Loft conversions
Loft conversions are becoming ever more popular. There are many reasons for this. Not only will converting your loft into an extra room extend your living area and comfort but it will also increase the value of your home. For many, finding a house with the right number of rooms at the right price is becoming increasingly difficult so they opt for buying something smaller but with loft space that has good potential for conversion. Similarly, couples who bought a while back but are now thinking of kids, or families in which the kids have grown and need more space, are looking to their lofts to accommodate this need.
A loft can be made into an extra bedroom, an office, a play area for the kids or an extra living or recreation area for the whole family. Whatever your plans, the loft holds a lot of opportunity.
Before you start dreaming about all the extra space you’ll soon have, there are a few considerations to make. First you need to find out if your loft can be converted. Simply put, you need to check if your loft is big enough to be converted into a comfortable living space. You can do this by seeing if you can stand up straight at the highest point of the loft, 2.3 metres in height is your general guideline. Also, you should be able to judge whether the space is adequate for what you want to use it for. Remember to factor in such things as floorboards and structural additions that may take up any extra room. Another important consideration is whether you have room for permanent stairs to your loft.
To make the most of your attic conversion be sure to plan ahead how you would like the new room to look, taking into account what furniture will be needed, how much light, natural and electric, you will want and how you will make the most of your views.
Converting your loft into a new room can be a bit daunting but made all the more exhilarating with a little forward thinking and planning.
See http://www.loftbuilders.org.uk/ for more details and information.
Our thanks go to Ian McMillan, a builder of loft conversions in Leeds, for his help in creating this page.