Over the last number of years we have been renovating our 1970s built house and the final piece of the project was the attic/ loft conversation. The purpose of the room for us was a play space/ games room for the boys.
My husband works in construction so we were starting the project with some basic knowledge and a rough idea of loft conversion costs. We have finished our conversion now and are really thrilled with the end result, the kids especially love the cool chill out space. I thought armed with this experience, I would share some tips we have gleaned as part of our conversion:
Check it’s suitable
Pic Credit: Pixabay
One thing I didn’t fully appreciate until we started our project was that not all lofts are suitable for a conversion, for example you might not have enough head space or roof height. Also do consult local planning laws to see if permission is required.
Use a reputable builder
Work like an attic conversion will likely require structural work so it is imperative you use a reputable builder with the requisite insurances in place. It would be no harm to chat to any neighbours who have had it done to 1) view the finished product and 2) get a personal recommendation
Consider the time of year
We needed some quite substantial work done on our roof, which involved scaffolding and lifting off the roof tiles temporarily while the windows were fitted. For that very reason we opted to do it during the summer months to minimise the house being left exposed to the elements.
Factor in access to the loft
Pic Credit: Pixabay
Once the loft becomes a liveable space, a pull down ladder will likely not be sufficient. In order for us to put in the full stair case we had to loose some of our box room but that was a sacrifice we were willing to make for the extra loft space.
An extra bathroom?
We decided against it in the end but one thing that is well worth considering is whether you can stretch the budget to add an additional bathroom as part of the loft conversion. If every house is like ours, you can never have enough bathrooms!!!
Hopefully this has been some help if you are thinking of considering an attic conversion. Having come out the far side it has been totally worth it for us.
Note: This is a collaborative post
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