Insulation over boarded loft + other issues

[daveaspy]

Moved into an old cottage and I am a little confused after looking in the loft!

It seems the loft has been boarded at some point - it certainly is near the hatch but not easy to check everywhere (dont have any ladders yet to get myself in there properly - just my top half!). Dont know if there is any insulation under the boards - I would guess so. There is now a very thick layer (200mm maybe?) of new insulation on top of these boards which makes the loft space a bit unusable. I dont want to put much up there, camping stuff maybe, and xmas tree, suitcases etc. Is there a way to handle this to allow me to put down a solid surface to store a few things?

When the house was surveyed it was mentioned that the insulation went too close to the eaves and ventilation needed improving to stop any condensation, and also that electic cables were layed underneath the insulation (but sure if that meant under the boards I think are there or not). Once i get in there properly, can I just removed a bit of the insulation near the eaves to make a bigger gap?

 

[JerryM]

i would try to change your storage needs if possible as there is no easy solution to the quick fix you need.

building regs used to require ~150 mm of insulation between the joists. a few years ago this changed to 300mm. this was achieved by putting 1 blanket in the joists (as originally) then putting a 2nd blanket at right angles over the top. this makes using a loft essentially impossible as there is no where to walk.

you would either need to remove the 2nd layer and fall foul of the regs when you sell your house or replace possibly layer 1 and layer 2 or just layer 2 with a super insulator that will give the same insulation as 300 thk std loft insulation. there is an aluminium foil that may do it.

in what's called a cold loft when insulation is installed it is quite easy to take it too close to the pitch and close off what should be an air gap at the eaves. you need to just back the insulation away to ensure there is a reasonable gap (say 2" to be sure).

when electric cable is run in insulation it should ideally be de-rated ie a thicker core used (for lighting 1.5mm instead of 1.0). you would need an electrician to advise if it's a problem as it depends on length of cable and duty. alternatively return the cables back ontop of the insulation if it's possible.

Getting stuff in and out of a loft is difficult and messy. The insulation is very itchy and ideally stay well away from it. I also find when people put stuff in the loft they end up never using it so may as well have tried to sell it or dispose of it.