"L Reid" wrote in message
...
Hi guys,

More drama from the new property...

I need to insulate my loft. As we don't have a loft hatch, father-in-law
and
I proceeded to cut one yesterday (in to a ceiling lined with 2 inches of
pitch, that was very messy... and I thought sanding floors was bad!). As
the
ceiling was plasterboard (suspended below the old plaster lathes), the
ceiling's obviously been replaced at some point so I have no idea why it
didn't already have one.

Anyway, the house is about 120 years old, with a slate roof. There is no
underfelt under any of the slates, just the slanted timber. The house is
an
Edinburgh colony type, so has the bedrooms partially in the loft space
(i.e.
there's areas of sloping roof above bedrooms without a lot of clearance I
need to get insulation down into). I don't want to lift the pitch that's
already there, as this would probably be incredibly messy.

As the loft is currently uninsulated (bar the pitch, which I believe is
actually quite good as an insulator?) I'm after suggestions on how thick
an
insulation I should get, and what kind would be best. I had a scan through
previous threads, and believe I also need to put down some damp-proofing?
I'm also after suggestions on how to get the insulation down the 'loping
bits'. Current plan is to slide a plank or two down over the pitch then
slide the insulation down over it, then remove the planks, though there
may
be a better way to do it.

I currently have no access to the eaves at the moment, so may be unable to
add insulation there. I'm not too worried about the eaves at the moment
though as the downstairs rooms are fairly warm, it's just the bedrooms
that
are cold.

Any tips / suggestions? Any advice on insulating the loft hatch would also
be appreciated as it's in a bedroom.

Thanks,

Leigh




Thanks for any/all replies.

One thing I forgot to mention is that with it being an older property the
joists don't look very thick (6" or so?), so rockwool or similar might not
be the best solution because of it's thickness. Are there higher insulation
(lower U factor?) materials available?

Leigh