Insulation and Loft Boarding Cost

Trying to find out how much it costs to board and insulate your loft?

In this complete price guide on loft insulation and boarding, we discuss the cost of loft boards and tradesperson fees to board and insulate different-sized lofts (per m²).

On average, though?

You should expect to pay around £1,500, depending on complexity, for this type of loft flooring.

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How Much To Board a Loft?

The cost to board and insulate a loft will vary depending on the specifics. A basic job, with no complications, can cost as little as £600. This assumes that you insulate the whole loft space and only add a small section of board.

If you have a large loft space that you want fully boarded, and there are complications, then you will be looking at a much higher cost. For example, if the roof needs repair, you need to move the access hatch, and the electrics need to be sorted, you could be looking at costs of up to, and even beyond £4,000.

For most homes, the reality falls somewhere between the two. The average cost of getting your loft fully insulated and boarded out is about £1,500. Since the insulation will save you money every year, it is an investment worth making, as it will eventually pay for itself in energy savings.

Insulation and Loft Boarding Prices

Your costs will depend on the area you need boarding and insulating as well as the type of insulation you choose. The costs for each of these options are given below.

Loft Boarding Costs (Based on Area)

These are the average costs for how much it costs to get different areas of loft boarded. You don’t have to get your full loft boarded; you can just board out a small section. The loft boarding cost here includes the installation of a basic ladder as well.

Floor Insulation Cost

The cost to insulate your loft will depend on the type of insulation you choose. The prices here give the average cost, to insulate an area of flooring that’s 15m².

Roofing Insulation Cost

If you're unable to put insulation on the floor of the loft (i.e., the joists), you will instead need to put the insulation on the roof (either between the rafters or underneath it).

On average, roof insulation costs between £400 and £600. The exact price you're quoted by a specialist will depend on the size of your home, as well as the type of insulation you want to use.

Supply Costs Only

If you want to go the DIY route, then you will only need to pay for your materials. Be aware that you will not be able to do blown insulation yourself as it requires specialised equipment.

Blanket Insulation Cost

There are several different types of blanket insulation to choose from. Which one you choose will affect the price. The table below gives the average cost for insulating a 15m² floor area to a thickness of 270mm.

Loose-fill Insulation Cost

Loose-fill insulation is most often used to top up existing insulation, so the amount you need for your whole loft will vary a lot. To add 100mm of insulation will cost around £5.70 per m².

Sheet Insulation Cost

The cost of sheet insulation is around 10 per m². So, the cost will depend on how much roof area you need to insulate. The table gives you some average costs for different types of homes.

Loft Boards Cost

If you decide to buy the boards yourself, then you should measure up your loft to find the square metreage. Then add an extra 20%. This will cover the wastage for cutting the boards to size.

If you are buying tongue and groove boards, be picky. The edges of these boards are easily damaged, so check them before you buy.

The table gives you the average costs to buy enough boards for an area of 20m².

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Additional Insulation and Loft Boarding Costs

Once you have calculated the cost of boarding and insulating the loft, you will need to consider if there are more things you want to do to make the most of the new space.

There are a lot of possibilities. Some are purely for convenience, while some will improve the condition of your home.

New Loft Access

If you currently have no way to access your loft other than by using a household ladder, then you might want to consider getting a loft ladder installed.

After all, once you have storage space in your newly boarded loft, you will need to be able to access it. On average, loft ladder installation costs around £250 in the UK.

Widening Loft Hatch

If you plan to use your boarded loft for storage, then you will want to make sure the access loft hatch is large enough to get to the items you want to store into it. Widening a loft hatch costs around £300.

Different Type of Floorboards Used

If you are thinking of using the loft space as a living space, then you will need to make sure you use structurally sound floorboards. This will raise your costs. The amount it will cost will depend on the type of flooring you choose.

Loft Shelving

If your main goal is to use your new loft space for storage, then it might be ideal to add easy-access shelving. This can make it quicker to locate and store items like Christmas decorations.

The cost for this will be the price of the shelving you choose plus the cost of labour for your contractor. Labour is usually around £30 per hour for jobs like this.

Loft Clearance

Your loft will need to be free of debris before your contractor can start work. If you want them to clear it for you, then you will need to negotiate this with them before they start work. Most contractors will expect you to clear the space.

