Expert Handyman Services in Richmond

Loft conversions across TW9 have added a great deal of bedroom space and, almost as a by-product, created a band of low, awkward space along each side where the rafters meet the floor. Left as it is, that eaves space becomes a dumping ground reached by crawling. Fitted properly, it holds more than most wardrobes and frees the usable part of the room entirely.

Understanding the space before designing anything

The eaves void in a converted roof is defined by the rafter line, the height at which the dwarf wall was built, and the depth of insulation between and under the rafters. That last point is the one most often overlooked: the ventilation path above the insulation must not be blocked, and anything built into the void has to respect it. The floor of the void is usually the original ceiling joists of the storey below, which may or may not have been strengthened during the conversion, so heavy storage needs the load considered rather than assumed.

Where the doors should go

A single large opening in the middle of a run is easy to build and hopeless to use, because anything at the far end is out of reach. A series of openings along the wall, each the width of what will be stored, works far better. Doors hinged on the side suit a narrow run; a lift-out panel is cheaper but tends to end up leaning against the wall permanently.

Making a door that sits flush in a sloping wall

The dwarf wall is vertical but it usually meets a sloping ceiling immediately above, and a door that runs full height has to be cut to the rake. The frame is built from timber fixed to the studs of the dwarf wall, packed so it is plumb even where the studwork is not, and the door is scribed to the slope with a consistent shadow gap. Magnetic catches and push latches avoid handles projecting into a room where people walk close to the wall. Painted to match the wall, the openings read as panelling rather than as cupboards.

Fitting out the inside so it is worth using

A void with a bare joist floor is unusable. Boarding the floor of the void, running a shelf at a sensible height rather than filling the space with one deep shelf, and adding a pull-out drawer on runners for the deepest part transforms what can be reached. A hanging rail is only useful at the tall end where the rafter allows it. Lighting makes an enormous difference and is the one element that needs an electrician rather than a carpenter.

Condensation, ventilation and the things people store

Eaves voids are cold in winter because they sit outside the insulation line. Storing bedding, clothing and books in an unventilated cold void produces exactly the result anyone would predict, and the first sign is usually a musty smell rather than a visible mark. Keeping a deliberate gap behind stored items, avoiding sealing the void completely airtight, and not storing anything absorbent against the rafter line all help. Where growth has already appeared on stored items or on the boarding, treatment and drying is work for damp and mould treatment in Richmond.

What else lives in an eaves void

These voids connect along the length of a roof and, in a terrace, sometimes past the party wall line if the conversion was not detailed properly. They are dry, undisturbed and warm at one end, which is exactly what a great many creatures look for. Droppings along a joist, disturbed insulation or scratching heard above a ceiling at night are all reasons to have the void inspected by pest control services in North Sheen before it is boarded and closed in. Closing a void on an existing population makes the problem considerably harder to resolve later.

Arranging the work

An eaves fit-out is usually a two or three day job for a run along one side of a room, and the room needs to be substantially clear because the work generates dust at the exact height of a bed. Pricing is by the length of the run and the number of openings, with painting normally a separate stage. Access is the other practical consideration, since sheet material has to come up two flights of stairs and sometimes has to be cut down before it will turn the landing. The clean-down once the joinery and decoration are complete is handled by experienced builders clean in Richmond, comparable joinery a short distance away is covered by a local professional, and the full range of fitting and repair work is set out on what our handyman service includes.