A Beginner’s Guide On Principality Loft Conversions

Add lofts to your house to increase it’s space. You do have an option of installing or putting up some flip down ladder along with a window to use the space to have your personal free space. While loft conversions are very useful many people tend to forget the principality lost conversions i.e. the reasons behind which prompted you to go for loft conversions.

You must keep in mind the following points when you think of adding loft conversion.

Principality loft conversions:

Loft conversions – What about bathroom!!

Ponder over the necessity to add a bathroom to your loft. Calculate the cost of making such an addition. What dimensions will the bathroom have. If the new bathroom can be supported by the present plumbing system or changes have to be made.

Loft conversions – Will your loft be your bedroom?

Does the loft conversion that you are planning intend to convert the loft in your bedroom? Should the added loft be converted into a bedroom. Will the loft be able to accommodate your bed? will the height of the loft permit you easy movement?

Loft conversions – How to get the plug in?

How to go for a planned electrical fitting in the loft? Have a clear idea of how and where to fit the lights.

Loft conversions – other important considerations

See to it if the loft has a common wall with the neighbor. If addition of a loft will hamper this setup? Does the loft require sound proofing?? Do you even think about sound proofing? Have you even thought of sound proofing? Has sound proofing crossed your mind?

Will the light in the loft be sufficient for use or will it require an additional window?

Be sure that the conversion does not require any permission from the law enforcements. It is better to check the laws for conversion though normally it may not be required.

The above points will help you with the planning of your conversion.So, always keep in mind these principality loft conversions questions whenever you plan to set up a loft.

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Posted by admin on February 13th, 2011 :: Filed under Loft Conversions
Tags :: Beginners, Conversions, Guide, Loft, Principality

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Loft Conversions – Do They Really Add Value?

Can I Carry Out a Loft Conversion?

The very first thing to look at is can a loft conversion be carried out in the type of roof that you have. Some types of roofs are more suitable for loft conversions than others. Generally there are two types of roof that you may come across in a residential property.

Very Old Properties (Before 1870) – Is It Suitable For A Loft Conversion?

In properties prior to this date the supply of wood was relatively good. The Victorians have not fully engineered the roof structure, therefore there is often a great deal of timber in the roof, you will still need to check to see if there is head height and a suitable place for the stairs to come up from the first floor into the roof. In addition to this you will also need to check the quality of the structure, such as does it have woodworm, wet rot or dry rot. We would be more than happy to comment on this within one of our surveys when you purchase the property.

A word of warning, if your property is Listed or in a Conservation Area the roof structure itself may be considered an integral part of the Listing and therefore you do need to seek Local Authority approval. In fact, in all cases where you carry out a loft conversion it is better to seek Local Authority approval. Please see our further comments later on within this article.

Older Property (Before 1960′s) – Is It Suitable For A Loft Conversion?

An older property will have a purpose made cut timber roof. This type of roof comes in many forms, as it was literally purpose made for the property. A suitable type of purpose made roof is one that has a high ridge, therefore giving the head height necessary to form a room within the roof. You will also need to consider the things within the roof, such as water tanks that will need to be moved and also of course access to the roof space, which for a proper loft conversion will be via a staircase. This can often mean the loss of space on the floor below.

Sorry to repeat ourselves, but again it is important if the property is Listed or in a Conservation Area the roof structure itself may be considered an integral part of the Listing and therefore you do need to seek Local Authority approval. In fact, in all cases where you carry out a loft conversion it is better to seek Local Authority approval. Please see our further comments later on within this article.

Newer Trussed Roof (1960′s Onwards) – Is It Suitable For A Loft Conversion?

From the 1960′s onwards pre-fabricated trussed roofs were used in house construction. The main driving force behind a pre-fabricated trussed roof was economy of timber sizes. This therefore means these roofs are sometimes less adaptable to loft conversions than the older style roofs. Also during the 1970′s a shallow roof was often used, which is difficult to convert. You will also need to look at items already in the roof, such as the water tanks, which will need moving. Sometimes the boiler has been moved into the roof space as well and of course you will need to consider the access stairway to get into the loft conversion from the floor below.

Things To Look Out For In All Roof Types

Asbestos was a material very commonly used in years gone by, in fact up until very recently. This was due to it being economical and was almost a substitute for timber, particularly during the 1950′s, 1960′s and 1970′s.

What Does A Loft Conversion Involve?

In the very broadest sense you will require planning permission from the Local Authority to approve the look of the loft conversion, you will require Building Regulations approval to ensure the structure is suitably designed and built and in some cases you will require Party Wall Notice approval to ensure your neighbours are happy with the work being carried out.

Who Does A Loft Conversion Involve?

There are many ways of carrying out a loft conversion, from a DIY type project where you are actively involved, through to a project where you do little more than pay the bill. The work will involve a range of building professionals from engineers carrying out the structural design calculations to a designer, possibly an architect (although this can sometimes be considered as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut), an architectural technician or surveyor to carry out the design work and a builder to build the loft conversion.

Some companies carry out all these functions and they are often known as design and build companies. Design and build companies often specialise in this type of work and have a range of standard solutions to produce a loft conversion. A designer will look at a specific solution to suit your needs, which of course will come at a price.

What Does A Loft Conversion Cost?

In our experience it costs anything from £20,000 to £100,000 depending upon the quality and size of the loft conversion. Typically, the range of £30,000 to £50,000 is, in our experience, what it costs. Normally we find that it can cost up to 25% more than originally estimated and also usually runs over time. This is because the work is weather dependent, i.e. can’t take the old roof off during bad weather. Even if you use scaffolding and scaffold over to form a protective roof it has its limitations.