The cost for this will be at the discretion of your contractor and will likely depend on how much there is to remove.

Relocation or Replacement of Loft Hatch

If you need to replace your loft hatch or move it to a new location, you will need to factor this cost into your budget. This will typically cost around £300.

Adding Lights or Electrics

The price of any work involving electrics will depend on the scale of the work to be done. For instance, the average cost to install loft lighting is around £120.

For other types of work, you should expect to pay an electrician around £150 per day. They're unlikely to charge for less than half a day, no matter how quick the job is, though.

Insulating Pipes

If you have exposed pipes in your loft, then you should insulate them. If you don't, you risk them freezing in cold winters.

It’s a simple job to insulate them, with the cost of the materials being around £1.75 per metre. You just need to use cable ties to secure the foam to the pipes. Your contractor will likely charge a flat fee of around £70 to do the work for you.

Roof Repairs

Going into your loft can reveal that there are problems with your roof. You should not ignore these issues as they can cause further, costly damage to your home.

If you just need a few tiles replacing or the flashing fixed, you can be looking at between £150 and £250 per m².

If there is more extensive damage, like sagging rafters, then the costs can be higher — in the range of £1,000.

Loft Conversion

There is a big difference between boarding a loft and converting it into an extra living space. If you want to use the space as an extra room, then the scale of the work will be very different. The floors will have to be much more structurally sound, and you will have to consider electrics, heating, and boarding the walls.

You might want to add Velux windows or go for a dormer window, which will provide more space. The average loft conversion costs around £40,000 in the UK.

Labour Costs and Timescales

The labour costs will depend on the nature of the work. The type of insulation you choose will have the biggest impact on the cost and the time scale involved.

To give you an idea of the average costs and timescales involved, the table gives prices and times for a 15m² loft in a terraced house.

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What Impacts Insulation and Loft Boarding Costs?

When working out how much boarding out a loft costs, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

Starting Point

The condition that your loft is in will be the biggest factor in determining the total cost. An ideal scenario would be that there is some insulation in place, that just needs topping up, the roof is in excellent condition, and there is no debris to remove.

In the worst case, you might have boards down that are rotten, so they can’t be reused. The insulation in place is damaged and needs to be removed. There is an old water tank that has to be taken out.

The electrics are all over the place and need to be re-wired, and there are holes in the roof. To get the remedial work done before you even start on the insulation and boarding, you could be looking at costs of over £1,500.

Materials

The materials that you choose are going to have an impact on the cost. There is not a huge variation in the cost of most mainstream types of insulation, but the natural varieties tend to be more expensive.

With the choice of boards, there are plenty of basic options that are fairly priced. If you want something more substantial, then you will be paying for what you get.

Size

It is advisable to insulate the whole area of your loft, as this will be most effective in reducing your heating bills. However, it is not necessary to board the entire area. If you fix your budget, you can get the insulation one, then use the remainder to board out part of the loft only.

This gives you control over costs while still giving you storage space. It is always possible to add more boards at a later date if you need them.

Extras

There are a lot of extras you can choose to add to your loft. You could install a staircase to the access point instead of simply using a loft ladder, for example. If you decide to go for all the possible extras, then you could end up doubling the cost of insulating and boarding your loft.

Does Boarding a Loft Add Value to a Property?

By boarding out your loft, you are adding storage space. Storage space is always attractive to prospective buyers.

Simply boarding your loft is unlikely to make a significant impact on the price someone would pay for your home; however, it would make it easier to sell. Homes with more storage generally sell quicker than others.

Can I Board and Insulate a Loft Myself?

In theory, it isn't too difficult to insulate and board out your loft. However, lofts can be cramped spaces that are badly lit and dusty. This can make what should be an easy job difficult and unpleasant.

You also need to be very self-aware, as if you step in the wrong place, you might go through the ceiling, which will certainly not save you any money! There are some parts you can do fairly easily if you wish, will save you some money.

Working Safely in a Loft

You should wear a dust mask while you are working in your loft. Gloves are recommended when you are handling insulation. Trainers are a good choice for footwear because it can be difficult to move around in heavy work boots in a small loft.

When working in your loft, you should use a good-sized piece of board as a movable work platform. This will save you from having to balance on the joists. You can simply sit it across two joists, and then you have a space to work.

