Ceiling material for loft storage/playroom

[TrevorMcAlister]

Hi
I am in the process of insulating & boarding the loft, after raising the floor height to get in 250mm of Rockwool insulation, and put in a new 1.5m x .075m loft hatch.

I was just considering the materials (and the cost) that would be best to use if I was to put some kind of ceiling on the underside of the roof rafters, along with jablite insulation between the rafters. It’s not a proper habitable room so plaster board is not necessary, and it will be 3-5 years before its used as a proper playroom as the little one in under 3 at the moment.

My dad has suggested using plywood, but this would not be cheap for a loft with a floor area of 3.5m x 11m, at £25 for each 4’ x 8’ x 18mm sheet, I suspect 5mm sheets would be in the £6.50 region if I can find them.

I was just looking at 4’ x 8’ x 3mm Hardboard which is only £5.28, the cheapest option so far. I wasn’t shore whether to put the smooth side facing up or down though, down would give a better finish to the loft ceiling and it wouldn’t require painting.
Trevor

 

[big-all]

unless the joists are somthing like 8 or 9"x 2" at 16" centres they are only sutable for light storage no more

 

[TrevorMcAlister]

Hi
I have done my research properly for loft conversions for occasional use; it really is occasional as the flooring is the old bare floor boards from the ground floor. It will be mostly for storing the boxes of too big & too small kids cloths etc for the next couple of years at least, until the little one can use the loft ladder unattended.
The weight of the added 2” x 8” (at 16” centres) joists is not directly on the 2” x 4” of the ceiling joists, its resting on the 3 internal block walls and the inner skin of the external wall.
Trevor

 

[big-all]

if you are doing the floor according to building regs you may as well carry on doing according to regs then when you finnish it its a part loft conversion that complies with the regs and adds value otherwise it has little value as it can only be described as storage area when you move

 

[TrevorMcAlister]

Hi
Unfortunately although the loft is big enough for a full conversion with space for a permanent stair case, although I wouldn’t have been able to do an on suite bathroom.

The value of the house after a conversion would have exceeded the ceiling price (in a good market) in the road by £20-25k so there would be no point spending the £30-40k to get the work done, as I just would not have got the money back when I sell it in the future.

Any advice on cheep ceiling materials other than plaster board, it would need to survive slight changes in temperature as there will be no heating in the loft just what comes up through the open loft hatch.
Trevor

 

[big-all]

reduce you floor area by building studs where the roof is 4 ft from the joists or where ever you have bracing across the joists

what your after is cheap and strong thats chipboard flooring but its carp if it gets wet
do it cheap do it twice

whilst i agree that a ceiling price is relivant unless you are selling in the next few years it would be short sighted not to keep your options open whilst the present situation dictates what sells at what price you are only talking perhaps 5 to 10 k more agreed a lot off money but iff that swings the sale its the best 7k you ever spent

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Personally I'd have no wish to advise in any way on the partial conversion (occasional or not) of a loft specifically for use by unsupervised children with access via a ladder!

 

[foxhole]

Plasterboard is ideal, why the reluctance to use it?

 

[hi1]

You don't want to seal the roof void to such an extent that the roof timbers can't breathe, condensation and wood rot may become an issue.