Instead of moving House - Loft conversion .

[jcwuk]

We are looking at converting out loft space instead of moving.

The loft has potentially a lot of space but there are a large quantity of wooden beams at various angles which obviously support the roof.

The House is also Mid Terraced (built 5 years ago)

Is it possible to create a loft space without affecting the Structure of the Roof and affecting the houses either side ?

Would this be an expensive project and can the beams be moved or can the Roof be supported via other methods so to create a space to place sofa's etc ?

Many Thanks for any advise on this project.

[fulham911club]

jcwuk said:

We are looking at converting out loft space instead of moving.

The loft has potentially a lot of space but there are a large quantity of wooden beams at various angles which obviously support the roof.

The House is also Mid Terraced (built 5 years ago)

Is it possible to create a loft space without affecting the Structure of the Roof and affecting the houses either side ?

Would this be an expensive project and can the beams be moved or can the Roof be supported via other methods so to create a space to place sofa's etc ?

Many Thanks for any advise on this project.

Yes it probably can but get one of the many loft converson companies to give you an estimate and look at the roof height (for head clearance).

Cost depends on what you have done but from £25k to £50k

[MrV]

jcwuk said:

We are looking at converting out loft space instead of moving.

The loft has potentially a lot of space but there are a large quantity of wooden beams at various angles which obviously support the roof.

The House is also Mid Terraced (built 5 years ago)

Is it possible to create a loft space without affecting the Structure of the Roof and affecting the houses either side ?

Would this be an expensive project and can the beams be moved or can the Roof be supported via other methods so to create a space to place sofa's etc ?

Many Thanks for any advise on this project.

Yes to the main bulk of your questions ,your better off having a dormer built (think square box) at the rear to really utilise the maximum amount of space

Its been awhile since I have had to price a loft up but would say at least 20k as a starting point and more than likely nearer 40k if you are down south and have more than a basic board out.

[Jasandjules]

Have the neighbours got any?

Planning may be a challenge otherwise...

But as above, I think 20-30k is the rough ball park...

[B17NNS]

If your house is only 5 years old it is likely to have a trussed roof.

This can be converted but is expensive as it often means replacing the timbers with attic trusses.

Easiest to convert are roofs build around purlins.

[jcwuk]

Jasandjules said:

Have the neighbours got any?

Planning may be a challenge otherwise...

But as above, I think 20-30k is the rough ball park...

Thanks for replies everyone - much appreciated.

No Neighbours do not have any conversions.

Im wondering if you do not have any windows fitted would you still need planning permission ?

Many Thanks

[jcwuk]

MrV said:

jcwuk said:

We are looking at converting out loft space instead of moving.

The loft has potentially a lot of space but there are a large quantity of wooden beams at various angles which obviously support the roof.

The House is also Mid Terraced (built 5 years ago)

Is it possible to create a loft space without affecting the Structure of the Roof and affecting the houses either side ?

Would this be an expensive project and can the beams be moved or can the Roof be supported via other methods so to create a space to place sofa's etc ?

Many Thanks for any advise on this project.

Yes to the main bulk of your questions ,your better off having a dormer built (think square box) at the rear to really utilise the maximum amount of space

Its been awhile since I have had to price a loft up but would say at least 20k as a starting point and more than likely nearer 40k if you are down south and have more than a basic board out.

Thanks Mr V
Dont know if you know the company but its a Hargreves built house.

[Jasandjules]

jcwuk said:

Im wondering if you do not have any windows fitted would you still need planning permission ?

Interesting point, BUT it would be rather dark up there? Is it for a bedroom or games room?

[anonymous-user]

jcwuk said:

Is it possible to create a loft space without affecting the Structure of the Roof and affecting the houses either side ?

Would this be an expensive project and can the beams be moved or can the Roof be supported via other methods so to create a space to place sofa's etc ?

The blokes doing the conversion simply just start at one end removing the trusses and replacing them with new supports as they go, then they add insulation and soundproofing etc to the roof, walls and floor.

My understanding is that generally dormer windows need planning permission but velux ones don't. Perhaps it depends on where you are? If you are planning to do it and use or sell it as a bedroom i.e. with a door going into it you might need to put stuff like fireproof doors on the loft and most other downstairs rooms that face the route from the loft to an exit from your house.

Even without dormers etc you'll still need plans drawn up by an architect and have them approved by the planning office and than have building inspectors pay three or four visits during the build.

Although the work is mainly done through the roof once they come into the house and add stairs into the loft it's an extremely messy job. Your entire house will be full of fine dust from when they open the ceiling into the loft until the job finishes.

I'd expect a victorian semi without dormer windows to be somewhere around the 20-30K mark, remember you then have to plaster, decorate floor it all also.

I'd really get windows up there, the window recesses give you some more room and the loft will be nice and bright all year round.

Edited by el stovey on Tuesday 27th January 18:15

[Busamav]

It is most likely on a 5 year old house that your Permitted development rights have been removed ,

so planning would then be required be it a dormer or a veluxe.

This does not mean that a decent design would not be acceptable to the planners .

I would budget 30k for such a loft conversion , just be aware how much space on the first floor will be lost to the new staircase.

