Loft Insulation Confusion/Am I being Ripped Off

[EmilyTaylor1]

Have had 2 contractors (via an electrical supplier website) out to our end of terrace 1910 house which has little/no insulation.
My husband uses our loft for storage of his fishing equipment and it is partially boarded although this was done by a previous owner and is a bit flimsey!
Both men who have been out have suggested that as we use the loft it is not practicale to lay loft insulation ie space blanket etc on the floor between joists (after removing the current boards) if we are going to lay new boards down on top as this will stop the insulation working.
They have suggested that we just get the loft boarded instead? surely you can insulate your loft between the joints and board it over the top as well?

 

[mointainwalker]

It is possible that there is some confusion here, especially if you are applying for any government scheme/grant money which is what I understand.

I believe that the min recommended thickness of glass-wool is 260 mm ( 10 inches approx ) and it should not be compressed as this reduces the efficiency.

If this is grant-assisted then it is likely that you will be required to have that thickness so it could not be fitted as required under the terms of the scheme with your present boarding arrangement.

Your choice is basically :

1) Leave as is ( bad idea - very expensive on heating costs).
2) Take up existing boards and get the insualtion installed and find
another storage area for fishing gear. ( Best solution for cost saving )
3) DIY . Take up boards, lay insulation to same depth as joists and re-lay
boards.

Depends what value your husband puts on storing his kit up there.

 

[mointainwalker]

Just thought I'd add this comment after seeing the thread-title.

It's rather ungracious of you to ask if you are being ripped off. You haven't paid anything have you (?) and the confusion probably arises because you didn't bother to read the terms of the scheme on the web-site.

If my supposition is correct, then far from being ripped off, you have been wasting people's time - and not just one , but two !

If my supposition is wrong, will happily apologise.

 

[JohnD]

if you want to insulate a loft, and floor it as well, then you can
(a) lay insulation between the joists, then lay a rigid insulating board, then flooring on top of that,

or

(b) lay insulation between the joists, then screw timbers at right-angles to the existing, then lay insulation between these new joists, then lay the flooring over that

The joists will not be deep enough to lay 250mm on insulation between them. If you were not going to floor it, you would lay the first insulation betwen the joists, thn the second at right-angles to them. If you squash insulation then you destroy its insulating power, and may also cause the plaster to crack or bulge due to the squashing pressure.

(joists is not actually the right word)

You should have an airflow gap under the flooring to reduce condensation on the boards

 

[DIYerHELP]

Bit strong isn't it Mointainwalker??? First post and all that.

 

[EmilyTaylor1]

Hi sorry if it appears I have offended anyone by asking for a bit of advice??!!

The two people who have visited my house are both from the same company, as the first was so in different he didnt even both to go up into the loft before offering a quote which he would not provide in writting as it was against policy I was a little suspicious. The second was more approachable but I was still unsure as to whether he was advising me correctly so I just wanted to confirm as as per other posts on the same subject I was confused.

Hope this explains my predicament a little more clearly?

As it is a end terrace we have little space for storage so yes the loft will be used for storage.


SO......

If I remove the existing boards and replace with new will this be sufficient or do I still need to lay insullation all beit below the recommended depth as this would not fit if I plan to lay the boards on top?

 

[EmilyTaylor1]

Oh and for the record Mountainwalker I have not been wasting peoples time as I do intend to have the project done, also I submitted my contact details via the website was contacted by the company and appointement arranged no information as to the T&C of the scheme or service were given and no advice was offered by the representative so I could not make a proper informed decision hence why I am asking on here as I am not a professional loft insulation installer so do not know the full procedures/options avaliable! Again sorry if I offended you by disputing the said companies credablity!

 

[Deluks]

What JohnD said.
Although you'll get away with squashing insulation roll a couple of inches without major problems, unless your ceiling is 9.5mm plasterboard, which it probably won't be.
Just accept the fact that you'll be gaining storage at the cost of some insulation value. 150mm depth isn't a terrible compromise, as long as you go the full recommended depth around the edges, where there is no boarding.

 

[rizsher]

Is it the B&Q £199 offer?.. if not, you may want to look at it as well.

 

[Hass]

hello
I have booked for (dont know if I can advertise them) to come and view and quote for my loft. I've been very happy with them as my gas/electric supplier for years so I'm hoping their expertise? will be as good as their customer servicenormally is.

I'll post up after a couple of weeks later to let you know how it goes.
By the way I have boarding on the middle of the loft area which I use for storage so I'll have to find out if there will be enough airflow gap under them and whether there are any condensation issues.
I'll be having the full height/cross insulation on the two outside edges but I'm no expert either. Have gained a lot of insight into condensation and roofing recently so only time will tell.
regards

 

[chapeau]

It might be considerably cheaper to sniff around B&Q and Homebase and such stores and see what offers they have on insulation that you do yourself. Everynow and again they have 'buy one get two free' type offers and it works out far far cheaper than getting people in to do it. You also have control over what goes where and how thick. Their cavity wall insulation deals are, on the other hand, a steal.

