Do I need to strengthen the Loft Joists?

When you determine that you can completely transform your loft, basically you want a usable space that might be used as a habitable comfy room. You will need to strengthen your loft if you want to store anything heavier than a few bags of old clothing and a few seasonal goods in your modern loft space because lofts were not actually constructed as load-bearing rooms and were not built strong enough to dwell. Due to this specific reason, you must educate yourself about loft joists and how to use them to fortify your loft conversion room. 

What next must be accomplished to make your loft conversion stronger? Your guide to the straightforward bolstering of loft floor joists is provided below.

Points to Consider

Your Building Requirement Department will be present during the loft conversion and involved in all parts of the build to ensure that the project and the new room adhere to all applicable health and safety regulations. As a result, there are a few loft joist characteristics that your loft conversion firm will need to take into account.

These include things like guaranteeing there will be adequate head height after the new joists are installed.

• Building Control will also closely check the joist thickness to ensure that your new loft space is adequately supported.

• When the new space is finished, this will guarantee that it is safe, comfortable, and capable of supporting the added load.

• When strengthening loft floor joists, there are additional recommendations and restrictions regarding insulation, including where it should be placed and how much insulation must be added between the joists and the new floor in order to comply with current Building Regulation standards. And we highly recommend the use of spray foam for insulating your loft space.

Although it may seem like there is still a lot of information you have to take into account when it comes to strengthening loft floor joists if you hire a professional loft conversion company like ours to complete the project, we will take very good care of everything, so you won't have to worry about crucial details like whether your new floor will be load bearing or not.

Installing Loft Insulation

It is actually rather simple to DIY insulate the loft at the joist level, but if you are unsure about the task, hire an insulation expert. Building codes utilise a U-value that must be met in order to comply since various insulation products have bit distinct insulating characteristics. This enables you to determine the thickness of the insulation product you have chosen that must meet building rules. 

Please follow the instructions to insulate your loft at the joist level:

• Check to see if there are any light fixtures that stick out between the joists if there are, these will need to be caped before any insulation is laid. To stop this overheating, each light fixture will need a cap. These caps are easy to install over the light fixture, and you are then ready to apply the insulation.

• To guarantee you can obtain the correct width of the product, you must determine the distance between the joists where the first layer of spray foam insulation will be placed.

• You will need insulation with a width similar to this so it can fit tightly between the joists. The majority of insulation you purchase will be slightly perforated, making it simple to split the roll.

• You will need some adjustable comfort levels if you want to genuinely feel like your conversion is a part of the living space. This demands boosting the insulation at the rafter level.

• This is typically accomplished in a simple refit scenario by placing spray foam insulation beneath and between the rafters. You must leave a 50mm gap for ventilation between this and the underside of your current roof. 

• This will help you avoid having a condensation problem. The smart option could be to insulate beneath your rafters if your goal is to remove the existing roof covering or insulate any flat roof. 

 The minimum loft insulation depth required by standards is 270mm, which is typically greater than the majority of loft floor joists. The insulation will be compressed when you attempt to board straight onto these joists, making it impossible for your loft insulation to withstand a building control examination. You are in a loose situation since it makes the insulation less effective after it has condensed down under the boards.

The next question arises; can a loft with beams be converted? The most typical type of beam utilised is a steel beam since it provides more structural flexibility. As their strength won't be affected, steel beams are great for loft conversions when they need to be cut and fitted into place and can be utilised for smaller-scale projects.

 Since you get expert work done that takes into account industry best practices and standards that you would otherwise be ignorant of, it always makes immense sense to engage experts for loft boarding.

How can I make the loft floor joists stronger?

In order to perform DIY and to see the entire length of each joist, you must first remove all insulation, debris, and blocking or bridging from between all of the joist spaces. Additionally, you ought to be able to determine how the joists connect to the house's outer walls. 

• Avoid removing any manufactured trusses or rafter bracing at any cost because doing so will compromise the roof's structural integrity and safety.

• Once the region is free of obstructions, determine the length of the old joists and the extent to which they extend beyond any exterior walls, steel beams, or other structural supports. Then measure the old joists.

• The size of the chipboard flooring you're using, the distance between your joists, and the area you want to cover will all affect how many loft legs you require.

• Mount the sister joists by placing them next to the existing joists, flush with complete contact with them. To the base of the outside wall, any supporting walls, and any beams or walls, attach the new joist to the old joist. 

• Depending on the design of your roof, you may also need to put blocking between the joists.

Although it is feasible to fortify your loft floor yourself, doing so is typically difficult and requires great care, especially if you intend to use the space to build a habitable room. In light of this, it is usually preferable to hire a professional loft conversion firm to do a roof space conversion.

Why Choose Us?

As a crucial step in the loft conversion building process, HIC contractors will make sure that the strengthening of the loft joists is properly handled. This eliminates the necessity to worry about the kind of loft floor joists that are utilised or whether side slinging or over slinging is necessary or not. Contact Home Insulation Contractors experts for a free, no-obligation quote if you are unclear about how to commence with a loft conversion.