I had known David Lennan for over 20 years and we were very good friends. He had often told me about LoftZone and how good it was at protecting loft insulation (and reducing heating bills whilst creating extra storage etc.). In truth, I remember talking to David about ‘the patented invention’ before it was even a thing.
So, I, from a distance, over 15 years, had watched LoftZone grow into the force it is today, the UK’s leading raised loft boarding solution, with a nationwide network of approved installers. Installed in 100,000’s of homes in the UK, including many home owners who went DIY.
Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing and over coffee, early in 2025, David confessed that he was worried about the standards in the UK’s loft boarding industry dropping, mostly due to ‘cheap and not so cheerful’ traders installing inferior kit into unsuspecting customer’s lofts.
You see, if you don’t install raised loft boarding correctly, you get all sorts of problems, including condensation, mould, rotting loft boards, reduced energy savings, dangerous access etc. In truth, it’s a long list of potential woe for those loft owners (who thought they’d made a quick saving only to add long term hassle). That is why LoftZone went to the trouble of becoming the only BBA approved system in the country, to help create exacting standards. Especially in new builds. But as David went onto explain, those standards needed to be high in all aspects of loft boarding, not just in the equipment.
So, that is why LoftZone were keen to encourage a national standard for loft boarding. David went on to to explain that MD Dave Raval had already sat down with TrustMark, the only trusted trader scheme endorsed by the UK government, and had outlined the plans for the first TrustMark Loft Boarding Installer Scheme in the UK. Dave had also found Diversity, who would manage the scheme at ‘arm’s length’. So, David went on to explain, we just need someone to introduce and help manage it from LoftZone’s perspective. It was the pregnant pause that gave it away and he was actually asking me to be that person.
To be honest, I’d always been interested in LoftZone and its role in reducing greenhouse gases, so the core concept was close to my heart. Well, after a few days deliberation the deed was done and I was now officially responsible to help get the TrustMark Loft Boarding Installer Scheme over the line. Of course, with any pioneering task, that wasn’t going to be easy, after all, it was the first time this had been done in the UK (in the world anyone?).
But over many months, with the invaluable help of those approved installers, the team at LoftZone and Diversity, we managed to piece together the ‘process’, which includes the customer guarantee and the code of conduct and the operations manual that all Trustmark installers must follow. Don’t worry, it’s not all rigid news for the TrustMark Installers as they get to wear the badge with a great deal of pride. They also get numerous other benefits by being Scheme members, but those also make quite a long list, so I’ll save those for another time.
Just know, from that one cup of coffee in early 2025 truly great things have happened, with the official launch of the UK’s first TrustMark Loft Boarding Installer Scheme happening on September 1st of that same year, David’s original vision of raised standards for raised loft boarding has come to pass (and to many lofts to come).