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Hi. I am thinking of boarding 1 of my 2 my lofts and I dont want to go to the expense (or invest too much time) into raising the battens to be above the insulation. I'd need to raise them about 4" I think. As this loft is only above the utility room and garage (neither of which have living accomodation above) then I was wondering if it would matter too much if I just compressed the insulation and screwed some 18mm t&g boarding down into the existing battens.

I understand that if you compress the insulation then it reduces its effectiveness but I presume this is only really relevant when the rooms below the loft are bedrooms / studies / bathrooms etc. Wind gets into the garage from the gaps around the door anyway so would raising the battens really do that much for me? Would it be worth investing the time to raise the battens?

Finally - How much gap should I leave between the wall and the edge of the boarding when I do start the job?

Any advice or guidance greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Andy L.

hi andy. yes, just compress it, you wont even notice any loss of insulation. as for the wall i take it you mean the gable wall. just leave about half an inch. if you mean the cavity wall at the eaves then leave a couple of inches for airflow.

The compressed insulation will be less effective but you are adding 3/4" of wood, which has insulation propertys too.

This could trip you up when you come to sell. This is the sort of thing the HIP will pick up on (if they ever start) so you have to think ahead. It is little things like this that can cause a real issue when you are trying to complete a sale these days.


DWD

Hi there - thanks for all your advice (to everyone who has replied). Will the HIP's really look into the loft? Also I hear you can buy some insulation that is much thinner. Would it be worth pulling up all my existing insulation, putting the thinner stuff down then boarding over my existing battens? This may get around the potential HIP problem.

Alternatively just compress the existing stuff and tell the "HIP-man" that there is the thinner stuff underneath!!

Would it be worth pulling up all my existing insulation, putting the thinner stuff down then boarding over my existing battens?

Not cost effective at all.
Re: HIPS, mate of mine recently jacked his job for this (trained surveyor but working in building game), whilst I personally think that we will end up with it, It'll probably go the route of the house survey anyway: unable to inspect in roof space beacause it was too dark!
I would just crack on as panlid & jason123 suggested

thanks for your help. Two final questions before I crack on!

1. Do I have to do anything with the lighting wires or can these just sit under the insulation and boarding?
2. Do I have to use tongue & groove because by local diy shop sells 18mm high density mdf sheeting that is not t&g. Would this do ths job or would you recommend t&g?

Cheers!
Andy.

You don't need T & G so long as all the joins are on a joist or noggin. Or you could use a router (Pref 2 routers) set up with T & G cutters and put your own T & G in. It's easer just to cut to the joists and put in noggins for the ends.

cheers for the quick reply. Any advice on what to do with the lighting wires?

Andy L wrote:cheers for the quick reply. Any advice on what to do with the lighting wires?

Ensure that you don't trap any wires, if they run over the joists you will need to cut out notches for the wires.

Is the utility room heated in any way, you mention draughts around doors, if its heated they will have a greater bearing on heat loss than through the roof.

You dont mention what the attic space is being boarded out for, if its for additional storage, and will be entered frequently, think about a vapour barrier and kingspanning under the slate/roof tiles.