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Loft Conversions a Beginners Guide the Easy to Follow Guide to Extending Your Home Upwards

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Loft Conversions a Beginners Guide the Easy to Follow Guide to Extending Your Home Upwards Home About Articles Loft Conversions A Beginners Guide The easy to follow guide to extending your home upwards Play Audio Article Printable PDF Show Article Contents Home About Articles Home > Articles > Loft Conversion Guide If you are looking for beginners guide to loft conversion, you've come to the right place. In this loft conversion guide, you're going to learn everything that you need to know about the following: Is a loft conversion possible for your property? Things to consider before you start Designs to consider for your loft conversion Potential costings All about planning permission Building regulations information Loft conversion design ideas How to begin with your loft conversion A loft conversion is an excellent way to expand your home; whether you need an extra bathroom, a guest suite or an additional study, a loft conversion is a fantastic way to provide your home with the space you want. Extending the space is often the best option over moving to a new property, too, and if you have space that is unused, building into it yourself could make that space functional. Show Article Index Whether you need an extra bathroom, a guest suite or an additional study, a loft conversion is a fantastic way to provide your home with the space you want Regardless of what you choose to turn your loft into, you will need to think deeply about so many things to do with your loft conversion; planning permission included. For every load you intend to build onto the existing floor, you need to ensure that it's capable of withstanding it. Calculations will have to be made to check it will work for your home, and you have to be aware of the safety regulations, too. A loft conversion in your home could be life-changing for you, and it can also be a cost-effective solution to your space issues; especially if you're not up to the challenge of buying a new house! What will you use your loft conversion for? Home About Articles Can I Convert My Loft? Knowing your property is suitable for a loft conversion is a great way to get started on assessing the type of loft conversion that you could have It's a valid question to ask; most people aren't aware of whether their home is going to withstand the changes of a loft conversion. A lot of houses come with allowances for development with permission, and this can mean you can go ahead and do your conversion without planning permission. There are other times, though, that planning permission is required for your house. If you are living in a conservation area, for example, or you have a roof space that doesn't meet the height requirements it can become a little more challenging to get that permission that you need. You can seek the help of an architect or surveyor to confirm whether your roof space is tall enough, or you can do some of the checks yourself. Not every loft works with a conversion; so don't get too carried away about the process until you have it confirmed that yours is! A survey before you go ahead with your project is a smart idea, and it's an excellent way to ensure that you have a successful conversion in the end with fewer costs. Some of the things that should be included in your survey include: Structure Of The Roof Is your roof one that is traditionally cut rafter and purlin? Is your roof trussed? Roof Height You need to know the height on the inside of your loft before you go ahead and start finding designs on Pinterest. The minimum roof height for a traditional roof is 2.2-2.4m. It's a little higher for a trussed roof at 2.4-2.6m. Amount Of Space The loft space that you want to convert needs to be enough to provide a usable room; otherwise, you're going to end up with a very pretty cupboard. Any Chimneys? Chimneys don't go through the loft space so won't need to be moved. Once you've done these checks, you can start moving things along with your loft conversion plans. Knowing your property is suitable for a loft conversion is a great way to get started on assessing the type of loft conversion that you could have. Some of these points may bring up some issues for you, but don't panic yet! It doesn't mean that you have to throw out your loft conversion plans; it just means you need to think over your next steps carefully. Converting Your Garage? Looking To Extend Your House? Garage Conversion Guide House Extension Cost Home About Articles Considerations Before You Get Started Where would the staircase go? This is an important question to ask yourself As we previously mentioned, there are a lot of things to consider before you get started on your loft conversion project. Some of the main things that should be ticked off before you get going include the following points: Neighbourhood Conversions Have a look around your neighbourhood. If your house is very similarly built to the others on the street and those people have loft conversions, you can feel pretty confident that you'll be able to, too. Not only will you be able to tell that a loft conversion is a possibility for you, but you'll also be able to draw inspiration from what they look like! Drop around to the neighbours' house and ask to have a look around if you know them enough. This can provide you with invaluable information that you need to know. Get Out The Tape Measure We've previously mentioned that the minimum height on the inside of the loft should be 2.2m. This is something that you can easily measure yourself. Run a tape measure from the floor to the ceiling at the very tallest piece of the room. It's fine for your roof to be over 2.2m, but any lower and you may not be able to make your conversion work. Victorian houses are often those that are lower and won't have a sufficient head height, but it's always worth checking. Your Roof Type Matters Take a look through your loft hatch. Doing this, you should be able to see whether you have roof trusses or rafters. Converting your loft - if it has trusses - is possible, but you'll need to give your roof extra structural support, too. Rafters will leave a triangular hollow under the roof, providing you with the space you need to convert. Think About The Below When you change your loft, you don't just change the roof. Many self-builders forget to consider the floor below their feet. Where would the staircase go? This is an important question to ask yourself as even a staircase that has been well-designed could take a considerable amount of space. If the floor below is too narrow for a decent staircase, you need to get creative. Make sure that you have the area that you would be willing to lose. As soon as you've made your assessments as to whether you will be able to go ahead with your loft conversion, it's time to start looking at costs. Home About Articles Have your neighbours already had their lofts converted? Types Of Loft Conversion Most of the time, a dormer loft conversion is added to the back of the house, but they can be added to the side or front with the right planning permission Now you can get started with your project; you need to know the various choices you have in front of you. The type of loft conversion that works for your home is under the influence of three separate issues: The budget you have to play with What you plan to convert your loft into The type of roof you are working with There are also three different types of loft conversion that you will need to mull over before you pay for anything: Internal Loft Conversions Usually, these are the cheapest option and require the least intervention with the building. Full Conversions This type of loft conversion requires complete removal and building, and these give you and your home the most flexibility but are the most expensive. They are also the most challenging. Dormer Loft Conversions These are the most common type of loft conversion around because the building work behind them is simple and yet the space created is incredible. So, what options for loft conversions are out there for you? Roof Light Conversions This type of loft conversion is the cheapest, the least disruptive and doesn't require any changes made to the shape or the pitch of the roof. This conversion is just merely adding skylights, laying a floor and adding a staircase to get there in the first place. For this loft conversion, you'll need to have the roof space there already, and enough of it to make the extension worth it. As you will be working on loft space that you have already, it makes this project very cost-effective. Your roof space doesn't require you to makeH aonmye altAebraotuiot nsA.rticles Dormer Conversions - Continued If you've never heard of them, a dormer conversion is an extension that will project from the natural slope of the roof. Flat roof dormers are a popular conversion type, and they work for any home with a slope in the roof.
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