Finishing Loft conversion stud walls and starting insulation

First part of Loft Conversion Insulation

A few photos here showing what was the start of lengthy process fitting the ridgid Kingspan insulation between the roof rafters and the stud wall. Every piece individually cut to fit.

By this time I'd finished the majority of the floor so stand was easy and safe.

This pic showing the the tricky bit of stud work to for the escape window cill. This had to project back over the steel to give the minimum distance from the eves to the window opening required by the regs.

Here we can see the little access corridor to the rest of the attic space taking shape. Included here though as it shows the insulation around the Steel.

Plenty of rockwool insulation went in behind the structural studs, just cheap wickes stuff this time as no additional fire proofing was required. So the total depth of ceiling insulation is about 400mm.

I had to fit battons on the rafters to ensure the air gap of 25mm to the breater mebrane was maintained , so i didn't push it too far up. Surprisingly it was cheaper to buy PSE timber from Wickes and rip it down with my bench saw than it was to buy rough sawn direct from a timber yard. Fitting it was a doddle after I made a jig to getting the spacing and I purchased a cheap electric brad nailer, well worth it.

Another batton then had to go on the under side of the rafters to give something solid for the next layer of Kingspan to attached to.

Here are just some on the trick angle to be cut. They need to be tight to keep the insulation up to spec. Only a few bits needed a squirt of foam filler.

TIP Use a jig saw with a long blade to cut them, far easier than a knife and less messy than a hand saw.

Loft Conversion Wiring, plumbing and the first floor board

A bit of a cheat counting the first floor board at this stage as I had to fit the wiring and plumbing under the floor first. But it was up there giving me a more stable platform to work off.

The Loft wiring was a simple ring for the sockets the lighting to go in walls later. Just because it would be neater in the long run and it seemed oportune I also wired TV coax to go the 1st floor bedrooms, down into the lounge and into the cellar.

The timeline drifts a bit here but I wasn't taking many photos. I must have done the plumbing for the radiator around this time. This came off the 15mm feed and return under the floor in the girls room (shifting stuff round in their bit to get at the floor is a job in it's self). From there it goes up the lathe and plaster stud wall, only one noggin so I only had to cut a small square out at the bottom of the wall and one in the middle .

It comes up about 300m from the radiator down pipes, so that plan came together quite nicely. After a wet test I took the rad back off. Just realised I must have built the stud wall by this time.





and so I had

Also by that time I'd taken down the airing cupboard, another couple of days covered soot and dust, not just me but the house and its contents.
With it out, the landing really opened up.




The flooring came up the stairs and the ladder then got laid. A bit of a no brain job putting it down apart from the tricky bits round the edge. I used, I think 14 sheets of 2 x 8 x 18mm Wickes best T and G chipboard. 300 screws latter ( I dont want a squeaky floor) it was down and giving me a more relaxing stance to start on the rest of the dividing wall and the insulation.

The wiring down to the cellar fuse board went up the underneath of the stairs wiggled across the landing and up the old stud wall along from where the plumbing went in. Conviently emerging close to where a fuse board for the attic has been fitted. Whilst the opportunity was there I also put in two telephone cables, the coax (I might use for DAB as I've lost radio 4 in the dinning room), and the cable for the downstairs smoke alarm.

Loft Conversion - Building control structural inspection

A moment of truth..... had I completed all the structural work on the steels, joists and purlin replacements to the required standards?

Of course I had, with total confidence I rang building control for an inspection, no problem with the next day service. However the inspector I was expecting had move areas so a the new chap wasn't familiar with the project and effort I'd put into the planning. Still no nerves, I was confident.

The very nice man came halfway up the ladder, had a look round and was impressed. What a good excuse for a beer that evening.
A few days latter the bill for the inspections came through, Unavoidable beurocratic expense. ho hum.

Loft Progress upto Jan 08

I've final got round to adding a bit more. I had set a deadline of Christmas to finish the room off ( building wise anyway). A pat on the back for myself because I did it. There's nothing like a deadline to get a job done.

Just the Stairs to make the room habitable and a few bits and bobs like electrics connecting and certifying, a door, decorating, flooring and blinds for the velux. Not take me two mins.

I had a couple of weeks off to tile the dining room fireplace and instal a log burning stove in time for christmas.

It's full steam ahead on the stairs with the center post machined and installed.

The next posts cover what ive been upto.

I'll catch up on the following

Sun tunnel fitted, I did finish the one in the bath room but not taken pictures yet. All ish the floor joists in, rock wool down, Stud wall frame -crazy angles. Insulation ordered. Screwfix order arriving tommorow so crack on with first fix electrics.

Which reminds me, I rewired all the upstairs lights so the cables aren't going under the new floor.

The start of some serious household disruption

The Loft conversion makes it's grand entrance in to the rest of the house.

Breaking through, Now everyone can see what I'm upto

Top of the old airing cupboard

Trimmed ceiling joists and wall hanger

The timber work for the staircase opening is simple, two 200 x 50 screwed together one end resting on the inner wall the other on the a joist hanger on the steel beam. The other side of the opening rests on a masonry joist hanger in to the party wall. A 9" angle grinder with diamond blade cut just deep enough to get this in without having to take a brick out. This also trims the ceiling joist, screwed timber to timber reiforced with angle brackets.


Then came the fun part, knocking the rest of the ceiling down. It only took about 20mins but the clearing up after took 3 hours and I should have given Wendy some advanced warning. I've also noticed it's getting colder of an evening now and there's no insulation.

Welding Loft Joist Hangers to the beams

This is a loft conversion question that seems to asked alot. How to hang the joists off Steels, (rsj's). Well this way is probably unique.

The normal way is to fix timber to beams first. But I've got a welder!

Joist hangers Welded on beam

This was a job I wanted to make sure the building inspector wasn't going to grumble about. I had spec these to welded on the draws that were passed but I'd changed the design from the original being on a standard UB.


So make them twice as strong. I first welded two hangers together, plug welding through all the nail holes. Then drilled 3 12mm holes in each leg. Then the tricky task of getting the levels right, the lazer level came in handy with a slight adjustment for the slope of the not so acurate Victorian ceiling heights. I had to get the new floor joist as close to the old ceiling as I could allowing about 5mm minimum for deflection. With that sorted the it went well after intially trying stick welding for the extra power and giving up because the power blew away the hangers. The MIG did the job nicely, plug welding through the big holes with good penertration into the beam .


So Hangers On time for some more timber.