A loft query

[Brian Gaff]

Back when I could see, I put dense chipboard down along the middle to the water tank and taps from the top of the loft ladder, however since then the loft has been re insulated. I now find that the insulation is obviously very thick over these boards, about a foot it feels like, sort of cotton wool feeling stuff. The question is, is it safe to walk on and compress this stuff, or might it be better to try to lift the stuff out while somebody uses the floored area. I want somebody to look at the inside of the roof. I'd also like to gain access myself for storage etc, and yet do not want to spoil the insulation. Brian

[spuorgelgoog]

The best thing would be to lift the insulation and the chipboard, relay the insulation and then put the chipboard back on 'loft legs'. Tnen you can feel where the edge is safely!

Pack of 12, ten pounds from Wickes. They raise the chipboard 175 mm above the joists.

Link:

Owain

[tabbypurr]

There's no problem walking on loft insulation, but you know how it goes some fool will step off the boarded area & break his neck.

NT

[Brian Gaff]

Hmm, I know, but the chipboard is cut to fit in between the thicker joists. My house is a little weird, having apparently a double set of joists, one thicker than the other. As was said in the last loft thread, back in the 1930s they tended to use whatever came to hand, so under the hood so to speak things are not as expected. There seems also to be a hole in the ceiling inside a cupboard which is over the stairs, and its been fixed, I use the word advisedly, by nailing a bit of hardboard over the hole! Somebody obviously put their foot through but cos its inside a cupboard merely blocked it up and did not actually fit a bit of plasterboard. Good fun houses, yerknow. Even now many many years since we moved in you find surprises under floorboards etc when some maintenance needs to be done. Brian

[TOJ]

A couple of years ago I lifted a downstairs floorboard to access the ring main and I found the skeleton of a bird. Must have been there since the house was built in 1925 as there is no way to get under the floor from outside.