Most important , if you have an open plan ground floor , ie , stairs open into the sitting room , then it is most unlikely that you will get it past Building regulations

[Tom_C76]

jcwuk said:

We are looking at converting out loft space instead of moving.

The loft has potentially a lot of space but there are a large quantity of wooden beams at various angles which obviously support the roof.

The House is also Mid Terraced (built 5 years ago)

Is it possible to create a loft space without affecting the Structure of the Roof and affecting the houses either side ?

Would this be an expensive project and can the beams be moved or can the Roof be supported via other methods so to create a space to place sofa's etc ?

Many Thanks for any advise on this project.

At that age it's definitely going to be trussed rafters, so you'll need new floor joists plus some way of supporting the roof. Another problem to consider is the position of the staircase, as it must form a "protected shaft" from the front door. This may take away a big chunk of the 1st floor space depending on layout.

TC

[jcwuk]

Jasandjules said:

jcwuk said:

Im wondering if you do not have any windows fitted would you still need planning permission ?

Interesting point, BUT it would be rather dark up there? Is it for a bedroom or games room?

Games Room.

[Jasandjules]

In which case I suppose you don't "need" a window.. Been in plenty of pool halls that don't exactly have much light....

Silly question, have you spoken to the planning office yet? You can get lucky and find someone very helpful indeed, who may clarify about velux windows etc.. and the building regs you would need to follow.

[toomuchbeer]

you will definatley need building regulations, and the stairs will take up more room than you think at first floor level. Usually either taking a full bedroom (small box room) or make a bigger bedroom smaller (duh, obviously....)

All doors on the escape route from the loft conversion will need to be upgraded to fire doors with door closers. Always more to do than you think, but the ones I have been involved with, the home onwers have always loved them.

You will also need to upgrade some light fittings elsewhere in the house to more 'green' fittings. Get an architect and see what they think. They can usually tell how much is involved by sticking their head in the loft to see. Also, sometimes your central heating boiler will need to be upgraded due to them usually being at the limit already.

[Mr POD]

In early 2001 we had a 3.9 m by 4.2 m loft conversion. Total was £15K, but £4K of that was additional work which worked out cheaper whilst the builder was on site(A brick Porch, Pointing the gabble wall and a Rewire). We borrowed £6K on our mortgage to pay for the extra work. I'm guessing that our house is worth about £20K more than it was, so not a great investment, but the price of a 4 bed in our area is about £60K more than a 3 bed, so for us it was the only way for more space. We could have cut the room into 3 and had 2 small bedrooms and a shower room, but then where would the pool table go ?

The plans were passed by Local Council for adherence to building regs with all structural calculations checked, and checked and stamped off after completion.

The guy we used was brilliant. We went to him having got 4 quotes, and asking for 5 references, and having 2 builders telling us we could not, do it the way I wanted (the position of the stairs was not 'normal')

When we visited some of the references they waxed lyrical about the guy, where as the others were somewaht more restrained.

My sister in law then had a loft conversion done by the same guy, and there were some serious structural/height issues to be solved. He managed to make it all fit within the regs.

My point?

Get 4 or 5 different people in to quote, get references, look at thier work, check the contract line by line, and go from there.

[jcwuk]

Jasandjules said:

In which case I suppose you don't "need" a window.. Been in plenty of pool halls that don't exactly have much light....

Silly question, have you spoken to the planning office yet? You can get lucky and find someone very helpful indeed, who may clarify about velux windows etc.. and the building regs you would need to follow.

Not yet but will be doing so this week.

I wondered that by just keeping the ladder in the same place and not putting in a tradional stair case plus putting in some downlighters would it be possible to do on a budget as the room will only be a video games room / chill out area.

[jcwuk]

[quote=Busamav]It is most likely on a 5 year old house that your Permitted development rights have been removed ,


This is something that has popped up according to the neighbours comments.

If there is a 10 year ban then Im knackered !

[Busamav]

That doesnt mean you cant do it, you just need to apply for planning .

If your property had permitted development rights intact you probably wouldnt need planning approval.

Somebody mentioned fire doors need to have self closers fitted , that is not the case , just a fire door and frame is required .

[Grey Ghost]

Look through the PH members list for a guy using the ID "Pikey". He had a loft conversion done a while back that turned into a bit of a nightmare. He did have a link into the blog he wrote on his web site which was detailed in his user profile. Lots of lessons to be learned about the right contractors, building regs etc.

[cjs]

jcwuk said:

Jasandjules said:

In which case I suppose you don't "need" a window.. Been in plenty of pool halls that don't exactly have much light....

Silly question, have you spoken to the planning office yet? You can get lucky and find someone very helpful indeed, who may clarify about velux windows etc.. and the building regs you would need to follow.

Not yet but will be doing so this week.

I wondered that by just keeping the ladder in the same place and not putting in a tradional stair case plus putting in some downlighters would it be possible to do on a budget as the room will only be a video games room / chill out area.

My Friend did this. He turned his loft into a bedroom/den, had a couple of veluxs installed and just used a ladder for access. No way would this pass building regs, the ladder access alone would make it fail.

My friend got a competent builder friend of his to do the work. Going down this route will cause issues if you ever try and sell the house. Also think safety, would you want you or your kids trapped up there if there was a fire??