ᐅ Install wooden boarding on a dry attic roof with truss beams
Created on: 20 Apr 2020 22:04
P
Pet1234
Hello,
For our bungalow under construction, we ordered a dry attic joist instead of a studio joist for an additional cost of nearly €3000. This was to allow us to use the attic floor for storage. The general contractor’s salesperson and the project planner both recommended that once the roof structure is in place—but before the roof is covered—a crane should be used to lift the corresponding OSB boards or tongue-and-groove boards into the attic to board the floor. This way, the floor can be boarded later on. They also mentioned that it would be difficult to bring building materials into the attic through the small attic hatch afterward.
Today, I discussed this with the site manager. He responded very dismissively, saying it’s not possible because the drywall contractor would always have to move the boards or wood when installing the roof insulation. He told me to contact the drywall contractor and ask for their opinion. I don’t understand why I have to do that. Obviously, he has no interest in moving the boards around. However, I don’t see this as our problem. You shouldn’t sell something that isn’t usable later on. Also, this was communicated differently during the consultation with the project planner.
When I asked how we could then board and use the attic floor, he said that after the house is completed, the tongue-and-groove boards could be handed up plank by plank through the attic hatch. (The floor area is over 130 m² (1400 ft²).)
How have other homeowners dealt with the issue of boarding the attic floor?
Thank you.
For our bungalow under construction, we ordered a dry attic joist instead of a studio joist for an additional cost of nearly €3000. This was to allow us to use the attic floor for storage. The general contractor’s salesperson and the project planner both recommended that once the roof structure is in place—but before the roof is covered—a crane should be used to lift the corresponding OSB boards or tongue-and-groove boards into the attic to board the floor. This way, the floor can be boarded later on. They also mentioned that it would be difficult to bring building materials into the attic through the small attic hatch afterward.
Today, I discussed this with the site manager. He responded very dismissively, saying it’s not possible because the drywall contractor would always have to move the boards or wood when installing the roof insulation. He told me to contact the drywall contractor and ask for their opinion. I don’t understand why I have to do that. Obviously, he has no interest in moving the boards around. However, I don’t see this as our problem. You shouldn’t sell something that isn’t usable later on. Also, this was communicated differently during the consultation with the project planner.
When I asked how we could then board and use the attic floor, he said that after the house is completed, the tongue-and-groove boards could be handed up plank by plank through the attic hatch. (The floor area is over 130 m² (1400 ft²).)
How have other homeowners dealt with the issue of boarding the attic floor?
Thank you.
Pet1234 schrieb:
Furthermore, according to the site manager, and this strikes me as the most absurd thing, there wouldn’t be any space for the insulation anyway, since the insulation is about 4 cm (1.5 inches) higher than the beams—basically protruding above the beams. So the structural depth of the ceiling joists would be less than the thickness of the insulation to be installed between them—who even plans such a foolish thing?—this would effectively require additional battens in the affected area. Apparently, the use of the attic space for storage has not been considered (incredibly). By “project planner,” do you mean just a coordinator of the installation teams involved (or a sales consultant who is supposed to handle the contract until handover)?
Pet1234 schrieb:
the drywall installer applying the insulation in the attic, between the wooden joists/ceiling of the masonry I hope you realize what circles of misunderstanding your lack of clarity about the construction project causes—this nearly makes it impossible to form a minimum clear mental picture of the specific conditions. What exactly the “ceiling of the masonry” is supposed to mean is unclear to me. I can only guess, with considerable effort, that the drywall installer is supposed to cover the ceiling joists from below in order to put the insulation in place. In the case of a truss roof, I assume—though it’s only my assumption, and you can’t expect the average forum user to understand a verbal house description well enough—that the ceiling joists are simultaneously the underside of the rafters. So, logistically, what on earth is the drywall installer supposed to be working on if the crane operator hasn’t already lifted the boards in with the trusses? Apparently, someone is so disorganized that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. Oh dear, oh dear, someone please throw some sense down from the crane!
Maybe you’ll show the house in question soon after all—this probably won’t be the last emergency call due to missing planning.