Avoid working in your loft during the summer. The heat can be unbearable and can affect your health.

Invest in a high quality, mains powered light. You will need an excellent light source to work effectively in your loft.

Clearing the Loft

If you have a fixed budget and need to take on some of the work yourself, then you could take on clearing the loft. This is not difficult, just time-consuming. You can take out any debris that is in the loft space.

Talk to your contractor about what is up there to see what they can reuse and what needs to go. This could save you up to £300.

Fitting the Insulation

Some forms of insulation are very easy to install. If you have chosen blanket or loose-fill insulation, then you can probably lay the insulation yourself. This will save you the labour costs of up to £400, depending on the area of the loft. You should just remember to wear gloves as some types of insulation are irritants.

Blown fibre insulation should only be installed by a professional. This is because it requires specialised industrial equipment. So, you should bear this in mind when you fix your budget.

How Much Loft Insulation Will I Need?

It is recommended that you lay insulation to a thickness of 270mm. Figuring out how much you will need will depend on the type of insulation you choose.

Blanket Insulation

Blanket insulation comes in different thicknesses. You will need to measure the distance between your floor joists. Get enough rolls of this width to fill between all the joists. You will then need to get enough for a second layer that will cover both the joists and the first layer of insulation.

Loose-Fill Insulation

You will need to measure out your loft space and calculate the number of square meters of floor space. To get a fill level of 200mm, you will need 200 litres of material per square meter.

Sheet Insulation

This insulation is fitted between the rafters in the roof. You will need to measure the area between your rafters and but appropriately sized insulation. You can cut this insulation to size.

Blown Fibre Insulation

This type of insulation should only be installed by a professional. Your installer will calculate the amount of material needed.

Can I Get a Grant for My Insulation?

Whether you can get a grant towards your insulation depends on your circumstances and your energy supplier. Most large suppliers are part of the ECO (Energy Company Obligation) scheme.

So, if you are with British Gas, EDF Energy, Eon, Npower, Scottish Power or SSE, then you might be able to get a grant.

It can be quite complicated to determine if you are eligible for an ECO grant or not. There are a lot of factors involved. It will depend on where you live, how much the insulation will save you on your bills, and if you receive any benefits. You must also either own the home or have the permission of your landlord.

The best way to determine if you are eligible is to speak to your energy provider. Be aware that some providers refer to the ECO grant as ‘Affordable Warmth’.

If you are eligible, then the grant will only cover the cost of installing insulation. It will not cover the cost of clearing the loft and taking up any existing boards. You will have to sort this out yourself.

Loft Boarding and Insulation Removal

There are some situations where you need to remove old boards and insulation from your loft. This most often happens if there has been damage to the roof, which has allowed the elements to get into your loft.

This can cause damage to your boards and insulation. You may also need to remove the old insulation and boards simply because they were improperly fitted or have become damaged over time.

If the issue is just with the insulation, then it may be possible to remove the boards and replace them when you are done. You also may be able to simply top up the insulation rather than replacing it all. Loose-fill insulation is a good choice for this.

If you do need to remove your old insulation and boarding, you should add around £300 to the cost of boarding and insulating the loft. This will include the disposal of old materials.

Hiring a Boarding and Insulation Contractor Checklist

When hiring a contractor to complete work like this, there are a few things to ask and look out for.

• Ask any prospective contractors to give you a quote for boarding out your loft. Be wary of quotes that seem too low, as it could be an indication that the work will be of low quality.
• Ask for recommendations, and if you can see previous work. This will give you a great indication of what to expect.
• Look for reviews. If someone is unhappy with a service, they will have left a review somewhere. A lack of negative reviews is a good sign. While positive reviews are good, a lack of them online should not be an immediate red flag.

FAQs

Sources

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/insulation/building-regulations-loft-insulation
https://www.labc.co.uk/news/what-are-building-regulation-requirements-installing-loft-insulation
https://buildingforhumanity.org.uk/advice/the-pros-and-cons-of-different-types-of-loft-insulation/
https://www.homebase.co.uk/ideas-advice/insulation-and-security/insulation/how-to-insulate-your-loft/
https://theplywood.com/how-to-put-plywood-flooring-in-an-attic/