Loft Height 2.15m - Any creative solutions?

omariqy

Hi all

 

We are really keen to get a hip to gable loft conversion done on our 1930s semi detached house. We had a company come in who measured the height from top of joists to ridge using a laser. They said the height is about 2.15m and that the only way to get the 2m clearance would be to lower the ceilings below. Whilst I am not averse to paying the additional cost to do this. The hassle of having to renovate all the rooms below and having to move out of the house is putting me off. Are there any creative solutions to do the conversion and maintain the required clearance?

 

Many thanks

Doozergirl

You either go up or come down.  You can't create more space within the existing confines.

Lowering the ceilings is the creative option. 

omariqy

Thanks thought that may be the case. Thanks anyway. 

drsquirrel

There is a method where they don't need to raise the floor so much by putting metal joists alongside the existing joists. Involves removing some bricks from the front of the house to get them in one go.

I tried to find some links but cannot at the moment, we hada similar issue so was looking into it in the past.

Also it seems the height is actually 1.9m above the stairs.

There is also raising the roof...

kdotdotdotdot

Dunno if this helps, but I saw a picture recently where they'd used the loft space to create double-height ceilings in the rooms below, allowing them to put in a sleeping niche/gallery level more of less where the loft had been.  You don't get any extra rooms in your house, but you get more vertical space in the rooms you already have.  

Perhaps this will explain better: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/297096906649717745/

Obvs in this picture they've got plenty of roof height anyway, but I think the idea might scale down to a standard British three-bed semi.