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As far as I know, the OSB boards, as your general contractor suggested, are lifted by crane through the roof that is not yet in place. The OSB boards are then installed, and later the drywall contractor insulates the ceiling from below. I have never heard of the insulation extending 4cm (1.5 inches) upwards.
Georgie schrieb:
and later the drywall installer insulates the ceiling from below. And I have never heard of the insulation extending 4cm (1.5 inches) upwards. Apparently, the procedure here is as follows: the drywall installer first closes off the ceiling from below with sheathing and then installs the insulation—usually placed on top of the ceiling beams—as a kind of “insulation between the joists” there. The consequence, that the overall construction is not ready for covering due to the combination of only the statically necessary beam height and the insulation thickness, is obviously a foolish mistake, because the attic then cannot be used as a storage space. In the areas to be covered, additional battens naturally need to be installed. Here, Max and Moritz have obviously encountered Widow Bolte.
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Thank you for your input. I spoke again with the project planner who will manage the construction project from start to finish (it is a general contractor). After some initial confusion and checking, she said that the thermal transmittance value, I believe that’s the term, improved from 0.40 to 0.35 (I later upgraded to KfW55) due to different materials, not because of additional height. Apparently, the site manager wasn’t seeing this clearly. Hopefully, this is correct.
But one more question: If the insulation ends flush with the roof beams, do you still need to install a substructure on top of the beams, or can the OSB boards or tongue-and-groove boards be fixed directly to the beams? And which is better, OSB or solid boards? It’s a “cold” roof—meaning the vapor barrier and insulation, as mentioned, are located in the ceiling (wood beam ceiling) or the floor of the attic. How far should the boards be laid out? Actually only over the walkable part of the hipped roof, or also further under the slopes? By the way, I will offer the site manager to carry the boards/plywood from point A to B myself if the drywall installer finds it too much. In that case, lifting them into the roof with the crane shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully!
But one more question: If the insulation ends flush with the roof beams, do you still need to install a substructure on top of the beams, or can the OSB boards or tongue-and-groove boards be fixed directly to the beams? And which is better, OSB or solid boards? It’s a “cold” roof—meaning the vapor barrier and insulation, as mentioned, are located in the ceiling (wood beam ceiling) or the floor of the attic. How far should the boards be laid out? Actually only over the walkable part of the hipped roof, or also further under the slopes? By the way, I will offer the site manager to carry the boards/plywood from point A to B myself if the drywall installer finds it too much. In that case, lifting them into the roof with the crane shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully!
Don’t burden yourself with hauling that material up manually; it should be lifted in with a crane. And again: if the drywall installer is already moving around up there beforehand, their schedule was planned too early (meaning your request wasn’t properly taken into account; that’s something the project coordinator should fix).
I would only cover the area that will actually be walked on or used. As a reference example for a bungalow attic, you can check the one posted by [USER=32530]@Nordlys in this forum. You will definitely find some useful information about tongue-and-groove boards or OSB by searching the forum; tongue-and-groove boards (try searching “modern” without the ‘h’ as well) are said to have better moisture control properties, but I only have a passing interest in this aspect, so take a look at the relevant threads yourself. Personally, I consider tongue-and-groove boards or even fiberboard panels more than sufficient for a storage loft; I also don’t see any problem with compressing the insulation material if you don’t raise battens for it – but again, that’s not really my area of expertise.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I would only cover the area that will actually be walked on or used. As a reference example for a bungalow attic, you can check the one posted by [USER=32530]@Nordlys in this forum. You will definitely find some useful information about tongue-and-groove boards or OSB by searching the forum; tongue-and-groove boards (try searching “modern” without the ‘h’ as well) are said to have better moisture control properties, but I only have a passing interest in this aspect, so take a look at the relevant threads yourself. Personally, I consider tongue-and-groove boards or even fiberboard panels more than sufficient for a storage loft; I also don’t see any problem with compressing the insulation material if you don’t raise battens for it – but again, that’s not really my area of expertise.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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