Three Steps to (Storage) Heaven for homeowners in Warwickshire and Worcestershire

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We like to keep things simple! When it comes to how to improve your loft, there are three main things to consider:

  1. Boarding
    This is the game changer! No more wasted space and no trying to precariously balance things, or worse yourself, on joists. With boarding costing around £35 per square metre, it is good value for money in relation to the space you will gain. If you are thinking about boarding the loft yourself, read our blog post first to check that you have the necessary skills and tools for the job. We get it done in less than a day and clear away all leftover materials and any mess. 
  2. Fixed Loft Ladder
    Make using the loft safe and make it easy. A fixed ladder means that going up to the loft is a breeze. If you already have a fixed loft ladder, but it is a bit heavy and clunky, why not change it for a modern, light version. Life is too short to dread going up to the loft!
  3. Loft Opening
    Is the hatch in the wrong place, like a bedroom or over the stairs? If it is in the right place, but awkward to get to and use, we can enlarge the opening or change the orientation to be more convenient. Changing the loft opening so that it is not over stairs is a job that we do quite often. We can fit a new hatch and surround and leave the ceiling looking as if the new hatch was always there!

There you have it – three steps to maximising your loft space. Contact us now to arrange a no obligation quote, or take a look at our services page for more information.

How to make the most of loft storage – our top tips for Stratford-upon-Avon homeowners

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There is no doubt about it – boarding the loft and fitting a fixed loft ladder is a sure-fire way to create useable storage in your home, whilst freeing up living areas. For customers who have recently had their loft boarded by our team, or those thinking about it, these are our top tips for making the most of all that new storage space:

Box clever

Cardboard boxes may be a cheap and light option, but there is nothing more frustrating whilst searching for an item than to rummage to the bottom of a box to find it is not there. Instead, we recommend buying a set of clear, stackable boxes. Most DIY stores sell them and often have offers when buying more than one. We are all trying to avoid buying plastic, so make sure they last – the cheap, brittle kind can be a false economy and may crack and need replacing. 

If you do opt for cardboard or recycled plastic (which won’t be transparent), label the contents clearly. Group similar items together and write or tape a list of the contents on more than one side so that you can see the list easily, whichever way the box is facing.

Keep a lid on it

A certain amount of dust will fall onto whatever you store in the loft, so we recommend boxes with lids. Lids will not only keep the dust and grit out, but also provide a barrier to spiders and moths.

Honey, I’ve shrunk the clothes

If you haven’t tried vacuum packing clothing, then it is a revelation. Belongings that would fill an entire box, shrink down to a tiny size and, best of all, moths and dust mites can’t get in! Think of the space you could create in your wardrobe if you could take out some of your bulky winter items.

Shine a light

Searching around a loft with the torch on your phone is a tricky business. LED lighting options are now far more powerful than they once were. Look for battery operated lights that can be angled and attached easily where you need them. LED lights with a sensor will make life easier.

Bespoke options

You could consider having shelving built as part of your loft build or retro fitting some. We are often asked to build-in shelving to accommodate suitcases or sporting equipment.

If you would like a quote to board your loft or fit a fixed ladder, contact us now. You can see photos from some of our recent jobs on our Facebook page.

Does boarding your loft add value to your home in Worcestershire and Warwickshire?

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When planning any home improvement, most of us want to know if the outlay will be worth it in terms of property value.

The important thing to point out is that loft improvements, such as boarding and fitting a fixed ladder, are not the same as a loft conversion. By boarding you are not creating habitable space, even if you install lighting or a window. Loft conversions have to abide by building regulations and therefore are in a different category.

Loft boarding = useable space

However, whilst boarding the loft might not count towards the overall floorspace of the property in estate agent terms, it does give you useable space and makes your home more attractive to potential buyers.

Additional selling point

Boarding the loft is a job most people like to have done and is an additional selling point, particularly over a similar property which does not offer it.

Showcase features

Furthermore, boarding the loft enables you to declutter living areas, creating the illusion of more space when showcasing rooms in marketing materials. If a house looks too busy with belongings, estate agents will often advise the seller to move some items to storage to better showcase their property. Desirable features such as fireplaces and windows stand out more when there is not so much clutter detracting from them.

Perhaps the greatest bonus of loft boarding is that you will have the benefit of it whilst you live in the property. It is very common for homeowners to prepare their home to sell by decluttering and decorating only to fall in love with it all over again. Having storage space creates room to rethink and play with how you use the living areas. 

Loft boarding might be cheaper than you think

As with most things in life, the answer to whether improving the loft adds value is multifaceted. It is unlikely to be a job that you will regret having done as it might be better value than you think.  Contact us now for a quotation.

