Laying Loft Boarding

[Fingers]

I know this is "slightly" off topic, but just moved into a new build and i need to lay some loft boards for extra storage. Had a look up there this morning before the game, and there is about a 1 foot of insulation. Do i squish the insulation down and then put the boards on top. Or do i add an extra piece of 4"2 to raise the Joice then lay the boards on top. Or any other recommendations would be great.I know i could count on NSC. Ta much

 

[Londoner]

You can "crush" the insulation, but not too hard (you may see some nail heads come through the ceilings below so take care) you need only add 2x2 as an "air pocket" also insulates

 

[Fingers]

Cheers Londoner, so its ok to crush the insulation to a certain point?

 

[GT49er]

I had a similar situation when I moved into my house. I just bought some sturdy chipboard (making sure I had the sheets cut in store so that they were of a size I could get throiugh the hatch) then, marking where the joists were, screwed 'em down good and hard - screws in joists, so not through the ceiling! The insulation was squished, which'll probably horrify the insulation purists, but the change in temperature when I climb up through the loft hatch suggests it's still insulating pretty well!

 

[Phil B]

My loft is being redone on Thursday so i'll let you know what they say...

 

[Nottseagull]

This is The Big Board; not much is 'off topic' here.
You should have at least 270mm of (unsquashed) insulation in your loft. This is a legal requirement for a new build, so don't compromise it. You can buy fixings which enable you to mount more joists at right angles to the existing ones and therefore raise the level for boarding (The existing insulation should be in at least two layers, so you can separate these).