Foil and multifoil loft insulation — was yours fitted properly?
Foil and multifoil loft insulation only performs as claimed if it was installed exactly as the manufacturer requires — with a ventilated air gap on the correct side and the vapour control layer in the right position. Whether yours was is a question about your specific loft, and it is answerable by inspection rather than by opinion. Independent inspection, £295 fixed, written report in 48–72 hours.
£295 fixed
What yours might be called
It was probably sold to you under one of these names. They are not all the same product, but the questions that matter are the same.
- multifoil
- SuperQuilt
- space blanket
- thermal wrap
- silver foil insulation
- bubble foil insulation
- foil-faced insulation
- reflective foil insulation
- foil vapour barrier
Whatever the name on your paperwork, the inspection looks at the same things: the air gap, the ventilation of that gap, and where the vapour control layer sits.
How foil insulation is supposed to be installed
An air gap facing the foil. Foil works by reflecting radiant heat, which requires an air gap facing the foil surface. Without that gap the reflective property does nothing, and the material performs only as its thin insulating core allows.
That gap normally needs to be ventilated. A sealed gap allows moisture to accumulate against the foil. Ventilation of the gap is part of how the system is designed to work.
Vapour control layer position matters. Foil is itself vapour-resistant, so where it sits relative to the insulation and the roof structure determines whether moisture can escape or is trapped.
Continuity and sealing. Joints, edges and penetrations determine whether the installed system behaves like the tested one. Gaps and breaks change how the whole build-up behaves.
Manufacturer performance figures are achieved under specified installation conditions. If those conditions were not met on site, the figures do not describe that roof.
In the lofts I have inspected, missing or unventilated air gaps and misplaced vapour control layers are the details most often found short of the specification. That is an observation from my own inspections — not a statement about any product, manufacturer or installer.
Foil and multifoil insulation problems — how the certificate conditions work →
What the inspection covers
A visual, non-invasive inspection of the foil, multifoil, SuperQuilt, space blanket or thermal wrap installed in your roof. The assessor records what is in place, how it was fitted, and how the conditions in the roof measure on the day. You receive a photo-referenced written report, typically within 48–72 hours. Express reporting is 24 hours from the inspection visit, +£50.
- Product identification where possible — multifoil, SuperQuilt, space blanket, bubble foil or foil-faced board
- Air gap presence, depth and which side of the foil it sits on
- Whether that gap is ventilated or sealed
- Vapour control layer position relative to the insulation and roof structure
- Continuity and sealing at joints, edges and penetrations
- Moisture and psychrometer readings as standard
- Photo-referenced written report within 48–72 hours
Fitted after spray foam removal?
Foil and multifoil are frequently installed immediately after spray foam is removed, sometimes on the same visit.
Decide what replaces the foam before the removal starts, not afterwards. The air gap, ventilation route and vapour control position are far easier to get right when they are planned rather than fitted in a hurry.
What this is not
- — Removal or installation work
- — Legal or financial advice
- — Not a RICS survey or lender valuation
Who carries it out
Jan — DEA qualified (ABBE Level 3), PAS 2035 training completed, inspections carried out in line with PCA guidance, 1,500+ lofts inspected across his career.
Inspection only — no removal arm, no installation arm, no referral fees.
Price and booking
£295 fixed. Standard report within 48–72 hours. Express reporting is 24 hours from the inspection visit, +£50. No payment is taken online — bookings are confirmed personally.
- 1Send a booking request
- 2Jan calls you to confirm a date
- 3Inspection at your property
- 4Written report within 48–72 hours
Who this is for
Homeowners who had multifoil, SuperQuilt, space blanket, thermal wrap or silver foil insulation installed — sometimes as a replacement for spray foam, sometimes as an ECO4 or GBIS measure — and want independent confirmation of what is there and how it was fitted.
Also for homeowners who were told the foil alone would do the job, and want a documented, factual record of the installation as found.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to check your foil insulation?
Covering England & Wales, from a North West base. Fixed fee £295. Report within 48–72 hours of inspection.
Google Reviews
What our clients say
Tunde Adeolu Adewole
August 2026
Why are all our reviews on Google?
Simple: Google reviews are the one thing we can't control. We can't edit them, hide them, or choose which ones you see. Every review comes from a verified Google account and is published unedited, in public, where anyone can read it.
We built SprayFoamCheck on independence — no removal arm, no referral fees — so our reviews sit on the one platform where we have no say over what's shown. If a review site let us filter or curate, it wouldn't prove anything.
Still on the fence? Don't take this page's word for it. Read what other homeowners wrote, straight from the source — then decide.