attic conversion/home diy

N

northdublin

Petrolheads
allllrighty.....im now on my two weeks hols and im goin to tackle my attic conversion. it had allready been converted but i ripped it all out cause it was a shite job and i needed to take up all the floor boards to re-do the electrics for the downstairs( im in a cottage). i have a couple of questions that i want to put to the various tradesmen in the club :thumbsup:
firstly when i took up the boards in the attic i found they had left the insulation in place and swept all the rubbish into the gap between the floor in the attic and the ceiling downstairs, ive removed all of the dirt and insulation but what i want to know is it necescery to relay insulation between the downstairs ceiling and the upstairs floor. the only beneifit i can see of doing this is for acoustic reasons?????
when im relaying the subfloor i was going to use either 8x4 sheets of either chip board or ply wood, im not putting back doen tounge and groove boards like the ones i took up cause they squeek and ill be carpeting it anyway, does anyone have a prefferance or an alternative, also the fact im laying carpet will help with the acoustic value when downstairs.
im putting a small ensuite at one end but this means the jaxx and shower will be on the same level as the main tank, can i plumb the toilet off the mains so i have enough pressure to fill the cistern and when it comes to the shower i know they cant be directly connected to the mains so ill have to fit a pump shower off the cylinder, are these exspensive and how much plumbing is involved. ps i dont have enough height to put in a small tank at high level.
im goin to need insulation so does anyone know where to get this cheaply as ill be doin it myself........any tips of info is welcome...thanks in advance
 
Re: attic conversion

[quote author=AndyC link=topic=9516.msg113016#msg113016 date=1221254223]
Dan (forester sti) does attic conversions Im sure he can help you out.

www.acac.ie
[/quote]

yep he's ur man but think he's away :ponder:
 
Re: attic conversion

[quote author=WetPatch link=topic=9516.msg113034#msg113034 date=1221259070]
Is there any insulation in your roof?
[/quote]
yes there is, currently the ceiling is made up of pine tounge and groove with fibreglass between it and the felt, i plan to remove the pine and slab it with foil backed plaster board. i plan to leave the fibreglass in place to try and save some money, i need the insulation for the ceilings over whats left of the attic space and the interior stud walls which are only about a metre high.
 
Re: attic conversion

mick
converted my attic about 3 years ago...

1. leave the insulation in - it will help with noise and heat and gives you a better BER cert standards. it makes a big difference on both fronts. we have a huge attic and a tiny raditor and it can get hot as hell up there.
2. we used chip board 8x4 no problem - just dont get them wet. they turn to mush. they're cheeper than ply?
3. i think you'll need to elevate your tank or install a water pump. power showers are cheep starting at about 160 decent one for 220 or so.
4. got our insulation in heiton buckley in santry handy -0 decent price and they deliver all of the sh*t you but for 20 quid (a few years ago0
any specific questiosn ask me....no expert though..my conversion took 2 years from start to finish
 
Re: attic conversion

cheers swordsman......ive allready taken the insulation up from the floor are as the idiots that did the previous work just swept all the rubbish and any other crap into the void on top of the insulation. i filled 6 black bags with crap like magazines and bits of old pcs as well as 8 bags of dust infested fibreglass. i think ill see what its going to cost and work it from that......not too worried about the sound issue but the thermal might be worth looking at.
in relation to point3 i havent the height to elevate the tank unless i put it right up at the apex which is where i plan to put the shower, so i think the jaxx and sink will be straight off the mains and the hot for the shower and sink will be on a pump. also at this point ill just say that this is the house that jack built, ive had to strip and reslab/plaster every wall and ceiling in the place aswell as a total re-wire and most of the plumbing. some of the sh*t i discovered especially with the electrics scared me cause it was so bad. ive done 99.9% of the work myself and after this renovation no job however big or small would phase me :hammerhead:
 
Re: attic conversion

I just typed a big feckin post with all the answers but I pressed some fookin button and erased it all!!! :wall:

So this is the short version,
Flooring 8X2 flooring grade OSB 18mm thonged and grooved all over! skrewed with spax 4X60mm screws,
Remove your t&g ceiling and use the fibre under the attic floor, put as much quinntherm/kingspan/xtratherm between your rafters tight to the underside leaving around 50mm vent space between the felt and the insulation! at least 50mm insulation, and if you can afford to loose a bit of head height then put maybe 25/30mm on the underside of the rafters before you put on your foil backed slab! put 150/200mm fibreglass on the downstairs ceilings that aren't covered by attic floor, and 150mm on the back of the side walls of the attic!
Plumbing wise, the best job is fit a 1.5bar(min) negitive head pump anywhere in the house to pump hot water from your hotpress cylinder and cold water from your attic tank! to the whole attic bathroom! cheaper option is everything mains feed! Triton T80i and undersink water heater, but if anyone uses any other water in the house then you'll both loose pressure! not ideal
What's your nearest chadwicks?? I'll ring ahead and arrange the best price (hopefully) and free delivery, Ring me on 0876602141 anytime!
Best of luck man!
Dan
 
Re: attic conversion

cheers dan im in the process today of ripping out all the old carpentry, the risers they put on the floor have so many nail holes in them i cant re-use them so those and the ones on the roof have to come off. the only woodwork im not ripping out is the suports they put in down each side but some may have to be moved to get the walls straight.
advice taken lads im taking the old fibreglaas from the roof space and relaying it in the floor section. on the roof end of things i have about 150 mm of space between the felt and the back of the slab so plenty off room for insulation and an air gap. whats the easiest way to work out how much insulation i need casue ive no idea of the dimesions it comes in.
 
Re: attic conversion

if ur looking for any electrical work done man let me know :thumbsup: :thumbsup:discount for isdc family :subaru:
 
Re: attic conversion

[quote author=JPtypeRA link=topic=9516.msg113310#msg113310 date=1221408830]
if your looking for any electrical work done man let me know :thumbsup: :thumbsup:discount for isdc family :subaru:
[/quote]
cheers man.......i work in an electrical wholesalers and i re-wired the whole house when i was renovating the downstairs, the chasing machine was workin overtime :thumbsup:
 
Re: attic conversion

Just measure the length and with of each section, then add up all the sections that need insulating,(In square M)
Then decide on what insulation you are going to use, and then order it by the square M!
Dan
 
Re: attic conversion

right lads im a week into this conversion and im at the point where im slabbing the walls and ceiling. the stairs that is in place is perfect up untill the last 3/4 steps where it turns slightly so your walking up into the highest point in the attic. the problem is these steps are quite thin and could be dangerous. if the stairs was turned a full 90 deg it would make it less steep, is this easy to do and what would it cost to get done.
 
Re: attic conversion

if its a winder section at top of stairs it would be very difficult to remove this in place, most of the stairs weight is at that point. the stairs would more than likely have to be removed not a nice job if you have handrails connected on stairs and landings.newel posts would also have to be moved stick up some pics if you can give me a better idea :thumbsup:
 
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