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How To Lay Loft Boards

Do you need more storage space in your home or property? If you live in a tiny space especially where extensions can’t be made sideways, why not look to the topmost area of your home and consider boarding out your loft to make it usable?

Boarding your loft can make for a fairly easy DIY project but like every other home improvement tasks, it requires some specific skill sets as well as knowledge for a successful construction. Therefore, we’d recommend you hire the services of a reliable professional in order to guarantee the best possible outcome, especially if you lack proper training or experience that’ll help you avoid some costly mistakes. Here, we’ll give you a good insight into the loft board laying procedures.

• Get The Right Tools & Equipment

The materials and supplies you’ll need to lay loft boards include loft boards, screws, tape measure and pencil, drill, hammer, saw, protective gear such as gloves and dust mask.

• Work Out The Area

Measure up the area you need the boards to cover. The standard loft features two different sizes (both are 18mm thick) which include 2400mm x 600mm and 1220mm x 320mm. You should ensure that the board you opt for fits through the loft hatch perfectly.

• Start Laying

Once you’re done working out the area, the next step is to put on your protective gear and start putting the boards in place. You should lay the boards in a staggered pattern so as to give a better strength. While doing this, watch out for any wire running through your loft so they don’t get trapped, you should also cut the boards for easy access to the light fittings’ top.

• Make It Permanent

Upon the successful placement of the boards in a way that offer a safe area to store things and stand on, you’ll have to screw them in place. Start by drilling 2 or 5 holes along the edge of individual boards in such a way that lines up with the centre of the joist below. Once done, then you can fix them in place with screws.

If you’re planning to build a single story house extension, this is one of the first questions that usually comes to mind to help you set a budget and start to make plans. But as simple as it seems, a single accurate answer can not be provided due to the fact that there are several variables that can play a key role in influencing the price of a single story house extension. These variables includes the size, location, design or specification as well as the build route. In this guide, we’ll provide you with a rough estimate that you can work with to put you on the right path.

The main determinant of the cost of a single storey extension is the size of the build, while the next most relevant factor is the quality of the finish you opt for. For a small extension, you can expect to spend a sum within the range of £14,000 to £17,000. Meanwhile for a larger single storey extension, if you opt for a large wrap around the extension with a great amount of glass to be incorporated in both the walls and roof, you can expect to pay a sum within the range of £80,000 to £120,000.

Overall, the average cost of a single story house extension is usually within the range of £34,000 to £37,000. For this price, you should get a standard sized rear or side extension which also includes the cost of a kitchen - it’s the most commonly use for a single story extension especially in the UK.

There are some additional costs you may also need to factor in to your extension budget. These includes surveys, architect fees, planning application fee (if needed), insurance and Party Wall Agreement (if needed).

Whether a basement is worth converting depends on your location and how much work it requires.

A basement conversion can be a great way to add space to your home, and can raise your property value. However, it can also be one of the most expensive ways to do this, so if there’s a possibility to extend your property, or convert a loft or garage, it’s worth considering this first.

You should also compare how much your basement conversion will cost with the amount it could raise your property value by. In some areas, a quality basement conversion could earn you money in the long run, but in others it’ll only cost you. If you’re planning on staying in your property for a long time this might not matter to you, but if it’s not your forever home then it’s an important thing to think about.

Finding a builder nearby can have enormous assistance when it comes to your build. Period on site, their familiarity of local planning permission, constructors’ dealers and other local trades are all vital bits of knowledge that you’ll welcome on site.

It is always wise to walk around in your local area or drive to a site where any construction work is going on. It’ll give you a proper impression of the constructors who are active nearby. You don’t have to like their style of work or the project they are currently carrying out – after all, a builder can only produce what’s on the plans in front of them.

Find a Builder Other Tradesmen Recommend

If you’ve had to call an electrician before or a local plumber and liked their work, you can always ask them if they have any builders whom they would recommend. Maximum tradesmen get used to seeing the similar acquainted names from one place to another in the sites they are working on and every so often has favourites for who they like to work with — and who they see as a good source of work.

Always Talk to Previous Customers

Once you’ve found a builder you would like to work with, ask them for a list of previous customers they have worked with; they ought to be glad to offer particulars if they’re self-assured they’ve done an effective job.

