Are you interested in making the most of your loft by increasing your storage space by up to 50%, but unsure if your property is eligible to be boarded? If you’re thinking to yourself, can I board my loft, you can get in touch with our team now and find out if your home is suitable for loft board installation. Once you’ve contacted us, a member of the team will be able to assist you in starting your loft transformation today.
What homes are suitable for loft boarding?
Even though construction methods have changed over the years, Instaloft can facilitate raised loft board installation for almost all lofts, old and new, not to mention a range of different roof types, including cut, purlin and truss.
I have a new-build home, can I board my loft?
If you’re interested in investing in a raised loft boarding system for your New Build, it might be the perfect way to store your boxes from moving and extra belongings that don’t have a home in the living space.
However, after making such a big investment, you want to make sure loft board installation does not affect your warranty. Fortunately, LoftZone’s StoreFloor is the ONLY product with official approval for use in new-build properties in the UK and will not void your New Build warranty.
While most people choose to have just a specific area of their loft boarded, typically the central area, others prefer to board the entire loft to maximise the storage space. You can go even further by installing truss shelving to utilise this previously redundant space with convenient, easy access storage. So now you’ve bought your new build home, you can stop asking yourself can I board my loft and our team can help you transform the space in your new home.
Pre 1975 Homes
Older houses often have uneven joists and may have timber supports to support the roof structure, wiring and pipework, and usually small loft entrances. Loft boarding for pre-1975 homes are the perfect answer to easily solve most of these issues.
However, because these homes often have less insulation to provide better walking room, the StoreFloor Compact is the ideal solution. With the same raised design, this smaller version offers the same additional storage and insulation protection at a slightly shorter height to provide more headroom.
If you need a loft hatch replacement or enlargement to allow easier access to your newly boarded loft quicker and more easily, Instaloft can help here also. We can fit energy-efficient, industry-leading hatches that meet all current building regulation requirements.
Post-1975 Homes
Houses constructed after 1975 are also eligible for raised loft boarding as they are similar in how they are built to most modern new-build homes but tend to have water tanks in the loft and also often have smaller loft access.
While we don’t suggest that you use StoreFloor to support a water tank due to the loft joists not being designed to handle the weight of a tank and not wanting insulation under the tank. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t opt for loft boarding for post-1975 homes full stop. Instead, you just don’t need StoreFloor in this loft area.
Loft Boarding options for your home
Standard loft boarding
Standard loft board installation is a dated method that isn’t suitable for an insulated loft and has not been recommended since 2013. This is because using timber flooring placed directly onto the joists is generally insufficient in height to avoid squashing the insulation. This can often lead to dampness and condensation, causing the insulation to not work effectively. As well as this, standard loft boarding adds a lot of additional weight that the structure was never designed for.
Raised loft boarding
Instead, Instaloft is proud to be the leading installer of the award-winning Loftzone StoreFloor Raised Loft Boarding, which is the only BBA approved system that will protect your insulation.
It works by raising the floorboards 279mm above the joists using a mixture of uni- and tri-supports connected by cross beams to create a strong and safe supporting structure. The boarding is then laid on top of this to provide ample storage space while allowing the insulation beneath adequate room to work efficiently without being compressed.
Compact raised loft boarding
The compact StoreFloor is another method of raised loft boarding but instead is 159mm tall, allowing for insulation up to 100mm above your joists. This is suitable for lofts with less headroom, in cases when the householder is happy to have less insulation so that they have more room to walk around.
So now you’ve bought your new build home, you can stop asking yourself can I board my loft and our team can help you transform the space in your new home.