New build loft boarding in Warwick

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

Warwick District needs to build over 900 new build homes a year to keep up with local housing needs. With more owners taking possession of new build homes, our team is kept busy improving loft access, as these properties do not come with lofts boarded as standard.

In fact, the default loft opening in a new build is often not large enough to be convenient when taking items up to be stored. Enlarging a loft opening is a job that we are happy to undertake, most often as part of a package involving fitting a fixed loft ladder and boarding.

Which leads us to the most frequently asked question to our team – can you board the lofts in new build properties?

The answer is yes – definitely, but call in the professionals to ensure you are protecting the insulation in your loft and, in turn, your NHBC warranty. An experienced loft company, such as Stu’s Loft Ladders, will first recommend raising the level of the loft floor to accommodate the insulation and protect the timbers. What’s even better, the boards we use will add further insulation, making your house more energy efficient.

Can you board lofts in new build properties being constructed in Warwickshire and Worcestershire?

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

This is a question that we are asked a lot and we’ve talked about it on this blog before. Mainly we’ve addressed issues around insulation, which we can protect by building up the level of the floor to ensure that insulation is not compressed and retains its efficiency.

Some homeowners have concerns about the extra weight and whether they would invalidate their NHBC warranty by boarding the loft. They may have been told or heard that the trusses in modern houses are fabricated to hold only the materials in the house plus snowfall on the roof.

We are experienced in boarding new builds

Obviously protecting your 10 year warranty is of paramount importance – that is why you should call in a professional company who specialises in loft improvements. As proprietor of Stu’s Loft Ladders, I gained my experience working on new build properties for house builders as a carpenter so I understand well the details of their construction.

We always come out to quote on a job so we can see for ourself the construction of the property. By looking at the design and the way the trusses are constructed we can recommend how, or if, to board. 

The photo with this blog was taken at a new-build property in Chipping Campden. We boarded just the middle section of the loft for the owners.

It is our experience that in nearly all the new builds we have visited to quote, it is safe to board.  We never recommend storing heavy furniture, as much for the safety implications of carrying it up to the loft as load bearing concerns. However, for the weights of the boards we use and the items most will want to store such as suitcases, seasonal clothes and boxes of Christmas decorations, it is nearly always possible.

So, if you are unsure, give us a call. We will come out to look and advise.

Loft boarding transforms space in Bidford-On-Avon

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

We love a before and after photo. If you follow us on Facebook, you will see that the photos we share on our page show the difference that loft boarding really makes. Over the course of a day, customers see one level of their home transform from wasted space to useable storage.

Wasted space to useable storage

These photos show far more vividly than we could ever describe the incredible change. In the scheme of home improvements, boarding the loft is relatively inexpensive, but the options it gives you are immense.

Loft insulation is marvelous stuff, but trust us, as people who spend their days working in enclosed environments with it, it is not something you want to get on your clothing or transport back down to your living areas.

New build in Bidford-On-Avon

This particular job was in a three-bedroom, semi-detached property in Bidford-On-Avon, Warwickshire, an area where we often work. It was a new-build home, so high levels of insulation – fantastic news for heat preservation, but not so good for storage.

If you look at the after photo you will see that we completely tidied the loft area. No more scratchy and unpleasant insulation fibres to worry about, only a neat area for boxes and room to move about whilst accessing them.

The result – another delighted customer!

Message us now for more information.

Loft Boarding Installation

Stratford homeowners ask can you board the loft in a new build? No problem, just call in an expert

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

So, you’ve got the keys to your new build home and you are ready to start unpacking. Anyone who has ever moved into a new build property will know the excitement of thinking that they are the first people to ever live there. But, as you start unpacking, you realise that you are going to run out  of space and start thinking about the loft and whether you can use it to store belongings. You’ve heard something about not being able to board new lofts because of the levels of insulation. So what do you do?

Raising the floor before boarding protects your insulation

The answer is, you call in an expert. You can board the loft in a new build, but you need to be careful not to affect the levels of insulation or to invalidate your NHBC warranty. An experienced loft company, such as Stu’s Loft Ladders, will not board the loft in a new build without first upgrading the floor.  That means that we raise the level of the floor to accommodate all the insulation. What’s even better is that the boards we use will actually add further insulation, making your house even more energy efficient.

In a new build, we would definitely recommend that you use an experienced company who can use their carpentry skills to ensure that the insulation is protected. Whilst we are on the job, we can add a fixed ladder and enlarge the hatch from the standard one fitted to one that allows extra room for storing larger items.

Contact us now to arrange a no-obligation quote.

New build owners in Redditch increase space with loft boarding

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

New houses are getting smaller. That is according to research from LABC Warranty, the body that provides warranties for new build homes. The research reveals that houses built in 2010 onwards are an average of 4m2 smaller than those built a decade before. The average living room is now 1.6m2 smaller too and bedroom size is also shrinking.

Stu’s Loft Ladders has been pretty busy since lockdown eased and what we are noticing is that a large proportion of our work is in new build properties. Surely if you have bought a new build you have everything you need with built-in storage? Apparently not. The size of properties means that a couple of years into ownership people who love their homes are hankering after more space and looking upwards.

New build loft boarding and ladder fitting in Redditch 

This week we improved loft storage in two relatively new properties in Worcestershire: one in Webheath, Redditch and one in Feckenham, a village just outside the town.

You can see from the pictures the difference that boarding makes. In the house below it was previously impossible to store things in a clean and tidy manner. With the loft boarded, suddenly the owners were able to free up space in their living areas and bedrooms.  Not bad for a day’s work.

We are always willing to talk through your questions – please call us on 07712 327889.