Boarding The Loft

Penrith, Cumbria. February-2021.

We need extra storage space so I am fitting a TARDIS circuit in the loft! 

Step one was to install a ladder, Specifically a "Werner 1-Section Anodised Aluminium & Plastic Telescopic Loft Ladder 2.61m". We bought ours from Screwfix. It is an excellent ladder as it is easy to fit and has a very small footprint in the attic. 

Next I bought a load of Diall loft stilts and chipboard loft panels from B&Q. Reading the reviews several people advised pre-screwing the stilts so you are not fumbling in the dark when you get to the installation. Sound advice to which I would add: get a battery powered screwdriver and a head torch.

First row required moving the insulation which is filthy stuff. Wear a mask or you'll spend the next day coughing.

I then replaced the insulation, fluffing it up as best I could.

The first row of column of boards, using two whole boards tucked nicely into the eaves. I only screwed the corners, not at every stilt; I can always revisit later and add more screws if required.

With the first column in place I had a platform to work from for the second row. I cut off a piece equal to the spacing of the rafters so the joints were offset, I reckon it makes for a stronger floor.

Then "rinse and repeat". The third row was the same as the first to continue the offsetting. The rubber mallet was very useful for banging the tongue and grooves together for a snug fit.

Nearly there. I was able to move some of the boxes that had been stored on an old sheet of hardboard laid on the insulation onto the proper surface so I could complete the area.

This section complete and ready for boxes of stuff.

The roof timbers are gnarly, old, rough hewn oak beams. The house is somewhere around two hundred years old and these certainly look the part. The tubes are the light well and extractor fan from the bathroom which has no window.

At some point there will be a stage two extending deeper into this loft space and possibly a stage three in the opposite direction.