Loft Boarding and Insulation

[MattBaines84]

Hi there,

I'm looking at boarding and insulating my loft. I was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers. I've got a couple of questions on the picture attached

1. Would it be able to carry the weight of boards and then storage? Would I need to add any supporting beams?
2. The loft is a mess. I can't afford rewiring so could I just chuck stuff on top of the pipes/wires?

Thanks for your help!

 

[JohnD]

What are the dimensions of the timbers?

What is their unsupported span?

What is the spacing?

The rats nest of cables is very unsatisfactory. At the very least you need to find out which are still live, and what they do.

This is the best opportunity you will ever have to reduce fire risk and improve electrical safety.

 

[Murdochcat]

As a spark , my advice to you is to get that wiring properly looked at before you bury it in insulation ......

 

[RandomGrinch]

What are the dimensions of the timbers?

What is their unsupported span?

What is the spacing?

I don't really think any of that matters much!
Given the maximum height available between the joists and rafters can only be about 3ft (5 to 6 electric toothbrushes by the looks of it!), after adding an appropriate amount of insulation, there won't be any height left for boarding and having a worthwhile amount of storage space.

Love the wiring and pipework though!

 

[MattBaines84]

Thanks for the advice all. I reckon I'll have to think properly whether or not it's actually worth it to get it boarded but I'll get in touch with a sparky and see what they say about the wiring. Definitely needs to be insulated - that roof doesn't hold heat well.

Thanks again