Loft makeover
Complete loft makeovers in London
Insulation, boarding, lighting and a fitted ladder — the whole loft dealt with in a single organised visit, by one team, for one fixed price.
- Insulation to the recommended 270mm depth
- Raised boarding that keeps the insulation uncompressed
- Fitted loft ladder with hatch work included
- Lighting with a switch at the hatch
- Old material removed — usually complete in a day
Why do it all at once
The four jobs that make a loft usable are not really four jobs. They are one job that has been split up by the way the trade sells it, and doing them separately costs you money and quality both.
The insulation depth determines how high the boarding has to be raised. The boarding determines where the ladder can safely land. The ladder determines where the hatch needs to be and how big. The lighting has to be first-fixed before the boards go down, or it means lifting them again. Sequenced together by one team, all of that is straightforward. Sequenced by three separate contractors across three months, it is a series of small compromises, each one made by someone who did not know what the next person needed.
The most expensive version of this we see regularly: insulation fitted properly to 270mm in the spring, and a boarding contractor engaged in the autumn who lays chipboard straight onto the joists and flattens it. Two invoices, and a loft performing as though neither had been paid.
What a makeover includes
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Strip out and prepare
Old or failed insulation bagged and removed, the deck swept, and the ventilation path at the eaves checked and cleared.
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First fix lighting
Cabling run before anything is laid over it, with the switch positioned at the hatch so you are never climbing into a dark loft.
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Insulate to depth
Mineral wool between the joists and cross-laid over them to reach the recommended 270mm, stopped clear of the eaves.
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Batten and board
The deck raised on battens or loft legs above the full insulation depth, boarded in tongue-and-groove panels, screwed so they lift later if needed.
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Ladder, hatch and hand-over
Ladder fitted, hatch enlarged if required and made good, panel insulated and draught-sealed. Then a walk-through, the paperwork, and the waste goes with us.
What you get at the end of it
A roof space you can climb into safely with both hands free, switch a light on, walk around on a flat deck, and store things in — sitting above a ceiling that is now insulated to current recommended depth rather than to a standard that expired decades ago. The heating bill is the headline benefit. The one people actually mention a year later is that they finally use the space.
Where the line is
A makeover is not a conversion. It does not create a habitable room, it does not involve structural work or building control, and boarding is rated for domestic storage rather than for living in. If you want a bedroom or an office up there, you want a loft conversion company — and once they have finished, we are happy to come and insulate it properly at rafter level with multifoil.
Cost and timing
A makeover is priced as one job after one survey, and the price is fixed. It is appreciably less than the same four elements bought separately, and the work is better because it was planned as a whole. Most are complete within a day; we tell you which category yours falls into before you commit. See the cost guide for what moves the number.
In the loft
Before and after, in effect
The difference between a roof void and a room you use.
Questions & answers
Loft makeovers — common questions
What is included in a loft makeover?
Insulation to recommended depth, raised boarding over it, a fitted loft ladder, and lighting with a switch at the hatch. The hatch itself is insulated and draught-sealed, and old material is removed. Everything is agreed and priced before we start.
How long does it take?
A day for most properties. Larger lofts, hatch enlargement or heavy strip-out can push it into a second morning. You get a firm time estimate with the quote.
Is it cheaper than booking the parts separately?
Yes, meaningfully. One visit, one set-up, one team, and the insulation and boarding designed together as a single build-up rather than one being retro-fitted around the other. Sequencing is also better: nothing gets fitted and then disturbed by the next trade.
Do I need to empty the loft first?
It genuinely helps and it keeps the price down. If clearing it is not practical, tell us at survey stage — we can handle moving and re-siting belongings, but we would rather quote for it than find it.
Can you add power sockets?
Lighting is included. Sockets and any other new circuits are notifiable electrical work, so those are carried out by a qualified electrician and certificated. We will tell you at survey whether what you want falls into that category.
Does a makeover turn my loft into a room?
No. It makes the space warm, lit, accessible and usable for storage. A habitable room needs structural floor joists, a compliant staircase, fire separation and building control approval — a loft conversion, which is a different trade. We are always clear about that line.
What homeowners say
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Written and fact-checked by the Loft Insulation London survey team, who assess loft spaces across the capital every working week. Last reviewed .
One survey, one visit, one price
Book a free survey and we will scope the whole loft — insulation, boarding, ladder and light — as a single fixed-price job.