Richard wrote:

Do you mean there is no wall in the loft between each terraced house?

Yes

[...]

Any ideas for board material, stronger and lighter than chipboard (to
reduce the stress on the joists/roof?). FYI the ceiling joists are not
resting on the wall plates, but are constructed so that they are fixed
to the (substantial) rafters which sit on wall plates. This means
there are sloping edges to the ceiling that I havent yet worked out
how to insulate behind the lathe and plaster, due to lack of access -
any ideas how to finish these?

I'm puzzled by the construction here... how come there's no wall between
you and the neighbours up there, but apparently there *is* a finished
lath and plaster ceiling over the rafters?! Or am I missing something?

David

On 2007-12-31 12:27:41 +0000, Lobster said:

Richard wrote:

Do you mean there is no wall in the loft between each terraced house?

Yes

[...]

Any ideas for board material, stronger and lighter than chipboard (to
reduce the stress on the joists/roof?). FYI the ceiling joists are not
resting on the wall plates, but are constructed so that they are fixed
to the (substantial) rafters which sit on wall plates. This means
there are sloping edges to the ceiling that I havent yet worked out
how to insulate behind the lathe and plaster, due to lack of access -
any ideas how to finish these?

I'm puzzled by the construction here... how come there's no wall
between you and the neighbours up there, but apparently there *is* a
finished lath and plaster ceiling over the rafters?! Or am I missing
something?

David

That used to be a common method of construction in terraced houses - a
cost saving measure.

Originally, many didn't have loft hatches because there was no plumbing
up there - remember that cold water was a tap in the kitchen and hot
water was a copper followed by filling the bath from that.

Hatches were added when roof tanks were installed, but often people
didn't bother to brick up the partitions - I suppose because they
trusted their neighbours.

FYI the ceiling joists are not
resting on the wall plates, but are constructed so that they are fixed
to the (substantial) rafters which sit on wall plates. This means
there are sloping edges to the ceiling that I havent yet worked out
how to insulate behind the lathe and plaster, due to lack of access -
any ideas how to finish these?

I'm puzzled by the construction here... how come there's no wall between
you and the neighbours up there, but apparently there *is* a finished
lath and plaster ceiling over the rafters?! Or am I missing something?

David

Sorry if I misled you - it is an unusual construction I think. For
clarification - the roof rafters are not covered at all. About 4 ft
from the end of each rafter ( poking into the outside, the ceiling
joists are attached. This gives nice high ceilings with sloped egdes
towards the walls. It is only this (approx 2-3ft) of the rafter that
is lath and plaster (on the slope) then it flattens to the ceiling
proper, formed by the lath and plaster on the joist. The remainder of
the rafter goes into the loft, uncovered, as a continuation of the
rof. Hope this helps!

Richard wrote:
FYI the ceiling joists are not
resting on the wall plates, but are constructed so that they are fixed
to the (substantial) rafters which sit on wall plates. This means
there are sloping edges to the ceiling that I havent yet worked out
how to insulate behind the lathe and plaster, due to lack of access -
any ideas how to finish these?
I'm puzzled by the construction here... how come there's no wall between
you and the neighbours up there, but apparently there *is* a finished
lath and plaster ceiling over the rafters?! Or am I missing something?

Sorry if I misled you - it is an unusual construction I think. For
clarification - the roof rafters are not covered at all. About 4 ft
from the end of each rafter ( poking into the outside, the ceiling
joists are attached. This gives nice high ceilings with sloped egdes
towards the walls. It is only this (approx 2-3ft) of the rafter that
is lath and plaster (on the slope) then it flattens to the ceiling
proper, formed by the lath and plaster on the joist. The remainder of
the rafter goes into the loft, uncovered, as a continuation of the
rof. Hope this helps!

Ah, OK - got you now! Yes, sounds quite similar to my own home
actually, except that in mine the slopey bits are more like 6-8 ft
rather than 2-3 ft!

There was a thread a few weeks ago by someone who wanted to insulate a
sloping kitchen ceiling where this was discussed at some length - can't
find it now I'm afraid but maybe you or someone else can?

David