Loft Insulation Glasgow

Glasgow housing stock

Two Glasgows, two different loft jobs

We are based in Glasgow, on West George Street, so loft insulation in Glasgow is what we do most, alongside the rest of central Scotland. It also has the widest split in housing stock of anywhere we cover, and the loft work divides along the same line.

Factored tenements, and who controls the roof

In the tenement belt, Dennistoun, Shawlands, Partick, Govanhill, Hyndland, the roof space above the top floor is usually common property. Glasgow differs from Edinburgh in one practical respect: far more Glasgow tenements are run by a property factor.

That changes the process rather than the work. The factor may control access to the common loft, the other owners in the close may need to be consulted, and in some cases the work has to go through the factor rather than being arranged directly by you. It is entirely doable. It is also the single most common reason a tenement quote stalls weeks after it was accepted, which is why we establish who controls the roof space at survey rather than after you have paid a deposit.

The post-war estates

The other Glasgow is the peripheral housing built from the 1950s onwards: Drumchapel, Easterhouse, Castlemilk, Pollok, and the smaller schemes in between. Hundreds of thousands of homes, built quickly, to consistent patterns, with simple open roof spaces.

These are among the best value insulation in Glasgow jobs going. Access is usually straightforward, the roof space is a clear rectangle, and most already have a base layer of existing insulation from an earlier programme. Topping that up with new insulation to full depth is quick, cheap, and once the loft is properly insulated it delivers a large share of what is available on energy bills.

What we find most often is a layer laid decades ago, now settled and compressed, sitting at perhaps 70mm where it was once 100mm. Measured rather than assumed, that changes the recommendation.

The West End and the southside villas

Sandstone terraces and villas in the West End, Pollokshields and Newlands are older properties with traditional slate on sarking and no breathable membrane. They rely on air movement to stay dry, which makes the ventilation detail at the eaves more important than it is on a modern estate.

The work

What loft insulation does, and how deep it goes

Heat rises, and in an uninsulated house a large share of the heat you pay for escapes through the roof. Loft insulation slows that heat loss, so the living space below stays warmer and the boiler runs less. It is the most cost-effective way to insulate your home, and the first measure most insulation installers will recommend. Lower heating bills follow from keeping heat in the rooms you pay to warm.

The recommended depth is 270mm of mineral wool. That is guidance for an existing home rather than a legal requirement. Because ceiling joists in older Glasgow properties are often only 100mm deep, reaching 270mm means a base layer between the joists and a second layer laid across them at right angles, which also covers the timber and reduces thermal bridging.

Types of loft insulation we install

• Mineral wool insulation: the standard specification and the best thermal performance per pound for most lofts.
• Sheep wool and hemp: natural fibre that manages moisture well, which suits older sandstone properties with breathable roofs.
• Multifoil: a slim reflective quilt where depth is restricted or at rafter level.
• Rigid PIR board: for room-in-roof insulation and loft conversions.

We do not install foam insulation. Spray foam applied to the underside of a roof can trap moisture against the timbers, hides the roof structure from inspection, and has caused real difficulty for homeowners at the point of sale or remortgage.

Should old insulation be removed?

Usually not. Where the existing insulation is dry, clean and evenly laid, a top-up over it is cheaper and works just as well. Removal is justified where material has been contaminated by vermin, soaked by a leak, or degraded. Be wary of any quote that treats removal of old insulation as automatic, because it adds several hundred pounds. Our guide to removing old loft insulation goes into it properly.

Loft boarding and ventilation

Boarding screwed straight onto the joists crushes the layer beneath and wastes it. A raised boarding system holds the deck above the full depth, so you keep both the storage and the insulation.

Whatever goes in, the eaves must stay clear. Insulation forced into the wall head blocks the airflow the roof relies on, and that is how condensation starts in a loft space that was previously dry.

The work

What we are actually looking at

Most lofts fall into one of these. The survey is about working out which, and what it needs.

Funding

Loft insulation grants in Scotland

The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan covers up to 75% of the combined cost of energy efficiency measures such as insulation, to a maximum grant of £7,500, with an optional interest-free loan for the balance. It is not means-tested. You must own and live in the property, it must be an existing home, and you need a valid Energy Performance Certificate listing the improvement.

• Great British Insulation Scheme: closed to new applications on 31 March 2026. Pages still offering it are out of date.
• ECO4: the Energy Company Obligation, delivered by energy suppliers to low-income and vulnerable households. Extended to 31 December 2026.
• Warmer Homes Scotland: for households in or at risk of fuel poverty.

Other insulation measures worth considering

The loft is the cheapest large win, so it is where we start. Depending on your property, other home insulation may be worth it too, and we will say so at survey rather than afterwards.

• Cavity wall insulation: realistic on the post-war estates, which mostly do have a cavity. Sandstone tenements do not.
• Internal wall insulation: the practical route for solid sandstone.
• External wall insulation: a bigger project, and usually constrained on a traditional facade.
• Underfloor insulation: for suspended timber floors over a ventilated void, common in older Glasgow properties with draughty floorboards.
• Room-in-roof insulation: for converted attics with no open loft left.

Which insulation material and which measure suits your home is a question for a free insulation survey, not a price list. We are fully insured, we go into the roof space before quoting, and we put the price in writing.

Frequently asked questions