A Place In The Sun’s Laura Hamilton issues warning after loft issue in new home

Laura Hamilton, 41, revealed to Express.co.uk in an exclusive interview that she had no idea about an issue that needed urgent attention while renovating her new property.

As she was initially using her loft to store furniture while the building work was being carried out, Laura couldn’t view the space properly.

The A Place In The Sun property expert, who teamed up with LoftZone following her discovery, spotted that it wasn’t properly insulated, which could have caused major problems, particularly during the Cost of Living Crisis.

Laura explained: “I bought a home that was very rundown, it was partly off grid. So that meant that I’m not on mains drainage.

“So part of my thing was trying to make my property as sustainable and efficient as possible and to sort of make my running costs of it as low as possible.

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“I wanted to make sure that the house was insulated. I bought an old building, but knocked down every wall and sort of started again.

“So I insulated all of the walls internally. And then the loft, I was kind of using as a storage space for where my furniture was, to save on putting it in storage, I was using the loft as a place to store stuff while the build stuff was going on down below.

“And then gradually, bit by bit, you know I brought stuff down and then I thought hang on, the loft isn’t insulated as it should be, and that’s where the heat obviously heat escaping rises. A

“Now, I want to use the space because you know, now the house is done, and everything is sort of down here, you look at that space and think, God this is great, I need to make use of it.”

Warning fans of the importance of properly making use of their loft spaces, Laura added: “I personally knew that the loft was somewhere that I wanted to do and make use of in the property.

“And I think that many people do use the loft as a dumping ground and they kind of put stuff up there and think, okay, well, I can shut the loft hatch and I don’t have to see it.

“But if you can get a good loft ladder and have easy access to that loft, and board it, and insulate it, then you really can make it an extra room.”

Aside from using heating most efficiently with a properly insulated loft, Laura added that homeowners should also be aware that an accessible loft can add value to your property.

She continued to Express.co.uk: “It can add value to your home.

“Quite interestingly, I know because I’ve bought a number of houses over the years, buying and renovating, one of the first questions that they ask you when you’re applying for a mortgage, and they’re going to send out a surveyor to come in value the property, they actually ask you if the loft is accessible.”

LoftZone’s raised loft boarding StoreFloor is an ideal solution to give bright, safe and easy access to the loft. LoftZone’s CEO Dave Raval says “Our research found that the average loft in the UK is 22 square metres of (often untapped) space, and 41% of us just use this space as a dumping ground for our belongings. By installing our StoreFloor loft boarding system, loft shelving, loft lighting and loft wardrobes you can maximise storage space, keeping your treasured possessions organised and safe.”