Raised Loft Boarding & Storage

You can, and it is the single most common mistake in a British loft. Modern insulation is laid to about 270mm, and the joists it sits between are usually around 100mm deep. Board directly onto those joists and you crush roughly two thirds of the insulation flat. Compressed mineral wool loses much of its value, so you end up paying to heat the loft, and cold boards sitting on squashed insulation are a good place for condensation to form. Raised boarding solves it by lifting the floor above the insulation on a support system, leaving the full depth intact with an air gap over it. It costs a little more than boards on joists, and it is the difference between storage and a problem.

Loft boarding is priced by the square metre, and the honest answer is that it depends on what is up there before we start. The things that move the price are the area you want boarded, whether the insulation needs topping up first, how good the access is, whether the joists need strengthening, and whether you want extras like a ladder, a bigger hatch or lighting. A straightforward raised-boarding job in an average semi is a different number from a large boarded area with a new ladder, hatch and lighting. We look at the loft, then give you an itemised quote before any work starts. See what affects the cost of loft boarding, or ask for a free quote.

Badly done, it can. A loft stays dry because air moves through it, usually in at the eaves and out at the ridge. Two things cause trouble: blocking that airflow by stuffing insulation hard into the eaves, and squashing the insulation so the underside of the boards runs cold enough for moisture to condense on it. We keep the ventilation paths clear at the eaves and board on a raised system so there is an air gap above the insulation. We will also point out anything already feeding moisture upwards, like a bathroom extractor venting into the loft instead of outside, because boarding over a problem does not fix it.

Ceiling joists were designed to hold up a ceiling, not to be a floor, so the honest answer is that it depends on the joists you have. We check their size, spacing and span before quoting, and a raised system spreads the load across them rather than concentrating it. For most homes that is fine for the normal use of a loft: boxes, suitcases, decorations, spare household things. It is not a floor for a home gym or a full library, and if that is what you want we will tell you it needs proper structural work rather than take your money and hope. Where joists need strengthening, we say so in the quote.

Most raised boarding jobs are done in a day. A larger area, or a job that also includes topping up the insulation, fitting a ladder, enlarging the hatch and adding lighting, usually runs to two days. We will give you a realistic timescale with the quote rather than a hopeful one, and we clear up and take the waste with us at the end.

It helps, and it is not always essential. We need clear access to the area being boarded, so anything currently sitting on the joists has to move. If the loft is only part full we can often work around it, shifting things as we go. If it is packed, emptying it beforehand keeps the job quicker and cheaper. Tell us what is up there when we quote and we will be straight with you about whether it needs clearing first.

For boarding out a loft for storage, normally no. You are not changing the use of the space, and storage boarding is not a loft conversion. It becomes a different question if you are turning the loft into a room you live in, which brings in structural work, fire escape, stairs and insulation standards, and does need approval. Electrical work in a loft, such as lighting and sockets, is notifiable and should be done and certified by a qualified electrician. If what you actually want is a room rather than storage, we will say so rather than board it out and leave you with something that will not pass.

It comes down to how often you will use it and how much room you have. Aluminium ladders are light, inexpensive and fine for occasional access. Timber ladders feel more solid underfoot and suit a loft you go into regularly. Concertina ladders fold into a small space and work where the landing is tight or the hatch is small. Ceiling height matters too, because a ladder has to reach the floor at a safe angle without landing against a wall or a doorway. We will measure and recommend the type that fits, not the one with the biggest margin.

We fit raised loft boarding across Shropshire and the West Midlands, including Telford, Shrewsbury, Newport, Bridgnorth, Market Drayton, Wellington, Wolverhampton and Stafford. Not sure whether you are in the area? Give us a call — we cover most of Shropshire and the surrounding counties. See the areas we cover for more.

Yes. We are fully insured with public liability cover, and the workmanship is guaranteed. We work in your house, in and out of the hatch with boards and tools, so we take care of the landing and the ceiling as much as the loft itself. If something is not right, we come back and put it right. Our approach and qualifications are on the about page.