that is behind my tiles when adding insulation between my rafters? and would i also be correct in saying i can either add an insulation to the rafters with either a vapour barrier attached or use vapour barrier sheets stapled to the underside of the rafters over the insulation?

im asking all these questions as i dont want to introduce a condensation problem to my loft but want to up its insulation properties

many thanks for your time

j

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

you can top up above your current insulation, the recommended depth is now 270mm in total.
If you need areas to be boarded out to walk on, this can be achieved by raising your floor level by adding extra timber joist (at 400mm centres) perpendicular to your existing ones and then filling the void with added insulation, prior to installing loft boards.
Yes it is advisable to leave a ventilation gap of at least 50mm between roof and insulation adding vapour check barrier will help reduce condensation and keep insulation in place.
But if the loft is for storage and not a habitable space there is really no reason to insulate the roof.

 

[alwaysbuilding123]

hi

thanks for the reply, if possible i would like to bring the average temp up there to more like a room rather than a loft..... my wife has far too many photos and books ( some signed ) which are getting affected by the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter even boxed. if insulating the rafters as well as topping up the floor insulation will achieve what im after then its all good.

there is no where else these items can be stored so anything to stablise the temp up there will be good

cheers all again

 

[mointainwalker]

I fear that you will find stabilisation of temperature difficult. Currently all effort is concentraed on preventation of heat escaping rather than the reverse, so that will remain a problem.