FAQs

When it comes to loft boarding for storage, you don’t need planning permission because it is a permitted development. It also doesn’t need a building warrant, because it doesn’t create a habitable space.

Find out more about planning & regulations on our blog.

Absolutely not. The warranty is designed to protect you from poor workmanship by the builder. In fact, the NHBC Standards state cases where you are required to board at least parts of your loft. It also states that any loft boarding should be raised to provide sufficient ventilation to your loft insulation.

This means the question is not if boarding your loft voids your NHBC warranty. The question is if your builder can blame the damages they themselves have caused during the build on your loft boarding. (Or any other work you have done on your house, of course).

So, to be on the safe side and keep the NHBC from backing out of a valid claim due to your loft boarding:

• Choose competent, fully insured contractors like us and make sure all work is meeting NHBC standards.
• Use NHBC-approved loft flooring like LoftZone, which is also the only BBA-certified raised loft flooring system in the UK.
• Follow regulations by only using your loft for storage and never overloading your loft boarding.

Find out more on our blog.

Absolutely. According to British Standards, roof trusses (BS5268) can take a static load of up to 25kg per square metre – plus the weight of one person accessing the loft (a dynamic load of up to 180kg).

Also, the lattice-beam structure of our raised loft flooring actually strengthens the joists.

Your loft flooring can most likely take a lot more than your roof trusses. For example, the raised loft flooring from LoftZone has been tested to 150kg per square metre while your joists are allowing a load of up to 25kg per square metre to comply with British Standards (see above).

However, our raised loft flooring is only intended for storage and occasional access. So we recommend that you don’t overload your joists and keep within the allowed load. If in doubt, consult a structural engineer.

We will never place flooring directly onto the joists. Instead, we use raised loft flooring, for two reasons: Firstly, to avoid squashing the insulation which would drastically reduce its efficiency.

Secondly, to ensure adequate ventilation of your insulation. Otherwise, any normally occurring condensation would be prevented from escaping, resulting in dampness and mould.

So, anything that’s placed directly on top of your joists or loft insulation – that includes boxes and other larger items you store in your loft – impacts negatively on your loft insulation and, as a result, increases heat loss and your energy bills.

To allow for a full depth of insulation, the loft boarding will be raised 279mm above the top of your joists.

This gives you enough space for up to 350mm of insulation and an air gap between insulation and boarding. This ensures your insulation is well ventilated to take away any naturally occurring humidity to avoid condensation, dampness and mould.

Our raised loft flooring is suitable for almost all lofts, including cut, purlin and truss-roofed types. It’s frequently fitted in both houses and commercial buildings.

Your joists will need to be made of wood and be at least 32mm (1.25″) wide and 75mm (3″) tall.

Most people would like to board their whole loft, but you don’t have to. Our raised loft flooring is modular so you can start small and build more later when your storage requirements go up.

Most people choose a square or rectangular deck, or an L or T shape near the hatch. Some people have more than one deck, on either side of the hatch. Don’t board right up to the eaves though, as you’ll want to keep a gap for ventilation.

Find out how much of your loft you can floor on our blog or check out our most popular loft flooring options.

No. We use raised loft flooring systems, like LoftZone, to avoid interfering with the insulation in your loft.

Unlike traditional loft flooring, where boards are placed directly on top of the joists, our raised loft flooring leaves enough room for your insulation. It also allows airflow from the eaves, throughout the loft and under the flooring.

This way there will be no compression or condensation that could render your loft insulation ineffective.

It’s also the reason why LoftZone has been certified by the BBA, UK’s leading government certification body for building products. And it’s why the NHBC requires any loft flooring to provide ventilation for your loft insulation.

Not if you floor your loft the right way. Dampness and mould build up when there isn’t enough ventilation in your loft to get rid of naturally occurring condensation.

To ensure your loft insulation and ventilation stay intact, we only use raised loft boarding. This way, we give your loft insulation enough room to do its job plus an air gap between the insulation and loft boarding to quickly deal with any condensation.

So make sure your loft flooring is never fitted directly onto the joists (or onto timber batons placed on top of the joists). And don’t store heavy items right on top of your insulation either. This prevents air from flowing across the roof space and will lead to dampness and mould.

Raised loft flooring, like LoftZone, is suitable both for new builds and older homes. The system we use is flexible enough to deal with most irregularities like height differences or uneven joists.

In these cases, we will either avoid the joists in question altogether or compensate by using wooden shims or adding extra support.

Not really. Our raised loft flooring can deal with all kinds of joist spacing – whether they’re the standard 400mm to 600mm apart or not.

As long as the joists themselves are made of wood and at least 32mm (1.25″) wide and 75mm (3″) tall, you’re good to go.

Staggering boards is a technique used to strengthen boards and keep them from sagging or bending when they’re not resting on a joist. However, with our raised loft flooring we don’t need that additional strength or support.

The loft boards are strengthened by using tongue-and-groove to slot into each other. And steel cross-beams make sure that the boards are supported throughout, even with unevenly spaced joists.

Additionally, by not staggering boards, we avoid producing extra waste and protect the environment.

Yes, any existing boards (or stored items, for that matter) will have to be removed before we get started.

Let us know during your free survey if you prefer us to take care of that for you. Depending on the amount of existing flooring, we may charge a small fee for the removal.  

Being based in the Central Belt between Edinburgh and Glasgow, we offer our services to the whole of Scotland.

Whether you’re based in the Borders, Argyll, Perthshire, Aberdeen or Inverness – get in touch and arrange your free survey now!

Usually, your quote will be emailed to you within 24 hours of the survey. The quote will be valid for 21 days and once you have accepted it, we allocate one of our teams for your installation. 

Typically, we can get you fitted in within 3 to 5 weeks from the point you accept the quote. You can also book your installation for a date much further in the future if you have a preferred timescale in mind or need to wait until other construction work is completed.

Most installs are completed within one day, including electrics. For whole loft installs in larger properties please allow up to 2 days. 

We usually manage to schedule the electrics on the same day as the floor installation. We will let you know in advance if they need to be scheduled separately for any reason. 

Yes, we offer a full range of loft ladder options. Typically, we fit sliding aluminium, wooden folding, telescopic and concertina ladders. We also fit electric versions of some of the ladders. 

We know how important a well-insulated home is, so we’d be happy to top up the insulation in your loft during installation. Make sure to mention it during your free loft survey!

If you’ve had lights or sockets fitted, then you will receive an NICEIC or SELECT certificate from us. This will be emailed to you usually within a week of your installation.

If you have not received your certificate but are still expecting one then please let us know.

Yes, if you’re happy to organise the installation of lighting and/or power sockets yourself, you can use your own electrician. 

Just make sure that they are not booked in for the same dates as our team. We also recommend checking if they can provide you with an NICEIC certificate. 

No, we specialise in loft flooring for storage and don’t offer loft conversions that create extra living space in your home.

Yes! At Loft Boarding Scotland, we provide a 5-year guarantee on all our work. 

Loft Boarding Scotland is a member of the Federation of Master Builders and an authorised installer of LoftZone. 

The cost for our raised loft flooring depends on the available loft area and how much of your loft you want to floor. To give you an idea of what that means in terms of costs, check out these guide prices for our most common loft installations.

You can also find our current prices for loft ladders & hatches on our website.

No, our rates are all-inclusive with no hidden extras.  

No deposit is required. You will be invoiced on the day of completion and we kindly ask for payment within 7 days. Payment methods are shown on your invoice.  

We accept bank transfer, credit or debit card payments online or over the phone. Unfortunately, we do not accept cheques or cash.