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How to choose your loft insulation!?
Easy access and regular joists: if your loft is easy to get to and is not damp it will be easy to insulate and you might even be able to do it yourself. If access is easy and your joists are regular, you can use rolls of mineral wool insulation. The first layer is laid between the joists - the horizontal beams that make up the 'floor' of the loft – then another layer is cross-laid at right angles to cover the joists and make the insulation up to the required depth. If you do not feel confident to do this however it is simple to get it done by someone with more experience with DIY or a professional installer.
If you intend to use the loft for storage space and will be paying boards down over the joists it is important to do your insulation before you lay these down. If they are already laid you will need to take these up to put the insulation between the joists then relay the boards. When relaying the boards ensure you do not compact the insulation wool as this will lead to it not being as efficient.
Difficult to access: in this case you can have blown insulation installed by professionals. This uses specialist equipment to blow loose, fire-retardant insulation material made of cellulose fibre or mineral wool into the loft. This doesn't usually take more than a few hours.
Irregular joists: this can cause an issue with trying to lay rolls of mineral wool. This can be due to lots of obstructions. In this instance it would be good to used loose insulation. This is sold in bags as cork granules, vermiculite, mineral wool or cellulose fibre, which can be poured between the joists to the right depth. This can be done by you but sometimes the joist levels may need to be raised to achieve the level of depth needed for the insulation.
Flat roofs: these types of roofs are ideally insulated from above. A layer of rigid insulation board can be added either on top of the roof's weatherproof layer, or directly on top of the timber roof surface with a new weatherproof layer on top of the insulation. It is good to get this done when the roof needs to be replaced.
It is possible to insulate flat roofs from the bottom but this can lead to condensation problems if not completed correctly. When insulating flat roofing it is best for this to be done by professionals.
The idea of loft insulation is to stop the heat from escaping out the roof of your house. One way to see if your insulation is any good is the look at how much snow is sitting on top of your house when it snows. Some people houses will be covered in it and this shows the insulation is working as there is little heat escaping and other houses may have no snow cover. This is a sign that there is a lot of heat getting out due to a poorly insulate loft and it has melted all the snow off.
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