Lavishliving.com.au is an award-winning high end home builders specializing in fine residential construction, custom cabinetry & interiors. Common design considerations you are likely to face and will need to resolve are:
- Ceiling height
- Access
- Services
- Lighting issues
- Planning permission
- Building regulations related to floor strength and fire escapes
All these points are covered in further detail within this article. Despite these design considerations a loft conversion can be life changing and a cost effective solution to lack of space or facing up to the challenges of moving house.
Establishing if your property is suitable for a loft conversion
Not all lofts are suitable for a loft conversion. Before going too far into planning your yourloft conversion project, we suggest you carry out a brief survey that checks the following:
- Roof structure — Is it traditional cut rafter and purlin roof or a trussed roof? (See diagram on the left and read about roof structures below).
- Height — Is there enough height within your loft? Note the minimum height for a traditional roof is 2.2 to 2.4 meters and the minimum height for a modern trussed roof is 2.4 to 2.6 meters.
- Space — Is the loft space large enough to provide a usable room?
- Chimneys or services — These don’t pass through the loft space and will not need moving
- Felt — Your roof has felt under the tiles or is fully weather tight. Note that if you don’t have felt you will see the back of the roof tiles and the battens they are fixed to. If you have felt you will most likely see a black bituminous paper under the tiles and battens. Most modern houses will have felt.
If you are confident about all these checks then you have passed the first stage of assessment. Your property may well be suitable for a loft conversion and you can proceed to assessing what kind of loft conversion you could have.
Do not despair if one of these five points highlights a problem. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to throw your loft conversion plans out the window. There is always an answer and we can help you find it.
3 types of loft conversions to consider
What type of loft conversion is most suitable for you will be influenced by three main factors:
- The type of roof you have
- What you want to use your loft for
- Your budget
There are three types of loft conversions to consider. These are internal loft conversions, dormer loft conversions and loft conversions that require a full removal and build.
Internal loft conversions are usually the cheapest and require minimum building intervention. However, dormer loft conversions are the most common type of loft conversions because of the additional space they can provide with relatively simple building works. Full removal and build loft conversions will give you the most flexibility but they are the most complex and most expensive.
1. Internal loft conversions
Roof Lights
These are the most cost effective loft conversion as they involve converting the existing loft space. Very little alterations to the roof space are needed. Additions include windows set into the existing roof slope, insulation and strengthening of the floor.
2. Dormer loft conversions
With dormer loft conversions, dormer windows are added to increase the volume of the roof space while providing full head height. Dormers are usually added to the rear, but subject to planning permission, they can be added to the side or front of your property.
Following a loft conversion, the additional space can be used as an additional bedroom or two, a study or home office, a separate bathroom or a nursery. Or you can consider adding an en-suite or separate dressing room attached to a master bedroom.
Single Dormer
These are favoured by planners in
conservation areas. If permitted, two of these can be used to increase space and add symmetry.
Full Width Dormer
This type of loft conversion will really maximise space and achieve a completely different feel to any other type of loft space.
Side Dormer
A side dormer is often used to increase
head height for houses with a hipped roof, where access to the loft is located under that hip.
L-Shape Dormer
These are only suitable on certain properties such as Victorian properties with an addition to the rear. The L-Shape Dormer provides a signifcant amount of additional space.
Hip-to-Gable
Involves one or more of the hips being replaced with a gable wall (where
the roof slopes in from the side(s) as well as the front and back). The roof is then extended over these gables to add extra space with full headroom.
3. roof off Loft conversions requiring removal and rebuild
Mansard conversions
This type of loft conversion involves one or both slopes of the roof being replaced with a new structure with very steep sloping sides (almost as steep as the walls). An almost flat roof is placed over the top. This design is used where the original roof had little or no headroom and creates sufficient volume for an additional storey. Mansard conversions normally require planning permission.
Pre-fabricated loft
Where vertical space inside a roof is limited, the existing roof structure can be replaced with a larger one. “Room in the roof” trusses can be craned in place to form the shell. The roof can then be constructed around them. But living without a roof for over a month is no fun! But a pre-fabricated unit can be watertight in a couple of days.
The best loft conversion for the most space
The most popular type of loft conversion is the L-Shape conversion with owners of Victorian terraced houses and properties of a similar style. It involves constructing two dormers – one over the roof of the main house and a second above the rear extension. In the majority of cases, the second dormer will be constructed above what is usually the existing kitchen or bathroom. The two dormers meet to form a right angled ‘L’ shape (how this type of conversion came to be named).
The advantage of an L-Shape conversion is that it allows you to almost replicate your first floor in terms of space and design. It gives you the possibility for even three or four new rooms and no other type of loft conversion will give you as much additional space.
Of course this is just an example and there are many different types of properties with varying loft conversion options resulting in different space advantages.
Loft conversion costings and budgets
What you pay for a loft conversion depends on the type you undertake. At current prices (August 2015) we would offer the following guide price per square meter. Note this excludes VAT and fees.
loft conversion Guide price per square meter
Simple rooflight conversion — £1,200 to £1,500
Dormer conversion — £1,680 to £2,400
Professional fees for your loft conversion
Architects fees — a typical £30,000 to £40,000 loft conversion would be in the region of £1,200 to £2,400 for planning drawings
Building regulations fees — Under 40m2 is £385 and 40 to 60m2 is £460
Engineer’s structural design fees — in the region of £600 to £1,800
Planning and certificate of lawful development fees — If you cannot carry out your loft conversion under Permitted Development Rights then a householder planning application costs £172. If you’re using your Permitted Development Rights, we advise you obtain a certificate of lawful development for £86. This certificate takes away any uncertainty and you can produce it when selling the property
Building Control fees — in the region of £960 top £1,200
Party wall arrangement fees — Budget about £850.00 per neighbour
Loft conversion building works
Heating — Radiators are typically £30 per m2 and underfloor heating is £45 per m2
Boiler — If a new boiler is required with more capacity typical costs are usually between £1,800 and £3,500
Bathrooms — Budget in the region of £4,500 to £11,000
Decorating — Set aside £77.00 per square meter for plastering or dry lining and paint.
Flooring — Plan for £24.00 per square meter upwards
