Inspiration and advice for your building project
Search:
Plasterboarding the ceiling or walls first?
My husband is planning on plasterboarding the room abover our garage to make a den.
Should he plasterboard the ceiling first or the walls?
Is it best to add the electric points at this stage or later?
Thanks
Becky, a DIY novice
4 answers
Most important is to plasterboard the floor (or rather the ceiling) of the garage below with double thickness plasterboards for fire safety.
Then lay the electric cables followed by plasterboard
As Mark said you need to double board the garage ceiling below and ensure there are no penetrations in the boarding. I'm not sure but in some countries they also insist on a membrane to stop fumes from below. Not sure what planning rules are on this exactly. I would strongly suggest you discuss it with your LBCO.
On the electrical side you will need to employ a Part P electrician or notify the LBCO and have them inspect and test the electrics, unfortunately since 2005 it is against planning law to install or modify your own electrics unless you are a registered ‘competent person’.
Start by first fixing any electrics. You need to notify local authority building control if you intend to do this yourself, or you could use a professional electrician registered with one of the competent persons schemes (fine one at www.partp.co.uk).
You can then plasterboard and skim the ceiling, followed by the walls. If you have any, you can then add coving and any other decorative mouldings like skirting or architrave. Once dry you can decorate and then second fix your electrics (add the light fittings, sockets and switches.
Even though you are creating a den, if you plan to heat the space it would be worth considering how and where you could add some insulation. This will also help to keep the space cool in the summer - when roofs can get unbearably warm.
Some issues for you to consider:
1. Building Regulations
You should check to see if Building Regulation approval is required on your project, technically converting a loft will require this. The purpose of the Regs is two fold - ensuring it is undertaken to standards and ensuring your safety. If Regs are required, you can undertake this without drawing plans and undertake the application on what is called a `building notice` in effect agreeing things as you go along with the Building Inspector, or having plans drawn and submitted for approval. Irrespective of which solution you go for, I would strongly recommend you do have drawings produced professionally as this way you will ensure the works if undertaken from the plans they are correct and you won`t end up redoing work that was not to the approval of the Building Inspector thus saving you time and money.
2. Insulation/ventilation
This will be covered under the Building Regulation submission process, but care needs to be considered in choosing where the insulation go`s in regards the plasterboard to ensure the ventilation required for the roof is not obstructed.
3. Fire
Again covered under the Regulations, fire resistance will be required, and the choice of plasterboard will need to be considered carefully so as both to ensure fire resistance and avoid damp problems within the garage.
4. Structure
Assuming the loft space is not already a room, the `floor` joists may only have been designed to support the weight of a ceiling and additional larger joists may be nearer.
5. Plasterboarding the ceiling or walls - deffinitely the ceiling. You could have a look at the plastering courses available as its well worth spending 2-3 days on a course learning the quick and easy shortcuts on plasterboarding which will save you a fortune, a great deal of time and satisfaction of getting it done right first time. I went on one of these and whilst I learned also how to plaster skim, building my own house I did all the plasterboarding and left the skimming to the experts who do make it look so so easy.
Hope this doesn`t put you off, having designed several hundred homes for clients I have to admit a great deal of satisfaction on plasterboarding my own house.