Loft boarding in Fulham for safe, warm storage

Why storage space matters in Fulham homes

Fulham terraces and flats are rarely short of charm, but they are often short of cupboards. Period houses tend to have small bedrooms with chimney breasts taking up wall space, and the space under the stairs fills up fast. For top floor flats and houses that have not had a loft conversion, the roof space is often the biggest unused area in the home.

The problem is that most lofts were never designed to be walked on. The ceiling joists are thin, spaced apart, and buried under insulation. Step in the wrong place and your foot goes through the bedroom ceiling. Proper loft boarding in Fulham homes gives you a safe floor to walk and store things on.

Do not squash the insulation

This is the most important part of the job. The Energy Saving Trust says that if you have mineral wool insulation in your loft, you should make sure you do not squash it, because squashing it makes it a worse insulator. It also says current building regulations recommend a depth of at least 270mm of mineral wool.

Most loft joists are much shallower than 270mm. If boards are screwed straight onto the joists over deep insulation, the insulation gets crushed flat and the rooms below lose heat. Older boarding is sometimes done exactly like this, and the owners only notice when the bedrooms under the loft feel cold.

How raised loft boarding in Fulham works

Raised loft boarding uses plastic or metal legs, often called loft legs, that screw onto the existing joists. The boards then sit on top of the legs, high enough above the insulation that it keeps its full depth. The Energy Saving Trust describes raising the floor slightly and adding a second layer of insulation across the top of the joists before fitting the boards, and it advises leaving a small gap between the insulation and the boards to help prevent condensation.

The boards are usually tongue and groove chipboard panels, which lock together along their edges. They are cut to a size that will fit through your loft hatch, which in many period houses is small. We check the joists, the hatch size and the height of the roof before agreeing how much of the loft can be boarded.

• Loft legs fixed to the joists
• Insulation topped up where needed
• Ventilation gap kept below the boards
• Boards cut to fit through your hatch

Ladders, hatches and lighting

Boarding is only useful if you can get into the loft easily. Many period houses have a small hatch in the landing ceiling and no ladder. A folding or sliding loft ladder makes it far safer to carry boxes up and down. If the hatch is too small for a ladder, it can sometimes be enlarged, depending on the joists around it.

A light makes a big difference, too. A battery or plug in light is simple. A new light wired into the house circuit is a bigger electrical job, and it is done by a qualified electrician, which we arrange for you. An insulated, draught sealed hatch also helps stop warm air escaping into the loft.

What can and cannot go in the loft

Loft boarding gives you a floor, but the ceiling joists underneath were sized to hold up a ceiling, not a room full of furniture. Light storage such as suitcases, boxes of clothes, toys and seasonal decorations is what a boarded loft is good for. Heavy items like old televisions, piles of books or spare tiles are better stored elsewhere, or spread thinly across the boarded area.

Roof spaces in Fulham houses also get very hot in summer and cold in winter. Photos, documents and anything that might warp or go mouldy should be kept in sealed plastic boxes. Keep stored items clear of the eaves, where the roof meets the walls, so air can still move through the loft and condensation does not build up.

If you have a water tank in the loft, we leave clear access around it, so a plumber can reach the valves later. The same goes for the hatch area, which should stay free so you can get in and out safely. Tidy, well planned loft boarding in Fulham means you can find things again without crawling over boxes.

Lofts in flats and things to check first

If you live in a top floor flat in a converted house or mansion block, the loft space above you may not be yours. It is often part of the freehold or shared with other flats, and the lease will say who owns it and whether you can use it. Please check your lease and ask the freeholder or managing agent before booking any work in a roof space.

It is also worth knowing that loft boarding for storage is not the same as a loft conversion. Boarding gives you somewhere to keep things. It does not make the loft a room to sleep or work in, and a proper conversion is a much larger building project with its own rules.

Booking loft boarding

We fit loft boarding in Fulham and nearby areas including Parsons Green, Hammersmith and Chelsea. When you ask for a quote, tell us roughly how big the loft is, the size of the hatch if you know it, and whether you want a ladder or light at the same time. Photos taken from the hatch with a torch help a lot. If there are wires lying across the joists, we will work around them and flag anything that looks worn or unsafe for an electrician to check.

Common questions