OMG, why didn’t I / we do it before?

[VeryExpensive]

The loft ladder, loft floor put in and shelving all around. No more monkey acrobatics trying to get in and out of the loft, from a too short fold out ladder, fetched from a garage on a cold wet dark December night and then needing to go back. It smells fresh of wood like a log cabin.

It’s like a new sanctuary - spending spree tomorrow for clear boxes and already 2 bags of clutter to take to the skip, it’s not going back up.

What has been your absolute house update revelation, big or tiny?

How much would it be roughly please, I would love to be able to use the loft properly for storage.

It cost us £1300 for the hatch enlarging, new hatch and ladder, 2/3 of the loft boarding and two battery lights.

Solar powered coop door timed with the sun (opens and closes at set luminescence). I splashed out on an automatic feeder on the same system so the greedy little gannets rush in to stuff their crops and it closes behind them.

No more bad girls running down the path to cluck frantically at me. Total peace of mind.

Op how much did it cost I would like to do it, we also have too perform acrobatics but still only dh can perform because he is tall.

@Aposterhasnoname where in UK are you , North /South, if South do you have a company name

Always had a proper loft, but Dh has put in a new loft ladder, re insulated and re-boarded it and put in new boxes, so now it's really neat.

We’re in Yorkshire. We used these guys.

www.yorkshireloftladders.co.uk/loft-ladders/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzby1BhCQARIsAJ_0t5Nd4quz_ZRqpg4DGwGmGqAAJXGvac6cgr-hJ-W4SSisYPiEwC8WCzoaArwdEALw_wcB

I really appreciate your post! It's something im seriously thinking of since I downsized last year, to store out of season clothes, and other things not in use. Already done countless tip and charity shop trips, so I'm happy it's not to store junk, great to know it works!

Did you have to have the joists strengthened to take the weight?

No, no issues with that at all. Our house is a thirties semi if that makes any difference.

Yes, I think new builds would need strengthening first, not as solid as thirties houses!

24 years here 😂

We had our loft boarded and a ladder fitted a few weeks ago. Worth every penny. I have put racks and rails up there as well for neat storage.

HorsesAreRunningOnThreeLegsTonight Wait til they need cleaning though. I have them too

Yes they are a franchise. We used our local one, I think we paid £1400.
Would definitely recommend. They move your stuff and work around it in the loft so you don't have to empty it.

I’ve just had a look at this , they seem really expensive per window , £200+? Any suggestions where from ?

I've put the cupboard drawer things on my amazon wishlist (thank you for the link!). I've been looking for similar things for my corner cupboards, as I hate the fact that it's a nightmare to utilise all the storage in them! I've got the "over the door" hanging storage shelf thing and it's great :)

I'll add:
-plug sockets that have inbuilt USB plugs on them. Just got most of the plug socket points in my house upgraded to them and they're great.
-robovac - saves me loads of bother as it keeps the floors clean.
-lights that you can program to be switched on/off with an app.
-thermomix and airfryer. Not cheap but bloody handy and time saving!

Nope, we’re in a new build, no strengthening needed BUT our boards are suspended from brackets attached to the roof timbers rather than resting on the joists. We had to do it that way because we have very deep insulation which boarding would have compromised. Wickes sell XL loft stilts which also raise the boarding above deep insulation, but we’d already had ours done by the time we discovered those.

Just wanted to add to the discussion about lofts - I got my loft done by one of those loft building companies and it's great. They built a timber sub floor suspended from the purlins and then put boards over it. I also bought separately a space saver ladder which permanently stands there so I don't have to fuss about bringing a ladder up and down. It is amazing to have that extra space.

We have a loft with 2 small velux windows which we would love to convert into a bedroom. Does anyone know rough costs or if it would need planning permission please?
Has a good hatch and ladder. Thanks.

If you want to use it as a bedroom you’ll need a proper staircase putting in for a start. You can only have a ladder if it’s for storage only.

Ooh thanks for this - he's not too far from us 😊

My big one was adding garage doors to the car port - we now have another garage sized storage area and all the junk is hidden from sight. The garage is set back behind the car port so we had loads of space but it just looked really untidy to anyone walking past, and a security risk.

My small one is a spice rack and basket for foil etc. on the back of the pantry door - freed up a whole shelf in a wall cupboard and no more having to rummage through all the jars to find the right one (they are alphabetical, size permitting, but training the husband to follow this system is an ongoing battle).

We've got a TV wall bracket like that, it's lived in the cupboard for over five years now.

The best things I've bought were a water softener - we live in a hard water area and limescale was a nightmare, now no more, except for the kettle (tap in kitchen has to bypass softener - and a removable loo seat: so much easier to clean!