• Home
• Property
  • Buying
  • Renting
  • Renting Out
  • Estate agents
  • Housing associations
  • Home contents insurance
• Improvement
  • Conservatories
  • Decorating
  • D.I.Y.
  • Furniture
  • Gardening
  • Loft conversions
• Finance
  • Buy to let mortgages
  • Getting a mortgage
  • Secured loans
  • Unsecured loans
  • Home insurance
  • Critical illness
  • Life insurance
  • Inheritance tax
  • Pension term insurance
  • Tax efficient insurance
• Legal
• About
• Contact

Loft Conversions in the UK

Looking for an extra bedroom or two, an office or somewhere to indulge your hobbies - maybe your loft has the answer. Rather than reducing the size of your garden by extending outwards, converting your loft lets you create usable space within the existing footprint of your home.

Not every loft is suitable for conversion however, consider the size and shape of the loft. How much headroom is there? Can you stand up, can you reach the apex? Does the pitch of the roof afford enough volume to make the conversion a usable size for your needs? You need to satisfy yourself that your loft construction will make conversion possible, primarily with regard to the structure of the wooden supports holding the roof up. Some designs of roof truss, more popular in modern homes, are much more difficult to convert than pre-truss timber lofts.

The second major practical feasibility consideration is how you will access your converted loftspace. Do you have space for the addition of stairs on the floor below your loft.

If you determine that the proposed loft conversion is practically feasible then you need to investigate whether it will be legally permissible and economically affordable.

The building regulations are complex regarding loft conversions and you should hire professional advisers unless you are extremely confident that you understand the regulations. Issues such as fire protection, access and egress and insulation are covered in detail, as well as the usual building regs. which apply to all habitable space.

Fortunately, planning rules are simpler. Local Authorities in the U.K. have control of planning issues including loft conversions. A straight forward conversion does not usually require planning permission consent from your local authority, though you should always check with them. If your house has listed building status, is in a conservation area, has been extended already or if your development involves changing the shape of the roof then you may well require permission.

Finally, the economic feasibility must be established. How much will converting your attic space cost? It is possible to determine a rough figure by using a price per meter square multiplier of between £230 at the basic end to £370 or more at the higher end. Unlike an extension no foundations, roofing or external walling work is required. This contributes to making loft conversion so cost effective and therefore such a popular option.