 

[mointainwalker]

@ Emily Taylor1

Please accept my apologies for my hasty post: as you describe the first visitor refusing to give a written quote and not bothering to go in the loft, you were quite right to sense something wrong.

If you go ahead and fit less than the recommended depth of insulation, it is certainly still worthwhile as the first 100 mm ( as an example) saves you much more heat than the next 100 mm.

 

[Hass]

I was going to do my loft ins myself BUT, believe it or not, the actual amount of money I'd save doing it myself is only a small £30.

I'd rather have someone else do the hard work as I do long enough hours already and need a few hours to myself at the weekends lol.

 

[PerryOne]

Have had 2 contractors (via an electrical supplier website) out to our end of terrace 1910 house which has little/no insulation.
My husband uses our loft for storage of his fishing equipment and it is partially boarded although this was done by a previous owner and is a bit flimsey!
Both men who have been out have suggested that as we use the loft it is not practicale to lay loft insulation ie space blanket etc on the floor between joists (after removing the current boards) if we are going to lay new boards down on top as this will stop the insulation working.
They have suggested that we just get the loft boarded instead? surely you can insulate your loft between the joints and board it over the top as well?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There seems to be a bit of mis information here.
The Government scheme, where one is encouraged to insulate with open cell fibre glass is a bit misleading, as they suggest that you should lay fibreglass both between the joists and across the joists.
I had an earlier home insulated in this fashion, and to tell it straight, it was a disaster.
The key thing with insulation is that the fitter needs to ensure there are no gaps left between the edges of the fibreglass and the joists, and that the cross layer is tightly fitted as well.
Suffice to say I had to take it all up and relay it to make a decent job.

The key thing with insulation is that the passing wind moving over the roof creates a suction that pulls all of your expensive heat through the holes in the insulation, and as heat always move to cold
the gaps between the insulation allow the air to start a convention/rotation that transfers the heat from the room below to the cold air of the loft.

Where you have a boarded loft, or indeed where it is un boarded, the best solution is a closed cell insulation such as polystyrene or Cellotex or Kingspan. All these insulators are of the closed cell type they are all windproof and waterproof. Just measure the size of the joists and buy the size that is the best fit.

If you fit these in your loft, they can be cut with a knife or saw, and make a tight friction fit, leaving no gaps you will notice the difference in your home and with your heating bill.

You can buy them from any builders merchants or any of the big DIY stores.

 

[mac391]

Hi Emily,
You were right to ask your question, i just hope you get some definitive answers,, this is an advice forum after all, not a court room!!! Keep loking at the posts, someone somewhere will have the answer you're looking for. I'm no expert on loft insulation but surely some is better than none at all?? even if it is squashed....

Have had 2 contractors (via an electrical supplier website) out to our end of terrace 1910 house which has little/no insulation.
My husband uses our loft for storage of his fishing equipment and it is partially boarded although this was done by a previous owner and is a bit flimsey!
Both men who have been out have suggested that as we use the loft it is not practicale to lay loft insulation ie space blanket etc on the floor between joists (after removing the current boards) if we are going to lay new boards down on top as this will stop the insulation working.
They have suggested that we just get the loft boarded instead? surely you can insulate your loft between the joints and board it over the top as well?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There seems to be a bit of mis information here.
The Government scheme, where one is encouraged to insulate with open cell fibre glass is a bit misleading, as they suggest that you should lay fibreglass both between the joists and across the joists.
I had an earlier home insulated in this fashion, and to tell it straight, it was a disaster.
The key thing with insulation is that the fitter needs to ensure there are no gaps left between the edges of the fibreglass and the joists, and that the cross layer is tightly fitted as well.
Suffice to say I had to take it all up and relay it to make a decent job.

The key thing with insulation is that the passing wind moving over the roof creates a suction that pulls all of your expensive heat through the holes in the insulation, and as heat always move to cold
the gaps between the insulation allow the air to start a convention/rotation that transfers the heat from the room below to the cold air of the loft.

Where you have a boarded loft, or indeed where it is un boarded, the best solution is a closed cell insulation such as polystyrene or Cellotex or Kingspan. All these insulators are of the closed cell type they are all windproof and waterproof. Just measure the size of the joists and buy the size that is the best fit.

If you fit these in your loft, they can be cut with a knife or saw, and make a tight friction fit, leaving no gaps you will notice the difference in your home and with your heating bill.

You can buy them from any builders merchants or any of the big DIY stores.