Hi all,
I'm in the process of refurbishing my loft conversion which is really dated (no idea when it was built). I've removed the existing plasterboard walls and ceilings, removed the mineral wool insulation (in some areas there was barely any), and stripped it back to the exposed rafters, studs and chipboard flooring.
I've bought PIR insulation, cut and fitted it between the studs and rafters, and over-boarded with 25mm PIR to form a secondary layer (my vapour barrier).
I now need to decide what plasterboard to use. As I've gone with PIR insulation, while the room will be thermally better-off, noise reduction isn't as good as with mineral wool. Considering the age of the construction, I'm torn between lining with standard plasterboard and acoustic plasterboard.
Looking at the specs, acoustic is considerably heavier and I'm concerned the structure wouldn't happily support the extra weight once the room has been furnished. Standard plasterboard would be okay, except I only want to do this once, and would prefer a quieter space for sleeping / working etc.
I've been quoted £480 for a structural survey to determine the likely maximum weight the structure can support. But that is 2x the total price of standard plasterboard, or 1x acoustic plasterboard that I'll need to order. The wall and ceilings add up to roughly 55m2, so about 20 sheets of 2.4 x 1.2m boards will do it.
I don't want to be paying out for inspection when the structure will clearly support that weight, so I'm looking for reassurance from anyone that has experience on this subject. If anyone has any advice, I'd greatly appreciate hearing it. Thank you
I'm in the process of refurbishing my loft conversion which is really dated (no idea when it was built). I've removed the existing plasterboard walls and ceilings, removed the mineral wool insulation (in some areas there was barely any), and stripped it back to the exposed rafters, studs and chipboard flooring.
I've bought PIR insulation, cut and fitted it between the studs and rafters, and over-boarded with 25mm PIR to form a secondary layer (my vapour barrier).
I now need to decide what plasterboard to use. As I've gone with PIR insulation, while the room will be thermally better-off, noise reduction isn't as good as with mineral wool. Considering the age of the construction, I'm torn between lining with standard plasterboard and acoustic plasterboard.
Looking at the specs, acoustic is considerably heavier and I'm concerned the structure wouldn't happily support the extra weight once the room has been furnished. Standard plasterboard would be okay, except I only want to do this once, and would prefer a quieter space for sleeping / working etc.
I've been quoted £480 for a structural survey to determine the likely maximum weight the structure can support. But that is 2x the total price of standard plasterboard, or 1x acoustic plasterboard that I'll need to order. The wall and ceilings add up to roughly 55m2, so about 20 sheets of 2.4 x 1.2m boards will do it.
I don't want to be paying out for inspection when the structure will clearly support that weight, so I'm looking for reassurance from anyone that has experience on this subject. If anyone has any advice, I'd greatly appreciate hearing it. Thank you
