Loft Insulation in Sherborne

Ham stone, historic roofs and newer housing

Sherborne's centre is full of old buildings: town houses, cottages and almshouses in warm Ham stone, many of them listed, along with schools and the abbey itself. Roofs vary from stone slates and clay tiles to Welsh slate, and the timbers are often old, irregular and pegged. Ceilings below are frequently lath and plaster, and the lofts are small, steep or broken up by chimneys and dormers.

Outside the centre there are Victorian and Edwardian houses, interwar and post-war semis and bungalows, and newer estates on the edges of town. These have more regular roof spaces where a straightforward mineral wool top-up is usually all that's needed.

In the older stone buildings, the key thing is to keep the structure breathing. Solid stone walls and old roofs rely on moisture being able to escape, so we choose breathable insulation and keep ventilation routes open rather than sealing everything up. We also take our time in these lofts, laying crawl boards across old joists and working around historic timbers rather than cutting or moving them, so the roof is left exactly as we found it apart from the insulation.

What Sherborne homes usually need

Loft Insulation in Sherborne

Breathable Knauf Earthwool laid between the joists suits Sherborne's older stone homes as well as its newer semis, and it is gentle on fragile ceilings below.

Loft Mould Treatment in Sherborne

Old roofs with little ventilation can develop mould on the timbers, so we treat it and restore airflow without changing the outside of the building.

Loft Ladders in Sherborne

Period homes often have tiny, awkward hatches, and we can fit a folding aluminium ladder, adapting the hatch where that is sensible and permitted.

Listed buildings and the conservation area

A large part of Sherborne is a conservation area, and a high number of its buildings are listed. Listed building consent can be needed for work that affects a building's character, so if your home is listed, check with Dorset Council before any changes, including altering a hatch. Insulation laid within the loft generally has little impact, but it's always better to confirm. Building work here falls under England's Building Regulations.

Parking in the historic centre can be tight, so we agree arrangements beforehand. For more on keeping old roofs dry, see our guide to loft condensation and mould, and read about our loft ladder fitting if access is a struggle.