A Loft Conversion – Your Design Choices

In our opinion the very first choice to make is what do you want within your loft conversion. We very much believe in designing the loft conversion from the inside out. By this we mean decide on your requirements internally, for example that you require a bedroom and an en-suite bathroom, which will then give you the space that you require.

Then you can look at other features, for example will the loft conversion contrast the existing building, or blend in with it. This can be your choice, but often the planners from the Local Authority have a great deal of influence. You will also need to talk to the Conservation Officer, particularly if the building is Listed or in a Conservation Area, who will have to take into consideration how it matches its surrounding or how it contrasts with them.

Choices very much depend upon how much money you have to spend, i.e. things such as would you require a balcony? This outside space can be worth its weight in gold, do you want a lot of windows to add light? Both with the balconies and windows, however, you have to consider heat gain and heat loss that can occur during the summer and winter months respectively.

You can read the full article at Prestige Renovation the UK No: 1 Homes Renovation & Property Renovate Site.

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Posted by admin on December 29th, 2010 :: Filed under Loft Conversions
Tags :: Conversions, Loft, Really, They, Value

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Loft Conversion Costs – Are We Getting Ripped Off?

Loft Conversion Costs – Are We Getting Ripped Off?

With the property market in the doldrums and more and more homeowners looking to extend their property with a loft conversion, it’s never been a better time for the loft conversion companies but are they providing value for money or ripping us off with their prices?

What is the Cost of a Loft Conversion?

I wish I had a penny for ever time I was asked about loft conversion costs. It’s not rocket science to make the determination that loft conversion costs will be higher in London than they would be some where in the middle of the country side. Everything costs more in the heart of large cities as all the costs are different.

For starters tradesmen get paid higher rates in cities especially London. Materials cost more in the cities as does delivery. In fact almost every cost that form part of a loft conversion will be higher in the city so why are homeowners surprised that there are huge differences in loft conversion costs.

Loft Conversion Design

What about loft conversion design? The reality is that there are no two loft conversions that are exactly alike. You might have two loft conversions next door to each other but yet one is £10,000 more than the other. To find out why you need to look at design factors such as:

Roof finish – Is it slate, tile or vinyl cladding?
Flat roof – plain felt, zinc or asphalt?
What about the overall design – Is it a single dormer, twin former, semi-mansard or full mansard?
Roof windows – Is it Velux windows or a cheap alternative?
Staircase – Is it a cheap mdf staircase that gets painted or is it a custom timber staircase to match existing character and design?
Heating – Is it a few electric heaters or an extension of the existing heating circuits?
Bathroom – Did you install a bathroom suite, shower, pumps and w/c?

As you can see there are many areas where the costs can escalate and it’s not altogether surprising that a loft conversion can vary by £10/£15k depending on the loft conversion design.

Loft Conversion Size

Another huge factor with regard to loft conversion costs is the actual size of the loft conversion. For starters a loft conversion to a standard period terrace is probably the easiest conversion you can do. But what if it was an end of terrace property or a semi detached property? Go one step bigger and suppose you were considering a loft conversion to a detached house with a Georgian hipped roof, what would the costs be then?

Specialist Loft Conversion Companies

It’s abundantly clear the best loft conversions come from the specialist loft conversion companies. Their in-house design team will have the most up-to-date designs, materials and access to the best suppliers at cheaper rates than say the local builder. On average you are likely to pay about 10% more for a loft conversion by a builder than a loft conversion specialist.

Conclusions

Whilst the loft conversion market is getting a much needed boost it is highly competitive and homeowners are getting better value now than at any time in the past. The key to getting the costs down is to seek at least three comparative loft conversion costs.

You can prices and compare costs at Loft Conversion Supermarket The UK Leading Price Comparison ite For Loft Conversions.

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Posted by admin on November 24th, 2010 :: Filed under Loft Conversions
Tags :: Conversion, Costs, Getting, Loft, Ripped

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All About Loft Conversions

If you are frustrated with the lack of available space in your home then you are not alone. In order to solve this problem many people in the UK have turned to loft conversions as they are a quicker, easier and cheaper way of gaining extra space without moving home.

There are two main types of conversions that tend to be the most popular. Dormer conversions are seen when you do not have quite enough space for headroom and to complete the conversion. Additional space must be made by construction of the dormer area, thus the name.

A rooflight or Velux conversion is usually seen when there is sufficient room available for the conversion. This is one of the most commonly seen and often the least expensive style of loft conversion.

Despite the seeming lack of loft conversion styles, this is far from the case. There are multiple design and modification differences that can be made to either basic loft conversion style. One of the best ways to get an idea of what you desire in your loft conversion is by seeing what other people have done for their loft conversions in different areas.

If you were to take a look around London you would find countless examples of conversions. A very popular style of loft conversion in the London area is the dormer style. Often, with terraced homes a slight variation on the dormer conversion is chosen to be employed, termed the Mansard loft conversion.

A simple glance through advertisements in Surrey reveal how sought after homes with a loft conversion are. While no one set style seems to rule the fashion, homes sporting lovely dormer style loft conversions and Velux style conversions can be found on every road. It’s quite amazing how luxurious and elegant a conversion can become, featuring its own master suite with bathe.

The overall look and features of a conversion are almost endless. You are certain to find exactly the look and features of what your ideal loft conversion would have with your happiness guaranteed. Today, people around the UK are learning the wonders and joy of that added space with their loft conversion. You can now see a loft conversion in any upscale London area to some of the tinier country homes. So why should you suffer any longer with less room? Start today, and soon your conversion will be a living dream.

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Posted by admin on October 8th, 2010 :: Filed under Loft Conversions
Tags :: About, Conversions, Loft

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