What makes a loft 'habitable'?

magn8p

Doozergirl wrote: »

Hmm. I think they’re pretty clear, but not clear enough innwhat they say if the OP thinks they are getting a conversion.

A ‘hooby room’ or ‘cinema room’ is a room. A living space, a habitable area. If you are in a room doing something, anything then the room must be suitable for purpose. If you phone up Buildong Control and ask them if a ‘hobby room’ in the loft needs full regs, I can guess what they would say.

It’s not even about what they would say. The joists need to be strong enough. Most joists in loft are ceiling joists to hold up plasterboard, not people and furniture.

Now that's a very valid point and hope the OP takes note of that.

sevenhills

Doozergirl wrote: »

That is not a loft conversion. As above, it is a boarded loft with windows and sockets.

Looking at the quotes, there is the delux hobby @£8k or the habitable loft @£29k
Looking at the quotes, truss removal and stairs cost £21k

He had no booklets left, he is posting me one. He did say that he may call or phone, I would think many drop out at this stage; maybe that is why the quote lacks detail.

Doozergirl

sevenhills wrote: »

Looking at the quotes, there is the delux hobby @£8k or the habitable loft @£29k
Looking at the quotes, truss removal and stairs cost £21k

He had no booklets left, he is posting me one. He did say that he may call or phone, I would think many drop out at this stage; maybe that is why the quote lacks detail.

I’ll ask you again. Did you read all the details of the link?

About structural adjustments to the roof structure, insulation (which is expensive and then requires reboarding and plastering), hard wired smoke alarms throughout the house, fire doors through the house, about reinforcing the floors with new joists (which then requires floorboards). Structural engineer’s fees and building control fees.

Some loft conversions require a complete rebuild of the roof structure!

I have no doubt that a company that appears as effective as marketing as the ones you are speaking to are going to be on the higher end of the price scale, especially if they are working to square meterage instead of a comprehensive quoting system by trade and materials, but you are absolutely wrong if you even start to think that stairs cost £21k and that they are trying to have you over.

Inthink that you can get more reasonable quotes than £35k for a small loft (you treat VAT like an incidental!), but they won’t look like £5k. Some people really see what they want to see.

Building work is serious stuff and it costs serious money. It costs what it costs, not what you want it to, unfortunately.

Heedtheadvice

Doozergirl , I humbly suggest you put your feet up and have a snooze! I think you are flogging a dead horse as far as the OP is concerned!

You post some great comments and very useful information but your exellent advice, given freely, seems to be ignored in this case! :A

Ok, you are very concerned that the correct approach is used to ensure a proper job (I agree with you wholeheartedly ) and you have a great history of superb posts in true MSE fashion but sometimes you are just hitting your head off a brick wall


Maybe the OP will listen, take note and accept your advice....... I hope I help to nudged him/her to take your comments on board and not end up with a cheap and nasty bit of work that gets rejected at some stage......

Doozergirl

:A Advice taken!

sevenhills

Doozergirl wrote: »

I’ll ask you again. Did you read all the details of the link?

About structural adjustments to the roof structure, insulation (which is expensive and then requires reboarding and plastering), hard wired smoke alarms throughout the house, fire doors through the house, about reinforcing the floors with new joists (which then requires floorboards). Structural engineer’s fees and building control fees.
I have read some parts from your link, but reading such detail at this stage is premature, as I dont know whether spending £5k+ would be worthwhile.

Some loft conversions require a complete rebuild of the roof structure!

I have no doubt that a company that appears as effective as marketing as the ones you are speaking to are going to be on the higher end of the price scale, especially if they are working to square meterage instead of a comprehensive quoting system by trade and materials, but you are absolutely wrong if you even start to think that stairs cost £21k and that they are trying to have you over.
If they do not explain what the individual parts cost, then I cannot know what I want to purchase. A staircase is very cheap, but without explaining the cost of moving the boiler and the fitting required, I am no further, until I speak to them again.

I think that you can get more reasonable quotes than £35k for a small loft (you treat VAT like an incidental!), but they won’t look like £5k. Some people really see what they want to see.
I add VAT, just like they did.

Building work is serious stuff and it costs serious money. It costs what it costs, not what you want it to, unfortunately.

Eco lofts "Deluxe Package" is £4,500 yet it has a "Deluxe Fakro Fold Down Staircase", which to me sounds like it would not be classed as habitable, so not 'delux'. All very confusing.
But yet it has "Building Control Certificate and guarantee".

http://eco-lofts.co.uk/packages/deluxe-package/

Doozergirl

It’s not ‘such detail’. It’s a few short pages of a Idiots Guide written about something that is *your* responsibility as homeowner. It might be new content to you, but isn’t hard to read.

It answered your question perfectly, but you’d rather read the loft marketing over and over again in case it changes.

‘Deluxe’ means ‘slightly nice ladder than bog standard and more profit for us from lazy people who cba to read government guidance’.

I’m totally out this time.

Warwick_Hunt

sevenhills wrote: »

Eco lofts "Deluxe Package" is £4,500 yet it has a "Deluxe Fakro Fold Down Staircase", which to me sounds like it would not be classed as habitable, so not 'delux'. All very confusing.
But yet it has "Building Control Certificate and guarantee".

http://eco-lofts.co.uk/packages/deluxe-package/

Until you comply with building regs none are habitable.

sevenhills

Warwick_Hunt wrote: »

Until you comply with building regs none are habitable.

So if its a fold-up ladder, no building control, so the web site is mis-leading.

Doozergirl wrote: »

I’m totally out this time.

Thanks for your help.

sevenhills

When I use Eco Lofts web site, with 'habitable space' at the top, it has the option of a loft ladder, with loft ladder = £15,749, without loft ladder £15,399
That is for my 25sqm, with no electrics and lighting. So I think the web site a total waste of time.
It may be of use, if you just want a price for boarding out you loft for storage.