Insulating an old loft conversion

[steve.burrow]

Hi,

We=92ve just moved into a house which has a very old, uninsulated loft conversion accessible from the first floor by a stairwell.

With fuel prices being what they are we=92re keen to get some insulation in place, but aren=92t sure what to do for the best. We know the ideal is to get the now-dilapidated conversion refreshed and to have insulation boards etc put in at the same time, but we won=92t have the money for that for a few years.

What should we do in the meantime? Is it worth laying rolls of insulation between the rafters in the loft and thereby preventing heat loss through the ceilings of the first floor rooms? (The rafters were reinforced when the loft conversion was done, so they're nice and deep). But what about the big gapping stairwell which will funnel heat out of the doors and up to the roof anyway. Is it worth the bother? Can anyone think of any other options?

Any thoughts (on cheapish) solutions very welcome. (Incidentally, the house already has cavity wall insulation).

Thanks

Steve

[George (dicegeorge)]

do you need to have the loft warm in the winter, or could you just have downstairs warm?

and make an insulated hatch for the stairway?

insulating on the horizontal loft floor is a lot easier than a sloping roof, and there's less area to insulate too, less area for the heat to leak out of.

(last winter I only had one room warm, i'm hoping to have a few more warmish next winter!)

[steve.burrow]

That's what I was coming round to I guess. It's going to be a pretty big loft hatch though!

Thanks

Steve

[Lobster]

Do you need routine use of the loft at the moment, ie, until you the dosh to refurbish it properly? If not, how about fitting the stairwell area with a temporary-ish false ceiling, with a regular-sized hatch in the middle? The new ceiling could then be rockwooled out to keep the lower floors warm.

David