You just bought a house and after moving in you’ve realized you don’t have enough storage space. What do you do?
A recent survey of 1,001 homeowners found that more than 67% complained of a lack of storage space. Many homeowners are getting creative by utilizing overlooked and ignored areas of their home for storage. Most people will use shelving in odd corners, underneath the stairs, or unused nooks, but that doesn’t always provide enough space.
A popular and useful solution is to use the space above your head by boarding your loft or attic. This can increase storage space by up to 50% or more – and who doesn’t want 50% more storage space?
To make your loft safe for storage you’ll have to install loft boarding. Loft boarding is a way of safely utilizing your loft space by laying boards over the joists in your loft. But how much does loft boarding cost? You may be surprised at how much space you can get out of a small investment into your home.
Read on to find out average prices and how to make your existing space work for you.
Benefits of Loft Boarding
There are many reasons that homeowners would board their lofts. These are just a few of the reasons why someone would choose loft boarding:
Increase Storage Space
Loft boarding can increase the storage space in your home. Whether you need space to store holiday decorations, get rid of the clutter in other areas of your house, or have a quiet workspace to yourself, boarding your loft can help.
Energy Efficient
By installing loft boarding, you can save money on energy bills while reducing heat loss through the roof of your home. Extra insulation is usually installed at the same time as loft boarding so it can keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the coldest winter months.
Increase Property Value
Boarding your loft can increase the value of your home. Homebuyers are looking for more storage space and your property becomes more attractive to potential buyers simply by installing loft boarding.
Extra storage space is an eye-catching selling point.
Storage Safety
Safety is an important feature of loft boarding. By installing loft boards you have the ability to use the entire loft space for storage and not just the space around the hatch ladder opening.
You’ll have the capability to walk around the entire space with ease without worrying about an injury due to missing a joist and having your foot or leg go through the exposed ceiling.
Overall Loft Boarding Cost
There is no set cost for boarding a loft. The cost of the project will depend on a number of factors:
- the size of the space
- the materials you use
- if you’ll be boarding the entire space or a portion of it
- type of insulation
- doing the job yourself or hiring skilled professionals
The overall cost of materials could range from $300 to $400 and hiring professionals to lay the loft boarding could range upward to over $5000. If there are issues with the roof, the hatch entrance needs to be moved, or electrical wiring problems need to be addressed. The typical cost usually is somewhere in between those estimates.
On average, an investment of just under $2000 can renovate your unused loft into a property value boosting, energy-efficient storage space that will eventually pay for itself.
Loft Boarding Options
If you’re interested in adding whole new living space in your loft area it will raise the cost significantly by thousands of dollars. Keep in mind that you’ll also have to install drywall, electrical and water connections, heating and cooling elements, stronger sub-flooring, and perhaps reinforce vertical support to the walls.
An economic option is to only board the area around the loft hatch entrance opening. While this can cut down on the overall area used for storage, it can drastically cut down on loft boarding costs since you won’t need as many materials for the project.
Boarding the entire loft will add more storage space and value to your home.
How to Board a Loft
If you’re an accomplished DIYer and want to tackle the laying of the boards yourself, you’ll need to make sure you have the proper equipment and loft boarding know-how. Wearing the correct clothing, protective equipment, and shoes that allow for ease of movement is the first step to getting started.
You can reduce the cost to board a loft by doing it yourself.
Measure the area to know how many loft boards you’ll need and check the prices to successfully calculate the loft boarding cost. If you plan on storing lighter items, 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) will do the trick. You can also use specific loft flooring boards.
One of the most important steps in this process is assessing insulation. What kind of insulation do you actually need?
Each different type of insulation has its own pros and cons and additional research on your part can help you decide.
Some forms of insulation are easy to install for DIYers. If you decide to use a blanket or loose-fill insulation you will save money by doing it yourself. Remember to wear personal protective gear when handling insulation as it can be a skin and respiratory irritant. Blown fiberglass insulation should only be installed by professionals due to the equipment needed for installation and will increase your loft boarding cost.
Stick to Your Budget by Understanding Loft Boarding Costs
Whether you decide to do it yourself or use professionals to board your loft, understanding the overall costs for materials and labor will help you not overspend. Be sure to research how much this project will cost in your area.
Boarding your loft adds many benefits to your home and adds peace of mind of a de-cluttered home. Before you get started, make sure the loft boarding cost fits into your needs and your budget.
Get started onboarding your loft today!