Havent posted for a while but thought I would post up a couple of pictures of recent loft conversions the pictures below are of the I joists being installed I joists are a structural beam which negate the need for steels and can be installed by removing the first four rows of tiles and then being slid in to sit on the existing plate, also not the JES (joist end support) to give the joist riggidity when cut to fit in the eaves.
I-joist
We can also see the gluelams before installation, gluelams are a structurally graded beam which come in standard and custom sizes the beauty of gluelams is they do the same job as a steel but are lighter stronger and easier to install and fix to and can also be cut on site to requirements.
glulams before install
With beams of this size and nature there is an issue with getting them up to the second floor so we usually hire in a crane and a banks man to help our team with the lifting as we can see below.
Beam-installation-with-crane
As we can see the creation of a new floor above the existing building has begun once the beams are in place the next of the work can continue the creation of the stair well with gluelams and hangers connecting the old and existing joists to support them around the stair well and the creation of the ashler walls and the ceiling ties to support the new structure before the old fink trusses can be removed as shown below.
Before-fink-trusses-removed
After trusses removed
So the existing structure is removed the weight is transferred onto the ashler walls which are the small walls in the corner which then transfers the weight onto the new I joists and the gluelams onto the wall plate of the existing building so what next we need light.
Dormer under construction
As we can see we now need to create natural light by adding dormers by supporting the trusses either side with extra timbers for strength and remove the existing tiles battens and felt carefully before building the pitched roof dormer in this case there will be three so more to come when they are buit ok.
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Converting your loft is the best way to maximise the value of a house, adding a further bedroom or bathroom with a loft conversion remains one of the best ways to bring in an extra return when adding value and space to your property.
One of the biggest decisions loft conversion companies face when carrying out a conversion is which insulation to use,as this can not only affect compliance with the Building Regulations, but can also have a big impact on the living space within the room so it pays when doing a loft conversion to do your research.
Underthe new U values and the latest version the U-value for pitched roofs insulated at rafter level remains at 0.18 W/m².K, whilst for flat ceilings the minimum is 0.16 W/m².K.
A well-insulated loft conversion can also reduce heating bills and CO2 emissions. This means home owners should not only see the financial benefit o, but also indirectly with an improved Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Recent research suggests that this can significantly raise the value of a house when home owners are looking to resell.
Insulating to the Building Regulations with traditional products such as mineral fibre can be a pain, with the thicknesses required to achieve the desired performance often exceeding the rafter depth and seriously cutting into the headroom space that’s why many opt for Celotex or a rigid insulation board .
Which is less likely to sag or slump, resulting in un-insulated pockets, which can in turn lead to thermal bridging, surface condensation and mould growth.
Rigid boards has a fibre-free core, is unaffected by air-infiltration and is resistant to ingress from moisture or water vapour and many other environmental conditions. This allows it to maintain its thermal performance throughout the life of the building when correctly installed.
Many loft conversion companies are also using space blankets which have come down in costs considerably and can be used in conjunction with rigid insulation to achieve very high U values when installed properly, some loft conversions are using rigid board inside the rafter space blanket and the plasterboard with further insulation behind.
Loft conversion u regs
Kingspan Kooltherm have released the following guidelines to help loft conversion companies and builders reach these new guidelines which are as follows.
For houses with shared roofs and when the roof covering is not being replaced, the best approach is to install insulation between the rafters with a further layer of insulated plasterboard below. This ‘between and under’ approach helps to reduce thermal bridging through the rafters.
The Building Regulation requirements can be met by installing 100mm Kingspan Kooltherm K7 Pitched Roof Board between rafters and 39.5mm Kooltherm K14 Insulated Plasterboard below. As the space between rafters may vary it is essential to measure each gap before cutting to ensure a tight fit. Any gaps are filled with an expanding insulated foam and / or flexible sealant.
Where a non-breathable sarking material such as felt is used, a ventilation gap of 50mm is required above the Kooltherm K7. To maintain this gap and ensure the board is flush with the bottom of the rafters, timber stop battens can be nailed to the rafters at the appropriate depth.