Loft improvements in Warwick, Redditch, Bidford and Stratford-upon-Avon – all in a week’s work for Stu’s Loft Ladders!

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June is generally a busy month. We are not yet into summer holidays and people are getting on with home improvements before they go away. This year, the effect of coming out of lockdown and people feeling more confident about having work done in their homes, means that our diary is packed. We are certainly not complaining, as we love to be busy! Last week’s loft improvement jobs show a good range of the services we provide.

Boarding in Warwick

First up was a loft boarding job in Warwick, boarding around central roof supports, but leaving the area up to the eaves. We also fitted an aluminium ladder, creating an easy loft access and storage solution. A happy customer and our week was off to a good start!

Partial loft board in Bidford-On-Avon

Next we visited Bidford on Avon for a boarding job. The customer only wanted a partial board, so we created a storage area in the middle section the loft. Another happy customer!

Loft boarding and timber ladder in Stratford-upon-Avon

On to Stratford-upon-Avon. Here we turned wasted space into functional storage with a timber ladder.  Again, the customer wanted boarding to the middle section only, but in this large loft, this still created a large amount of storage potential.

Redditch boarding to middle section of loft

Later in the week we were in Redditch. Again creating a useable storage area with a board to the middle section of a loft. 

Enlarging and moving loft hatches

Our next two jobs were all about loft hatches. In Bidford, we enlarged the loft opening for a client and fitted a new hatch. To finish the week off, we visited another customer to move the loft opening, which had been over the stairs. This is a common location for hatches in older houses and not one that is very safe. We turned the loft around to run the other way on the landing and fitted an aluminium ladder and plastic hatch. 

Get in touch for your loft improvement quote

As you can tell, we specialise in loft improvements and we stay busy through customer recommendations. We are taking bookings now for the rest of June and July. Get in touch if you need some help to unlock the storage potential of your loft! Or still not sure? Check out more pictures of these jobs and others on our Facebook page.

How negative space is a design positive for your home – creating calm interiors by boarding lofts in Warwickshire and Worcestershire

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Now that we can have friends round again, we may be looking at our homes with fresh eyes. Suddenly the piles of paperwork on the kitchen counter or overflowing bookshelves seem untidy. You may want your home to look more like the examples you see online – more inspirational and less, well, lived in!

Whilst we need to be realistic about how busy homes actually look compared to publicity shots, there is a professional design technique that we can copy to give our interiors the wow factor – the creation of negative space.

Negative space features in all design disciplines, from graphics to architecture and involves creating an empty area to better emphasise certain features. It may be that you have a gorgeous armchair hidden behind a coffee table piled high with magazines or in-front of a busy shelving unit. By taking out the surrounding visual distractions, the eye will be drawn to the shape of the chair making it a central feature of your design. The same might be true for a picture you love, or a light fixture – by imitating the techniques of the professionals you can create impact with the items you really love.

Negative space not only draws the eye to certain features in our home, but can also create a calm and harmonious space. If not every square inch is taken up with possessions, there is mentally room to breath and a sense of order in busy lives. 

Loft Boarding Installation
Think of what you could store when you create space like this

Of course we are going to suggest that loft storage is the answer as boarding lofts and fitting loft ladders is our stock-in-trade. Genuinely, we hear time and again from customers who have fallen back in love with their homes by creating proper storage. Suddenly there is an accessible place to put the items that they don’t want cluttering up their living areas. Sometimes this can be keeping a few favourite ornaments on shelves whilst storing the rest, or putting CD collections that have been digitised out of sight. After all, we don’t always want to part with items or need a “holding bay”until we are sure.

So if the lifting of restrictions and the prospect of visitors is making you reappraise your home, then give us a call. We are always happy to provide a no-obligation quote so you can see what good value boarding the loft provides. Contact us now.

For Stratford-upon-Avon homeowners, loft boarding can be the first step to regaining control of the clutter

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The Bank Holiday weekend is the perfect time to have a clear out and to take control of your possessions.

Often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we hang on to. Most of us have it – a dumping ground, whether that be the garage, utility room, cupboard under the stairs or spare bedroom. The place where we shove things that we may need later or don’t want to look at. Over time, that area can become overwhelming and we just shove things in and quickly shut the door.

If you don’t have loft storage, boarding the loft can be a positive first step in reorganising your home and sorting out the mess. Starting with a clean slate is an opportunity to tackle the problem areas in our homes. With a little organisation, the loft storage can be really functional. Think labelled boxes, shelving and enough boarded area to move around in between boxes so that items can be retrieved and returned easily.

Truss shelving is an inexpensive addition that creates an area for neatly storing boxes at the sides of the loft, leaving the floor area free to move around in. We can even build bespoke shelves so that items such as suitcases are off the floor and neatly stored.

