Attic Storage Conversion

[Pete38]

Hello everyone,

 

I was wondering if somebody experienced could give me some advice please.

My house was built in approximately the 1930's. We bought it 10 years ago. The roof has no felt from inside the attic you can see the slate. (see photo attached)

 

I would like to make our attic dust free for storage whilst also making it more energy efficient.  We are not in a position to replace the roof or lift tiles at this stage.

 

I plan to do the following...

 

1. I added a section on floor stilts (phot attached) last year and will carry this on to create a floor to stand on. End to end and up to the hangers. 
2. Underneath this I will add roll insulation on top of the existing. ( mixture of roll and loose )
3.  Then I plan to staple 'Super Quilt' or equivalent to the inside of the rafters. End to end and down the hangers. Will seal with silver tape. 

 

Three questions I have is...

 

1. Do I need to do anything on the outside of the hangers? There is already roll insultation on both sides. 
2. Does this solution work in terms of airflow prevent 
3. There is loose insulation under the existing roll, should I be worried about this containing asbestos? You can see it in the photo attached. 

 

Many thanks in advance and please let me know if I'm missing anything that I should be considering. 

 

Kind regards

 

Pete

 

 

Edited yesterday at 10:13 by Pete38

[Redbeard]

Is there a gap between the insulation and the 'deck' on top of the stilts? There should be, preferably 50mm, and that vent path should be 'fed' from a ventilation slot at the eaves, allowing free airflow from one side to the other.

 

Impossible to tell the nature of the loose-fill insulation from the pic. If in any doubt whatever send off a sample. Search 'asbestos testing' and you'll find everything from specialists in doing the whole lot to 'mail order' services where they send you a paper suit, an FFP3 mask and a sealable bag. The cost of this includes analysis of the sample which you take.

[Pete38]

Thank you Redbeard. I'll get on with ordering a testing kit. 

 

Yes, there is a 50mm gap under the current boarding. 

 

Would you expect to find a ventilation slot on the eaves for a house of this age? I have never looked to check. 

Will the gap in-between the slate and the super quilt be enough for ventilation at the roof level?

 

[Redbeard]

1 hour ago, Pete38 said:

Would you expect to find a ventilation slot on the eaves for a house of this age? I have never looked to check. 

Will the gap in-between the slate and the super quilt be enough for ventilation at the roof level?

*Would you expect to find a ventilation slot on the eaves for a house of this age?*

 

Probably yes. Not in the (modern) form of a plastic extrusion but in the rather more time-honoured form of one bit not touching the other very well. 25mm gap across the eaves on 2 opposing sides is good.

 

*Will the gap in-between the slate and the super quilt be enough for ventilation at the roof level?*

It's an interesting point, and will in part depend on the R value of the multifoil you use. If you were doing a loft conversion you would have a U value at ceiling level of 0.16W/m2K at worst, and you would expect that all of the 'cold side' ventilation would be 'North' of the insulation at ceiling level. You would also have supply ventilation to the finished room. If you are just making a storage space it wants its own ventilation, as well as the ventilation on the cold side of the multifoil. Particularly if the multifoil is not giving a 'regs-compliant' U value there could potentially be condensation at the coldest points.