The plasterboard is then fitted with the long edge running horizontally across the rafters, lapping by at least 20mm at joints. The boards are fixed in place with drywall screws at a maximum of 200mm centres, and no less than 10mm from the edge of the board at bound edges (paper bound) or 13mm from non-bound edge. Screws should be long enough to penetrate at least 25mm into the joist without being overdriven.
To meet the U-value requirement of 0.16 for areas of flat ceiling, 75mm Kooltherm K7 is fitted between joists and 69.5mm Kingspan Kooltherm K14 is added below using the same installation approach.
For dwarf walls 50mm Kooltherm K12 Framing Board is installed between timber studs and 29.5mm of Kooltherm K14 on their inner face.
When re-roofing a detatched property it is best to insulate using a “between and over” approach. For pitched roofs 50mm Kooltherm K7 Pitched Roof Board is installed between the rafters using sarking clips driven into the top of the timber at 1 meter centres to hold them in place.
A further 60mm of Kooltherm K7 is then installed over the rafters with care taken to ensure that any joints on boards running from the eaves to ridge occur over rafters. A breathable sarking membrane such as the company’s Nilvent is then overlaid and the boards can then be held in place with counter battens (38mm x 38 mm).
For enhanced airtightness with this arrangement a further breather membrane can be added between the two layers of Kingspan Koolthem K7, with all joints or gaps sealed using airtight tape.
Hi all haven’t posted for a while been busy and wanted to update the site with some more work that’s been going on like this loft conversion in Chelmondiston in Suffolk it was a whopper with a eight meter span and a an overall length of eighteen meters it was quite a challenge.
As we can see the existing roof has been half stripped of before the gable end wall looked seriously dodgy and also had to be taken down and replaced by 6×2 stud work.
The trusses as we can see are huge and the top hats needed to be nailed on before erecting as we can see there are also a lot of loose timbers for the infills, dormers and joisting.
Construction begins
We can now see the trusses erected with spaces for the velux on the back of the property and the gable wall rebuilt in stud work to take the gable ladder and to create the end wall.
Here we can see the roof all covered in the vekux are formed underneath ready for the roofers to fit the velux kits.
Roof covered in
Here we can see the dormers which have been built on the front of the property with a small velux for the toilet inside.
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Complete loft conversions has been trading since 2005 and we carry out only the best loft conversions inIipswich we have also now connected the site to jetpack so all posts go to twitter facebook and google plus.
Here at complete loft conversions we like to meet and talk to our customers about their projects and how they can get the most out of their building project whether its a loft conversion or a extension that’s why we offer a no obligation site visit for an informal discussion about your project to see what extra ideas can be added before the architect comes to view and submit your drawings subject to your approval a full list of this process is available here.
I find a sit visit to view your project is always good to get an idea of what the loft space or extension is to be used for (bedrooms, games room, ect) this helps when deciding how to divide the rooms and spaces to get the maximum benefit out of your home.
So if you wish to find out more about how we can help you with your conversion please contact us here or call us for an informal chat on what can be achived in your loft space.
We are still carrying out loft conversions and building projects in and around the Suffolk and Ipswich area specialising in making attic conversions for growing families in a cost effective way.
Converting a loft is by no means a simple operation but it can be made easier with the correct planning and organisation the methods of building loft conversions have also changed with the introduction of engineered joists and GLUELAM beams (these are timber load bearing beams laminated with composite materials for extra strength) these can often mitigate the need for heavy duty steels within the alteration of a roof therefore saving time and money on the build cost.
Many architects stick to the same methods because of the only relatively recent introduction of these high grade composite materials but what many architects do not realize is that many local authorities accept the manufacturers calculations for these composite materials and beams without the need for structural engineers although in some instances they would need to be involved in the process.
There is still a use for steels within loft conversions but in my opinion with the introduction of high quality timber joisting systems as mentioned in my previous posts here the lifting of these materials using cranes is not needed so costing less and simplifying the construction of your loft conversion.
