Loft Ventilation Plans

The main goal of loft ventilation is to prevent hot air from building up. The reason this is absolutely vital is excess heat can cause moisture to accumulate, which in turn can lead to structural damage or mold growth. If you’re in the process of putting together loft ventilation plans, there are several steps you need to complete:

Decide What Type of Vents to Use

Loft vents aren’t limited to a single type. Because lofts can be laid out or designed in many different ways, specific vents work best in certain situations. For example, soffit vents are considered one of the best choices for many sizes of lofts. Even if a loft already has gabled vents, upgrading to the soffit style may significantly improve the area’s ventilation. Another example of a type of vent that may be ideal for some lofts is a turbine vent. If you live in an area that’s consistently windy, this type of vent will work very well. An additional benefit is the fact that it uses a natural source of energy instead of increasing your electric bill.

Draw, Survey and Plan

Once you’ve figured out what type of vents you’re going to use, the next step is to put your plans down on paper. The reason this is important is because it will get all of the information you’re carrying around out of your head and in front of you. This will allow you to carefully review your current ventilation plans and confirm that they’re going to work. As you’re drawing your plans, keep in mind that:

  • You need to allow for 1 sq ft of ventilation for every 150 sq ft of loft space
    • The vents can’t be installed in an area where they’re covered by insulation
    • You can use more than one type of vent in conjunction with each other

After you finish putting down your plans on paper, you will want to compare what you have down to your actual loft space. If you notice any discrepancies between the two, you will want to adjust your drawing to ensure it accurately reflects your loft. Once your paper plan is correct, you will need to gather all of the tools and materials that you will need to use during this project.

Do You Really Want to Tackle Loft Ventilation on Your Own?

As you can see, it is possible to put together your own loft ventilation plans and handle the installation yourself. However, as you can also see, this process requires a lot of work. Because it’s anything but easy, you really need to ask yourself if this is something you’re up to tackling. Given the specialized knowledge that goes into this type of work, you may find that the value you get by paying a professional to handle your loft ventilation plans and installation is much better than the amount of time you would have to sink into this project to complete it on your own.

 

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