CRF Services Ltd
Loft hatch installation and enlarging loft hatches
A loft hatch is the opening in the ceiling that gives you a way into the roof space. Many Medway houses have a hatch that is too small for boxes, in an awkward spot over the stairs, or missing altogether in a newer extension. Loft hatch installation means forming or enlarging that opening properly and fitting a frame and door that seals the warm house from the cold loft. CRF Services Ltd carries out this work in homes across Rochester and Medway.
Why the hatch matters
The hatch decides what you can get into the loft and how easily. An opening barely wider than your shoulders makes storage a struggle, and it may be too small for a loft ladder. An old hatch that is just a loose board on battens lets warm, moist air into the loft, which wastes heat and can lead to condensation on the underside of the roof.
Enlarging an existing hatch
Making a hatch bigger means cutting through one or more ceiling joists. Those joists help hold the ceiling up and tie the structure together, so they cannot just be cut and left. The cut joists are carried on new timbers called trimmers, fixed between the joists either side, so the load goes round the opening. The ceiling is cut back neatly, a lining fixed around the edge, and the ceiling repaired where it meets the new frame.
Before any cut is made, the loft is checked for cables, pipes and anything resting on the joists. If the joists are notably small, damaged or have been altered in the past, that is pointed out before work starts.
- Choosing a position clear of stairs and fittings
- Checking joist direction, size and condition
- Cutting and trimming the joists properly
- Fitting the lining, frame and architrave
- Hanging an insulated, draught sealed hatch door
- Making good the ceiling around the opening
Forming a new loft hatch
Where there is no hatch, or the existing one is in a poor position, a new opening can be formed in a better place, often on a landing where there is room to stand a ladder. The old hatch can then be boarded over and the ceiling made good. The position is chosen so the opening runs between joists where possible, which keeps the trimming simpler.
Insulated and fire rated hatches
A modern loft hatch has an insulated door and a compressible seal around its edge, which cuts draughts and helps keep the house warm. Some come with a latch that opens with a pole, and some are combined with a folding ladder. In certain homes, such as some flats and houses with loft conversions, a fire rated hatch may be required; building control or the building's managing agent can confirm what is needed.
Hatch, ladder and boarding together
Most people want a bigger hatch because they plan to use the loft for storage. Doing the hatch, the ladder and the loft boarding in one booking means the opening is sized for the ladder you choose and the boarded area starts right at the hatch. The loft boarding cost guide explains what affects the price of the boarding part.
How to book
Send a photo of the existing hatch from the landing, one from inside the loft showing the joists if you can, and the ceiling height through the contact page. The hatch is priced on how many joists need trimming and the hatch type chosen.
Which ladder suits your hatch is covered in the loft ladder types guide.
This work is part of our Carpentry service.
Common questions
Loft hatch installation and enlarging loft hatches questions answered
Useful guides
Preparing your house for winter: a maintenance checklist
The autumn jobs that stop small problems becoming expensive ones.
Loft boarding cost: what decides the price
Raised or direct, small or large, and why the hatch matters more than you think.
Loft legs and raised loft boarding over insulation
Why squashing loft insulation costs you heat, and how raised boarding gives you storage without it.
Have a job in mind?
Tell Danny what needs doing and get a clear, no-obligation quotation.