Look for a builder online

A decent place to start looking for builders online is on sites like the Federation of Master Builders. They have a search tool where you can find precise crafts in your area and look at their situations. All FMB members are assessed and individualistically examined and are checked to ensure that they have the correct insurances in place.

This is a very great opportunity to not only get free external wall insulation, but also cut down your energy bills depending on the type of property you live in. Generally, to enjoy free external wall insulation you must at least be part of the group receiving one of the benefits listed below and also depends on the amount of money you earn. The benefits include:

• Income based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)

• Income support

• Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)

• Tax credits

• Pension credit guarantee credit.

• Universal credit.

There are also other important factors that determines if you can have a free insulation fitted on your property. These includes the place you reside, the carbon level of your home and according to some suppliers, the level of beneficial impact the insulation will have on your home. In order to have a free external wall insulation installed, you must either be the owner of your home or at least obtain the go ahead from your landlord before any external wall insulation activity can be made.

Good news is, if you fit the aforementioned criteria and you’ve already installed an external wall insulation, you just may be entitled to receive a refund for the good job done. However, to really find out if you’re eligible, we’d recommend you get in touch with your supplier directly. Also, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) can direct you to some organizations who can assist you in the determination of your eligibility.

As a home and property owner living in England, you can also check out the Each Home Counts Advice Website which is committed to giving impartial energy efficiency advice.

At the end of the day, if it turns out you happen to be ineligible for a free external wall insulation, you can still go ahead to contact a professional installer for a help at a competitive price to enjoy the several benefits that comes with home insulation.

For 2 metre solid fences it’s recommended to use concrete posts to support each panel. For smaller 1 metre fences or for picket fences with gaps between each timber piece you can use timber posts. A fencing contractor will be able to advise you on the best materials from the length and requirements of a new fence.

With the numerous benefits that comes with the installation of an external wall insulation in a building, it’s also important to find out whether it’s also safe before proceeding to fit one in your home. Firstly, to ensure that external wall insulation systems are safe, they must be BBA approved, which means they’ve been subjected to a thorough testing by the British Board of Agrement and therefore, suitable for use in UK homes.

Given the fact that cladding materials have recently generated a lot of debate and negative press about how reliable some particular materials are, questions are being asked of the safety and reliability of external wall insulation. However we must clarify that, although external wall insulation can be classified under cladding, it is very different to rainscreen cladding - which caused the Grenfell fire tragedy.

External wall insulation is completely safe. However, when it comes to fire, the safety of your system depends largely on the insulation type in question. The safest type of insulation you can have installed is the Rockwool insulation boards which are rated as Euroclass A1 non-combustible. The board is specially designed in such a way that it contains fire - preventing it from reaching the other areas of the building. They also do not produce harmful emission or smoke when impacted by fire.

Meanwhile, the Wood Fibre, is also a great insulation which is known to char and not burn. Contrary to many beliefs, it actually burns slowly creating this charring effect which produces an oxygen barrier that helps reduce the spread of fire.

To make your system safer, you can also make use of Fibreglass Mesh for reinforcement. It helps to improve the strength of the tensile which promotes the security of the boards attached to the wall.

When Does A Loft Become A Habitable Room?

When a loft is being converted to functional space, there are a multiple options it can offer. It’s not uncommon that at the conversion of this space, many household may not have a specific plan on how it’s going to be used. However, they know later on an actual need might arise, perhaps as you start working from home, developing other hobbies that requires an extra space or the family grows.

The loft can easily be converted into a game room, study room, playroom or even a household’s “breathing space etc. However, when the family grows and you wish to make use of the space on the top of your home as an extra bedroom, there are many factors to consider. The fact is, just because there’s enough space to fit a bed, doesn’t make it habitable. For a loft to become habitable, it must be built specifically for the purpose of being a sleeping area and must also comply with the relevant building regulations. It’s as a result of this, many property sale particulars include “potential third bedroom, subject to regulations statement written on it as well as the boarded and insulated loft space’s dimensions.

Loft conversions building regulations are set in such a way to ensure that adequate attention is given to both safety and structural elements to build a new space that’s fit for undetermined household use. These regulations are established minimum requirements to guarantee the following:

• The new floor and ceiling’s structural integrity.

• The existing roof and party wall modification’s structural stability.

• Safety during fire incidents plus an escape route.

• An appropriate stairway access.

• The proposed changes’ structural suitability to the external environment in association with the local area as well as any unique factors specific to the property.