zoothorn

@Onoff ok thanks I didn't see the opening dims needed for this hatch. But that's one enormous hatch though, if 562 is the short side, I think it'll look wrong for the room size wouldn't it, & cottageyness. I was thinking 580mm as the -long- side.

I don't know, you see i have no idea if should i choose to buy one, the choice is determined by the opening, or rather the distance i find between my joists.. or not. Surely as my joists cant move, they must determine what hatch i put up, and, whether a pre made one is even compatible ( here, with the 'opening' figure of one side of 580mm ive just found).

Ah yes of course. Ok but im kinda stuck as i dont know my other dimension, what the idea is with this. Hole 580 mm x ? Is this shorter dim relevant to anything suggested, a particular hatch thing? Or is the idea of putting in a bought hatch thing redundant, and the idea is to make my own as it were? Sorry but i got a bit overwhelmed with suggstions i didnt know exactly why one was being suggested, or of i was able to choose, or whether having no nogs to work with, this relegates some suggestions.

@Onoff or @PeterW ive actually only got 580mm bettween my joists. Does this screw things up?

No, there is an animal of some sort up there.

@PeterW ok made a start, cut a pizza slice bit out. Seems more orange thann i was expecting above.. maybe 200mm.. anyway, my crust end of my pizza slice is on the joist. Ive found my mid ceiling point. So working my way along this joist.. what size am i aiming for? If i have call it 600 mm 'down' the room twds french doors, i need the shorter side of the rectangle corresponding with the joist line. If that is the idea is a rectangular hatch. Am i cutting flush with the joist? Assume so, no pb lip or anything.

Is the idea here to put hatch bang in middle to get best access with stick poking etc? Im hampered by the bed, heavy metal (I dont mean skulls on) a sod to move now.. so thinking keep in place, put hatch end of bed: this means a ceiling mid-hatch point approx 2/5ths from the french doors. It means I'll have to sride about, or 'swim' flat over the joists to get rolls into door area/ bedhead end. It does mean tho if i need to get up again, I can leave bed as is: perhaps the more sensible position just due to this.

@PeterW ..unless builder cheapo stuff isn't 600mm W tho I guess. But I get the point. thx

@PeterW ok thanks for that- putting it in seems the easier bit, the hatch & getting access to the majority of the loft- its 16sqm- without crashing thru is gonna be the tricky bit. Even with a stick I still gotta tuck in twds eaves areas, so I gotta 'swim' over it lying flat, boards over joists surely. So 200mm to start between joists too? then I reuse orange 100mm fluff last I guess. Any stuff much better than the next? I dont have b&q or wickes.. just TP, Jewsons, Huw's Gray. screwfix I dont think do it. [heard that P.Faith 'new york' song y'day on radio.. what a splendid song].

Ok so it must be effective then, & as my new loft as it is with minimum 100mm (across joists so I guess big cold air gaps below on most of the the pB top) putting a good ammount in, should, give me some results. Still concerned it'll do nowt, but gotta do it even so. But the big stone walls seems to act not-so-bad in both the big main room (albeit huge stove heat always needed 1st, but the floor's just concrete on clay/ super cold/ my feeling is this the main cold culprit).. & in workshop too: the stone wall 'end' is similar in both rooms in area if the knock-thru gap taken into account in room above- its always warm 'modern bungalow' feel below. Nothing shouts at me "this old stone wall needs lining" like the 1) door needed, and 2) fingers x'd the ceiling needs doing. I do admit this is wishful thinking.. but it does seems to be based on findings, not guesswork.

@PeterW ok get that, got big sheets to cover the room ok. Still concerned about the effectiveness of this fluff tho, after noticing no change to my kichen/ bathroom (share a loft) and two main bedrooms (main house loft above) after the grant Co added Id guess 200mm min on top old 'glass fluff in both lofts (as much as it was appreciated etc). But I guess I just have no choice but this stuff, & whatever the outcome, still no choice but try this addition job. I wonder what a typical 90's lets say bungalow might have, being a loft immediately above every room. Ive never known one of these to be stupid-cold, only ever super-warm. Would a modern one have say PIR in its ceiling? or is this fluff still the go-to ceiling insulation stuff?

