For various reasons I thought it best to insulate the rafters rather than the loft floor. Having looked into it and not feeling too confident (I was worried about insuffient ventilation, possible need to deepen the rafters and to allow circulation around the apex!)
I employed a company to do the job for me ... although I couldn't get one for the rafters they did grant work and are part of a largish group in the area -I thought they must be ok.
When they finished the job I was a bit doubtful -they had left gaps at the eaves 'for ventilation' - meaning the wind blew straight over the bare plasterboard ceilings and there wasn't much of a gap behind the insulation.
When I pointed this out to them they said it was right - they knew what they were doing - and when I asked if I could put some insulation on the attic floor they said no because it would 'cause condensation'. It was colder than it was before (I'd cleared out all the insulating junk!)
A few months later I was thinking about a loft conversion in the future... when they saw it everyone (builders, architect, structural engineer etc) instantly said the insulation had to come down...now!
So what was so wrong with it? It was mineral roll fixed up by netting.. they used 6 inch thick when it should have 4 inch for my rafter depth and (I guess because it is tricky holding the roll up whilst you net!) they cut it into short lengths and turned it sideways on and wedged it right against the roof -the netting was ornamental ...
They pulled out the middle of about a quarter of it (a token gesture - they obviously knew it should be ventilated behind).
The company who did the work had (of course) ceased trading - but a representative of the group came to look at it and tried to convince me it was ok - even to the point of taking a tape measure to a piece they had left on the floor, squeezing it together and telling me it was 4" ('it should be compressed'!).
They offered to give me the right rolls of insulation to fit myself (as a gesture of goodwill!). After speaking to Trading Standards, although in theory I could get them to pay for someone else to come and redo it (the company still officially exists) - it could take a long time and I could end up getting nothing at all - so I settled for the cost of the replacement insulation rather than the actual material (about a third of the total cost).
I had to pull it all down onto the floor...it was waist high in places and getting rid of it would have been a nightmare...
Now I've used some of it for insulating under the living room floor...
and I had used some for the rafters of a cupboard in the eaves...loosely netted but this has had to come down because it must have got pushed in and caused a wet mouldy patch I thought was a (hidden) leaking roof but seems to be condensation...
It would have been cheaper and easier to do it myself in the first place. I have learned that even if you have a company to do a job for you, you still have need to have an idea about what they are doing ....and to have confidence in your own judgement..and personally I wouldn't insulate my rafters with anything unless I really needed to...
I employed a company to do the job for me ... although I couldn't get one for the rafters they did grant work and are part of a largish group in the area -I thought they must be ok.
When they finished the job I was a bit doubtful -they had left gaps at the eaves 'for ventilation' - meaning the wind blew straight over the bare plasterboard ceilings and there wasn't much of a gap behind the insulation.
When I pointed this out to them they said it was right - they knew what they were doing - and when I asked if I could put some insulation on the attic floor they said no because it would 'cause condensation'. It was colder than it was before (I'd cleared out all the insulating junk!)
A few months later I was thinking about a loft conversion in the future... when they saw it everyone (builders, architect, structural engineer etc) instantly said the insulation had to come down...now!
So what was so wrong with it? It was mineral roll fixed up by netting.. they used 6 inch thick when it should have 4 inch for my rafter depth and (I guess because it is tricky holding the roll up whilst you net!) they cut it into short lengths and turned it sideways on and wedged it right against the roof -the netting was ornamental ...
They pulled out the middle of about a quarter of it (a token gesture - they obviously knew it should be ventilated behind).
The company who did the work had (of course) ceased trading - but a representative of the group came to look at it and tried to convince me it was ok - even to the point of taking a tape measure to a piece they had left on the floor, squeezing it together and telling me it was 4" ('it should be compressed'!).
They offered to give me the right rolls of insulation to fit myself (as a gesture of goodwill!). After speaking to Trading Standards, although in theory I could get them to pay for someone else to come and redo it (the company still officially exists) - it could take a long time and I could end up getting nothing at all - so I settled for the cost of the replacement insulation rather than the actual material (about a third of the total cost).
I had to pull it all down onto the floor...it was waist high in places and getting rid of it would have been a nightmare...
Now I've used some of it for insulating under the living room floor...
and I had used some for the rafters of a cupboard in the eaves...loosely netted but this has had to come down because it must have got pushed in and caused a wet mouldy patch I thought was a (hidden) leaking roof but seems to be condensation...
It would have been cheaper and easier to do it myself in the first place. I have learned that even if you have a company to do a job for you, you still have need to have an idea about what they are doing ....and to have confidence in your own judgement..and personally I wouldn't insulate my rafters with anything unless I really needed to...
