Loft boarding
across Cambridgeshire and the surrounding counties
Complete Loft Services sorts out loft boarding, insulation and the ladder to get up there. Your insulation keeps working underneath. The survey is free and takes about twenty minutes. You get a written price before any work starts.
What happens up there
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The difference is what the boards sit on
Boards screwed straight onto the joists, the timbers your ceiling hangs from, squash the insulation underneath. The floor sits above it on raised legs.
Boards straight onto the joists
100mmInsulation deeper than the joists gets squashed down to the depth of the joists. In one test, 270mm squashed to 100mm lost about half its insulating value (National Physical Laboratory, paid for by a maker of raised loft floors). The test and its source.
Boards on raised legs: how it works
270mmLegs stand on the joists and lift the floor clear of the insulation. The insulation keeps its full depth and you still get a floor you can walk on.
The Energy Saving Trust recommends at least 270mm. 1 in 4 of the lofts measured in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have less than 150mm: 44,606 of 168,519 (how we work these figures out). Not sure what yours has? Check what your certificate says about your loft, or read more on the loft insulation page.
Which ladder suits your loft
Four types, and the right one depends on the hatch, the height of the ceiling and the landing below it. You will find out which at the survey, and a new hatch can be fitted if yours is too small for a ladder.
What you get
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A solid floor
Boards you can walk on and store things on.
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Your insulation keeps working
The floor sits clear of the insulation rather than crushing it, because a storage floor should not cost you heat.
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A written price before work starts
Your quote says what is included and what costs extra, before any work starts.
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Waste taken away
The waste is taken away when the job is done, and we can get the loft cleared first if you want.
Where we work
Based just outside Cambridge and covering about an hour in every direction, from Peterborough and Wisbech down to Royston and Haverhill. If you are on the edge of it, ask anyway.
All areas we coverNot sure if we cover your area? Book a free survey and find out.
The questions we get asked most
Will boarding my loft ruin the insulation?
It will if the boards go straight onto the joists, because they squash the insulation to about the depth of the timber. Raised legs keep the floor clear of the insulation, so it carries on working.
Is my loft strong enough to board?
The Planning Portal says that in most homes the loft joists were not designed to support a significant weight, so a boarded loft is for light things. The free survey checks the joists.
How long does it take?
Most lofts take one to two days. Bigger jobs, or ones where insulation goes in as well, can take a few days. You will know how long before work starts.
Do I need to empty the loft first?
No. We can get it cleared first, with anything you no longer want taken away, old insulation included. Clearance costs extra.
Do I need planning permission?
No. The Planning Portal says boarding out your loft for storage does not require planning permission. Building regulations are separate: it says a building control application may be needed, and your local building control body can advise. A loft conversion is a bigger job with its own rules, and we can arrange those too.
What if I have spray foam up there?
We can get it removed. The HomeOwners Alliance reports that a quarter of the UK's biggest mortgage providers will not lend against a home with spray foam in the roof. Once it is out, the loft needs insulating again, which we get done at the same time.
Do you cover my area?
We are based near Cambridge and cover about an hour in every direction, which takes in Peterborough, Huntingdon, Ely, the Fens, and into Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Essex. If you are on the edge of that, ask anyway.
Worth reading before you book
Book a free survey
The survey is free and takes about twenty minutes. You get a written price before any work starts.