Crocks, re your timber method, I would be looking just to use the standard loft flooring panels you get in any of these DIY places, think they measure 1220 x 300.
So each board effectively straddles 3 joists that are 600 apart.
I am thinking of buying a couple of lengths of thick wood to match the joist width and cut then in 175mm sizes. But instead of then doing a frame on these like you did, I would plan just to put the board straight onto them. So each board would be supported at 6 points as it meets the 3 joists.
You said that you just diagonally drilled screws into your timber extenders straight through to the joist - do these feel solid enough? I was thinking of maybe a metal bracket running flush up the side, screwed into the existing joist and the new extender? Or is that just overkill?
Incidentally, don't know if it is just sheer laziness or a deliberate tactic, but the guys who laid the insulation laid it at right angles to the joists, so basically up and over every joist. I suppose that way the joist takes a bit of the weight of the insulation but its going to make this a bit more of a messy job!
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