DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello to all,

I have a dillema.
I live in a house that was built 3 years ago, the loft space is massive and I want to store some stuff up there. However, the insulation is at least 100mm above the joists so it's not possible to simply board over it. Neighbours have tried and ended up popping their ceiling boards with the compression. I also don't want to compramise the loft insulation by removing it.

I figure I need to raise some paralell beams and fix them in a crossways direction to the joists. The problem is I can't find anything to raise the beams up with.
Does anybody know if there's an off the shelf bit of ironwork that will do the job and hold the weight (100KG max)?
Or is there an alternative?

I daren't start messing around doing joints into the joists as this might weaken the roof.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Best regards

Patrick

You can fix timbers on top oif the joists you have already. Fix 100 x 50mm on its side by drilling (before you get them onto the loft) 20mm holes every 500mm in the edge but ony 50mm deep. Also drill a pilot hole through the rest (or last 50mm) of the timber. See our project on pilot holes and countersinking. These holes will allow you then to insert a 75mm or 3 inch number 8 screw through the 20mm hole and down into the joist. Your joists will then be high enough to put boards on at the correct spacing.

Thanks very much for the reply, I will study it a legnth and attempt to follow your instructions.

Cheers

Patrick