If the mess in your home can make you scream, boarding the loft can be a positive first step to regaining control through proper storage

So, if you would like to create a little more order in your home, give us a call on 07712 327889 for a free, no-obligation quote. We cover Warwickshire and Worcestershire from our base near Redditch.

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

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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.

Full board or half board – either way goes for loft improvements in Wellesbourne and Stratford-upon-Avon

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Full board or half board? Not the choice you make when booking your next holiday, but the decision on whether to create storage in your loft by using all, or some, of the space available to you.

The choice is individual to the home and homeowner as illustrated perfectly by two loft boarding jobs that we carried out this week in the vicinity of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

Part loft board in Wellesbourne

The first was in Wellesbourne, a village between Warwick and Stratford, where the owners wanted a part-board of their loft. They decided that for their storage needs and budget, a partial board was adequate and we were happy to oblige.

Before and after – you can see the difference boarding makes

Full board in Stratford-upon-Avon

Later that week we were in the town of Stratford itself, carrying out a full board of a garage on the south side of the river on the new development at the top of Loxley Road. The owner wanted to maximise the storage potential available in this sizeable area. They were delighted with the neat finish around the roof supports. The continuation of boarding up to the edge of the loft means that any unsightly insulation is kept out of sight, making the loft a nicer environment without those prickly fibres.

If you are unsure about whether to board the entire loft or only a part of it, we are always happy to provide a quote for both options. Contact us now to find out more.

Meet the team – your independent firm for loft boarding and ladders in Warwickshire and Worcestershire

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When you are considering booking a company to carry out home improvements, you want to know as much about them as you can, so we thought we would give you the low down on the team behind Stu’s Loft Ladders.

My name is Stuart Dyson – the Stu behind the company name. I am a trained carpenter and I’ve always been self employed. Prior to forming Stu’s Loft Ladders, I worked for some of the big homebuilders.

Independent firm specialising in loft improvements

I set up Stu’s Loft Ladders ten years ago as I could see a need for an independent firm specialising in loft improvements. None of the new build homes I had worked on had their lofts boarded or had fitted ladders and, with most people needing storage space, I could see a gap in the market.

My mission was, and still is, to quickly complete loft boarding or ladder fitting using all my carpentry skills and to do so with the best customer service and a smile on my face.

We source the best trade loft ladders

We source the best trade ladders, so that customers can be assured that whichever ladder they choose it is a quality product.

We are a small team. I work with Ross, also very experienced in loft improvements, and together we carry out every job. When you book SLL, it is us you will see, from initial quote to the finished job – we do not subcontract as we want to oversee the quality ourselves.

Covering Bromsgrove to Evesham, Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester

I have lived in Sambourne, between Redditch and Alcester, for 16 years – it is a handy base as we work boarding lofts from Bromsgrove to Evesham and Stratford-upon Avon and Warwick to Worcester.

My van is a regular sight around the Redditch area and beyond, so if you see us out and about, say hello .

You can contact us here to arrange a free, no-obligation quote.

Why we depend on customer recommendations for loft boarding and ladders in Worcestershire and Warwickshire

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The past year has been tough on small businesses. Although we were allowed to continue working with precautions during the second and third lockdowns, anxieties around Covid-19 have impacted on our work and we are as delighted as everyone to see a return to normality.

We only share genuine recommendations from our loft improvement customers

So more than ever, we are thrilled when customers take the time to share their experiences of booking us to board their lofts and fit their ladders. We, like many independent family-run firms, don’t have a big budget for advertising and rely on word of mouth. Direct recommendation also benefits our customers reassuring them with real-life examples of loft installations. It can be unnerving to entrust work within your home to a firm that you have not used before and, as most people only have their loft boarded or a ladder fitted once, we work with new customers on every job!

So, to every customer who has written a review on this website, our Facebook page or their own social media accounts, we want to extend a massive thank you. Your recommendations have kept us going through this pandemic!

Recent reviews from customers in Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Here are a selection of genuine customer recommendations for loft boarding and fitting loft ladders taken from our Facebook page:

“Brilliant team of lads. Polite, reliable and hard working. Stuart even called to start work earlier than planned. Very professional and would recommend. Thank you Stuart and team for giving us a usable loft and more storage space,” Mr & Mrs Hunt, Stratford upon Avon.

“We had our loft hatch relocated and new ladders. Really lovely guys. On time, neat and tidy, and great job on where the old hatch was. Thank you!” Louise Walker, Redditch.

“What great guys – turned up on time and were friendly but professional and did a cracking job – so pleased with our new loft ladder and installation – I would definitely recommend them and they even cleaned up after themselves – if you need a loft ladder these are the guys to choose!” Heather Porter, Worcestershire.