Yup thanks dangti6- seen how the grant Co did my main loft hatch like so, will copy this. Or even a big pir offcut glued on here if I find one.

Haha. Ive no idea wtf it came fr9m, its these stupif £ numbers tha5 keep fkn haapening or summat.

Ah ok so in my loft, restricted access lets call it, the only stuff you'd ever use is the fluffy roll stuff? Im needing the best insulation idea i can really, but without stupid extra expense. I guess for eg pir would never be used in this situation up here then?

Ok good thats reassuring, but i bet you dont have an ape up there. What's the idea re. Material.. i was picturing rockwool slab, like i did pushing up into the workshop ceiling, but is this stuff not the right idea? When Peter says put one ontop the other, that sounds morelike what the grant co added in my loft over my adjacent freezing bedrooms, just whacked 300 mm of modern grey fluff onto the 150 mm or so orange fibreglass old stuff. I must say though, that i didnt feel a jot of difference afterwards: this concerns me (the ceilings being the same 2.3 m h). Will i not feel any difference in here too, doing approximately the same thing is my concern. Or is the rockwool slab stuff what's suggested? fh3 sMe huight

I guess they have to be to keep the trusses in one piece, but look flimsy & they do just press into the softwood 1cm afaict.. not meant to keep a 14stone ape from falling thru its own ceiling.

Dont know for sure Joe.. but ceiling pB done so hastily it shouted "quickest/ cheapest way" to me. so 'min fluff he could get away with' I bet. Find out later in week when I get up there.

I think I saw exactly this Peter. Now how this can be acceptable to Building Control if he's stipulating really serious thicknesses for walls, floor etc/ all the rest of it for me to put in, but not for the builder to put in the ceiling here.. Ive no idea. Im a bit concerned with the rafters: in pic you can see they're joined just by those metal mesh to the diagonal truss bit above/ but not resting on anything this end. Opposite side they're resting on the timber frame inner wall, so weight on this end surely ok.

Ok good. So I gotta put boards up/ across to do the job, & Im 14st tho eek.. I'm prepping now/ will start end of week when warmer makes sense. If I got 590mm gaps on some, do I cut off 10cm or stuff it in, curl edge up? As to what material to go for/ thickness.. what suggestions? thanks zH

Here is only pic I have of my 600mm spaced joists- no noggins, just braced across the top afaict. So at the mo, its just got orange fluff rolls perp/ ontop of these joists. Is this safe even to put my weight on?

That's warmer than my bathroom! bloody luxury that is.

jesush. Im sleeping 3 fkn rooms away as it is.. & it still fkn wakes me up 4am. get it? Go sleep in the cabin with 1*C outside is your advice then? no fkn way. I make hatch & stuff it with fluff.. You help me make hatch? nope, you just lecture me with a rant.

What ashp thread, this isn't an ashp thread. Its an extension thread, & if at the end of building it its fkn cold.. I've got to get it sorted: figuring out & getting this damn issue-ridden ashp fixed, is just part of it. thanks for the contribution tho- terrific.

Great- much appreciated as always Onoff. Ive dug out some scribbles/ I wrote down distance from french doors > back to joist 1 > then to joist 2 etc (where exactly I measured to.. I can only assume front edge of joist/ muggins didnt think to put this info on!). Why Ive no idea! So 360mm to joist 1, 600 to j2, 610 to j3 (& a 61.5" figure at this juncture). This info should help I guess. 600 from j1 to j2 looks useful? quite far fwd, near french doors tho. Access: as to PeterW's idea I now understand.. I'm not sure how I'd know: would pics of the ceiling being built be best judge? I seemed to recall thinking 'board it/ useful for a loft if I could' IE just for storage, not a room. So I'd think midpoint, I could stand stooped over let's put it, maybe 5ft or so.