Loft Conversions
Is your loft space being wasted by storing junk and empty boxes?
What uses can you think of for an extra room in your home? Maybe you have a growing family and need an extra bedroom or playroom, maybe you are starting a business and need an office, how about a spare room for guests or an art studio?
There are endless reasons why you might need extra space in your home.
Put your loft to better use by converting it into a habitable room that will add value to your home.
Having your loft converted is always an exciting (and equally tiring process). However, it is important that your conversion does not distract you from some very important considerations.
Your loft conversion must meet building regulations at a minimum and may in some circumstances require planning permission. Don't forget to inform your current insurer that an extra room has been added to your house as this may affect your premium and the cover provided
Can my loft be converted?
Provided there is sufficient headroom, most roofs can be converted. You need to think about what type of conversion you want, where the stairs will go and what changes may be needed to the plumbing system. This is where a professional such as ourselves can best advise.
Roof type
There are two main types of roof construction, the traditional rafter and purlin or the modern trussed roof. Generally the older type of roof is easier to convert as it has a steep pitch that gives the headroom required. Most houses built before the 1960s will have the traditional rafter and purlin design. A more modern trussed rafter roof (where you may see diagonal members from the floor to the rafters) can be converted but are generally more involved and require steelwork supports etc
Headroom As a general rule you will need a minimum height of 2.3 metres across around half of the floor area to make a conversion worthwhile. There isn't much point having an extra room if you can't stand up in it! This is usually increased with the use of dormers. These can be in various styles from chocolate box cottage style to simple but not so attractive flat roof variants.
Access An important consideration is where the stairs for the new loft conversion will go. Generally we will try and have the new stairs over the current ones but this isnt always possible. Sometimes part of an existing bedroom is used for the stairs, but this should be a last resort as the lost space detracts from the benefits of the additional bedroom in the loft. There are different types of stair that can be used from fixed ladders, hit and miss stairs to the best option where possible, a traditional staircase.
How can we help you?
Firstly we can advise on whether planning permission is required or not. In most loft conversions, providing some simple critera is followed, will fall under permitted development rights. The most important consideration for this is that any dormer must be on the rear elevation and not the front.
All loft conversions will require building regulation approval to ensure it is bilt to current and safe standards in terms of structure and values such as thermal insulation, waterproofing, heating and ventitlation and in case of ensuites, drainage. We can produce these drawings for you which will also assist your builder in providing both a fixed quote and a decent job!
Please do not fall into the trap of assuming as planning is not required you can start and build. We have been to a number of clients where there has been a knock on the door and the building inspector has halted works, with a hole in the roof covered up with sheeting as no building regulation application was applied for. In this case we have produced retrospective drawings and liased with the building control on the clients behalf to get the job started again. Unfortunatly if the builder is not up to date on current regulations, this can mean dismantling some of the work they have already built as it may not be to correct standards.
With our guidance this situation wont happen but does highlight the dangers of DIY conversions or project managment.
