Warm, efficient loft space

Yes — using raised-leg boarding systems. The boards sit on timber battens that raise them above the existing insulation, preserving its full depth and R-value underneath while creating a walkable, load-bearing floor on top. The key is getting the leg height right for the depth of insulation you have: too low and you crush the insulation and lose thermal performance; too high and the boards become unstable. We survey the existing insulation depth and specify the correct system for your loft.

Current Building Regulations require the equivalent of approximately 270mm of mineral wool laid in the loft floor for older homes being brought up to standard, though the exact requirement depends on your property type, the area being insulated and what is already in place. For conversions and warm-roof work, rigid PIR boards or insulation between and under rafters are used instead, where the performance-per-millimetre is higher. We carry out a thermal assessment and tell you exactly what thickness is needed for your specific loft.

Not if it is installed correctly — and this is the most common mistake we see in lofts that have been boarded by well-meaning but unqualified contractors. Trapped moisture comes from inadequate eaves ventilation, missing or incorrectly fitted vapour barriers, or boards laid directly onto insulation without a breathing space. Every boarding project we carry out includes eaves ventilation checks and upgrades, vapour barrier installation where required, and breathable underlay detail, so the loft can dry out naturally rather than stewing in its own moisture.

Standard loft boarding on 38mm tongue-and-groove boards is rated for approximately 50kg per square metre of distributed load — enough for general storage boxes, Christmas decorations and the odd piece of furniture, but not for walking on in heeled boots or for stacking heavy items. If you need a floor that can take more — for example, to store building materials, a large water tank, or to use the loft as occasional storage access rather than a room — we install reinforced boarding with additional joists or thicker boards and specify the safe working load in writing.

Insulation work that forms part of, or is carried out in connection with, a loft conversion must meet Building Regulations, and we handle the submission and inspection process for you, providing the completion certificate at handover. Standalone boarding for storage does not normally require Building Regulations approval, but it must still be done to a sound standard — we will tell you which category your project falls into and what that means for your paperwork.

A typical loft boarding and insulation top-up takes two to four days, depending on the size of the loft, the number of access points, and whether any timber repairs or ventilation upgrades are needed at the same time. Most of the work is carried out from inside the loft, so disruption to the rest of the house is limited to the access point — we protect the staircase and landing, clear the area of belongings before we start, and leave the house tidy at the end of each day.