In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
James Abley wrote:

Hi,

I had this done at my old house, and would like to have the same
again. I thought how hard can it be, so I'm doing it myself this time.
The last place had the bar code left on the boards, so I know what to
get there. The only question I have really is about how to re-wire the
lighting? The current setup has the wires going across some boards
which I'm going to rip up and replace with the new flooring. I need to
re-do those wires, plus I guess stick in some sort of junction box so
that I can run a couple of lights up in the new loft along with a
switch by the loft hatch / ladder. I'm no electrician though. I've
previously installed a junction box to run a security light off the
front of the garage. That's the limit of my electrical experience:

* What kit I need to add in the new lighting along with a light
switch?
* How do I ensure that I'm not overloading the circuit?
* What have I missed?

All expertise gratefully received.

Cheers,

James

Is the garage part of the house, or detached? Is it heated?

If you have cables running over the joists, and you want to fit boards, you
have several options.

One is to drill holes through the centres of the joists, and to feed the
cables through. But you'd obviously have to disconnect and re-connect the
cables in order to do that. Also, there are rules about where - along the
length of the joists - you are allowed to drill holes without causing
structural problems.

If you *don't* want to disconnect the cables, the options are either to
notch the tops of the joists to accommodate the cables, or to fit battens to
the joists to space the boards clear of the cables. Again there are rules
about where you can cut notches.

When you box cables in, technically you are reducing their heat dissipation
capacity, and need to restrict the amount of current which they carry -
particularly if they pass through heated or insulated spaces - but it's
probably not an issue in your case.

With regards to extending the lighting circuit in order to install
additional lights and switches, you need to understand what you've already
got, and how it's wired - 'cos there's more than one accepted way of wiring
lighting circuits. Also, you need to distinguish between lighting and power
circuits. If you don't know what you're looking for, it's probably safest to
employ an electrician.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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