boarding out loft space/ conversion? any advice please?

sjaypink

hi,

a neighbour of ours has had her loft space boarded out for storage/ playroom. we would like to do the same and were wondering how much this might cost?

her husband did theirs and i did ask if he would do ours and give us a price, but shes just come back and said he cant do it (would be worried about doing someone elses- hes not a proffessional, and it took him months to his etc).

so, how much would a builder charge for this do you think? also, any ideas on how much it is per velux? but, if it had a velux would it then be deemed 'living space' and need to meet lots of regs?

lastly, do you think it might be possible to do any of this ourselves- or something best left to a proffessional?!

many thanks!

fluffymuffy

You're not allowed to board out your loft space to use it as a room! You could convert your loft - installing a proper floor with joists and insulating it - all under the Building Regulations. I'd be getting a specialist loft conversion company in for a quote. They do everything for you. This is the sort of work which I wouldn't even do myself (as an architect) as most of the professional costs are in the structural engineering work.

Here's what a price comparison site says - http://www.whatprice.co.uk/prices/building/loft-conversion-whole-project.html

sjaypink

yes thanks. we have looked into loft converting before and it was a lot of money- £12k for the very cheapest, basic conversion. that site you mentioned is very useful, thankyou, but again comfirms that this quote was definately the cheapest we are going to get!

i did know there were regs around it all, but weren't too sure what these are? for instance some houses are advertised as '2 bed' house with 'boarded loft storage'- it canot be described as 3 bed even though it has a velux and staircase and the current owners are using it as a bedroom? anyhow, i will certainly check all of that out.

the thing is we dont want it as a room as such, we just want a fold down ladder, a light fitting or ideally a velux.

as for the finishing- bare boards or whatever would be fine, we just want an even floor, and i guess plasterboarding the walls is mainly a visual thing, but also warmth/ safety..... less spiders?!

primary use would be mainly storage. so would this still need a proffessional conversion? only have a few grand really- is there anything we can do with it for this amount of money?!

can i ask do the floors not have joists in them usually then? im just asking because my mum has a tremendous amount of stuff in her loft, it must weigh a huge amount- is it dangerous?

fluffymuffy

Professionally I have to advise that the ceiling joists are sized only to take the weight of the plasterboard and a person inspecting the loft space once in a while. They are doubled up or otherwise strengthened to take a water tank. Flooring is very heavy in itself and that's before it gets loaded with stuff. A boarded loft looks like a room and will be treated as one. Having said that I do have a lot of stuff in my loft, squashing down the insulation - but no boarding.

peediedj

sister in law had her flat loft done,superb job,but as shes trying to sell it she cant advertise it as a bedroom as they never got a building warrant due to stairs being to thin,yet the tennants still use it

sjaypink

peediedj wrote: »

sister in law had her flat loft done,superb job,but as shes trying to sell it she cant advertise it as a bedroom as they never got a building warrant due to stairs being to thin,yet the tennants still use it

did she have it proffessionally done? and strengthen the floor?

i thought it was such a great idea but am hugely paranoid about it caving in now! new rule- kids are not allowed around the neighbours to play, incase they fall through their ceiling! :eek: :rotfl:

ive looked at some other websites now, here is a good example. looks like theyve basically done this, but boarded across the eaves and roof too, not just the floor. it does state though that this is only for light/ medium storage, certainly not for kids playing!

fluffymuffy

sjaypink wrote: »

ive looked at some other websites now, here is a good example. looks like theyve basically done this, but boarded across the eaves and roof too, not just the floor. it does state though that this is only for light/ medium storage, certainly not for kids playing!

:eek: I had a look at your link and I do think these products should be banned. Once the loft is boarded it looks like a real floor and it isn't. Who's to know the difference? Next thing you know someon'e put in a staircase a velux and has rented it out.

EDIT - I just read this excellent DIY loft conversion disaster story on that same site - http://www.loft-conversion-uk.com/diy-loft.html

dander

Loft boarding banned?

That's crazy! Loads of us have our lofts boarded to make storage easier - it's a totally normal and safe thing to do. You buy the boards in packs for £3.99 at Wickes or wherever (Often on 3 for 2 offer), slot them together and screw down. It's a simple enough job for anyone to do.

There's a huge difference between having a boarded loft and an illegal and dangerous loft conversion. I can't understand why you are comparing the two - they are entirely different situations.

Have you EVER heard of a case where a person with normal loft boards has had the ceilings cave in? You're far more likely to stick a foot through an unprotected ceiling if your loft isn't boarded and you're scuffling around trying to find the christmas decorations!

And a velux doesn't make it into living space, there's no reason why a normal loft used only for storage shouldn't have a velux.

fluffymuffy

There's no reason why most lofts can't be convert into living space - you just need building regulations approval. You also need building regulations approval to install a velux.

danielbb

I am about to embark on the same project. I intend to strengthen the existing joist by doubling them up in height, screwed and glued. Then lay the chipboard flooring.

Installing a velux is very easy look.

http://www.cam.net.uk/home/100.Thoday/loft.htm

I also intend the extend the loft hatch so its easier to gain access, the square ones are useless.

sjaypink

danielbb wrote: »

I am about to embark on the same project. I intend to strengthen the existing joist by doubling them up in height, screwed and glued. Then lay the chipboard flooring.

Installing a velux is very easy look.

http://www.cam.net.uk/home/100.Thoday/loft.htm

I also intend the extend the loft hatch so its easier to gain access, the square ones are useless.

dont mean to sound completely stupid! but how is doubling up the joists strengthening them? is it not just putting more weight on them, iyswim?

apparently a builders price for getting flooring (boarding), a light and ladder fitted should be approx £1000, not too bad.

any ideas though, how much it would cost to get the floor properly strengthened for use as a proper room? just wondering if we can do it in stages because its so expensive. we would certainly need to pay for plans, floor strengthening and maybe stairs, but looking at that velux link (thanks!) im pretty sure that out of all the tradesmen/ clever diy peeps in the family that that can easily be done!.... as can plasterboarding, plastering, electrics etc.
as for that diy disaster link! :eek: :rotfl: even i wouldnt be stupid enough to start sawing random peices of wood off (and im a girl! )