Does a loft room add value?

monty-doggy

We've just had our loft converted into a bedroom, it was partially done when we moved in but we've had the floor strengthened, new thicker floorboards, full plastering, re wiring, wired in smoke alarm, eves storage and velux window fitted. We are using it as an occasional bedroom.

It's not done to full building regs but it's a very high standard.

Will it add value to our home? Not that it matters, we don't plan on selling, I was just wondering!

Yorkie1

A bit, probably, but as you've chosen not to get it done to B Regs standard, it cannot be marketed as an extra room. There would be no proof of what standard you had indeed done it to, without the independent sign off from the council.

Turn it round to the posts we often see on here from potential buyers, who ask about this extra space.

The comments in response to them is that if the person doing the work couldn't be bothered to do it to proper standard, how do you know what corners they chose to cut?

I'm not saying that's what you've done, but it indicates how it can be viewed generically from the other side of the equation.

monty-doggy

That's true. I know it's been done to an excellent standard, but if it came to us selling we could just sell as a three bed. We didn't do it to add value, just convenience for us. It's now a lovely room and when not used as a bedroom may end up a hobby/craft room for me.

jaylee3

Probably won't add as much value as it takes to put the loft room in. And from experience, all it does is rob you of your loft. And our loft holds a lot of stuff. Where would it go if the loft was made into another bedroom? There's no extra room/space being put into the house. So all the loft stuff would have to go into the extra bedroom. (ie; the new loft conversion.)

I wouldn't buy a 3 bed house with a loft room. If I wanted 4 bed house, then I would buy a 4 bed house.

JMHO.

pc1271

If the original room was done (and finished to the point of being a useable room, if not fully finished) many years ago you wouldn't need to worry about building regs now - all you've done is redecorate and make improvements to what's there. Depends when it was done and to what extent.

padington

It depends how in demand your house was in the first place. A nice hat on a messy drunk might not be worth the effort but on the right select individual could be quite an attractive addition.

eddddy

monty-doggy wrote: »

...
It's not done to full building regs but it's a very high standard.

Will it add value to our home?
...

I imagine your house would sell for...

- more than a similar house with no loft conversion
- less than a similar house with a loft conversion with BR approval


When you sell, the lack of building regs may have the following effect:

- some buyers will panic and run a mile (perhaps without really understanding why they are panicking.)
- some buyers will think "Great... I'm getting a 4 bed house cheaper than other similar 4 bed houses, because the loft doesn't have BR approval".

monty-doggy

Thanks. It's neither here nor there really. Next door just sold one day after going up for sale, for £5k over asking, they don't have loft or conservatory but their overall decor prob better than ours.
Were doing our house up slowly but surely, and the £2.5k we spent on the loft is worth every penny to us. I'm really pleased with it

Owain_Moneysaver

eddddy wrote: »

I imagine your house would sell for...

- more than a similar house with no loft conversion
- less than a similar house with a loft conversion with BR approval

I would probably pay less than a similar house with no loft conversion, because if I wanted a loft conversion I'd have to spend money undoing the work that's already been done.

But then there are no shortage of affordable houses round here. 4-bedroom flat for £60k :rotfl:

dgtazzman

As a buyer, I wouldn't pay more than for a 3-bed without the conversion. As said before, a loft can be a very nice thing to have and without BR, that room to me is officially still a loft, just one that looks pretty ^^

Old_Git

monty-doggy wrote: »

We've just had our loft converted into a bedroom, it was partially done when we moved in but we've had the floor strengthened, new thicker floorboards, full plastering, re wiring, wired in smoke alarm, eves storage and velux window fitted. We are using it as an occasional bedroom.

It's not done to full building regs but it's a very high standard.

Will it add value to our home? Not that it matters, we don't plan on selling, I was just wondering!

why didnt you get building regs