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Loft height dilemma

Hi all,

Hoping for some guidance and advice please. 

We had an architect size up our loft space in a mid terrace property so that we have an idea of what’s possible. Unfortunately, there was very little space in the loft. If we wanted to have a bedroom and separate shower room up there, the ceiling would need to be lowered from 260 cm to 230 cm in order to have a floor to ceiling height of 200 cm in the loft. Raising the roof ridge is not a possibility. Space would not be taken up from any of the rooms for the new stairs. 

Has anyone done something similar? Would you recommend or avoid?

Thanks. 


Comments

  • stuart45
    stuart45 Posts: 4,585 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Dropping the ceilings will obviously cost more, although you'd need larger joists anyway. All you can do if wait for the quotes and think about if you want it done.
  • TELLIT01
    TELLIT01 Posts: 17,474 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper PPI Party Pooper
    Prepare for a shock upon discovering the cost of trying to lower the ceiling.  The entire roof will have to come off first.
  • rob7475
    rob7475 Posts: 913 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I'd get a second opinion from a building company who specialise in loft conversions. Architects do get it wrong sometimes.

    We've recently had a dormer conversion and our architect made all sorts of mistakes with stair sizes, joist plans etc. Luckily our builders are good and worked around his errors. 

    Depending on how the roof is constructed, it may not have to come off to lower your ceilings. It will be a messy job but if you plan on staying in the house, it may be worth it. 230cm is quite low though and may feel a little claustrophobic. Also, if that only gives you 200cm of head height in the centre of the loft, you aren't going to have a great deal of usable space unless you are thinking of adding a dormer too.
  • ZackB
    ZackB Posts: 2 Newbie
    Name Dropper First Post
    Thank you all for the replies. 

    I've had a quote and lowering the ceiling would be an additional £6k. 

    It would be a dormer loft conversion, I'm just unsure on how it would be like when finished. 2m head height in the loft seems low although it would be mainly used as a bedroom. Unsure about lowering the ceiling as it may affect us in the future if we decide to sell. 

    @rob7475 - thanks for the advice. I will speak to a building company who specialises in loft conversions. 
  • Albermarle
    Albermarle Posts: 25,915 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Sixth Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 30 January at 10:47AM
    Some houses/roofs lend themselves to a loft conversion better than others. Obviously the bigger the house, you get more habitable space and cheaper per square foot to build. 
    It is an expensive project, so I would be wondering in your case if it is worth it.

     I will speak to a building company who specialises in loft conversions. 

    No doubt they will say it is possible, but the question will still remain 'is it worth it/is it a good idea in this property'?
  • stuart45
    stuart45 Posts: 4,585 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    ZackB said:
    Thank you all for the replies. 

    I've had a quote and lowering the ceiling would be an additional £6k. 

    It would be a dormer loft conversion, I'm just unsure on how it would be like when finished. 2m head height in the loft seems low although it would be mainly used as a bedroom. Unsure about lowering the ceiling as it may affect us in the future if we decide to sell. 

    @rob7475 - thanks for the advice. I will speak to a building company who specialises in loft conversions. 
    IMHO 2000 mm is OK for a loft conversion, 1900mm is considered the minimum by most people. 
    2300mm isn't a bad height for upstairs. It's the minimum for new builds, although 2400mm is the most common. Ceiling height minimums for extensions and conversions were done away with 1985. Before then it was 7ft 6inches.
  • Kynthia
    Kynthia Posts: 5,689 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 5 February at 9:57AM
    Have any of your neighbours, or those in nearby roads with a similar house, had a loft conversion you could talk to.

    There are a lot of additional expenses when getting a loft done. As well as the builders quote there costs for architects, building control, bathroom suite, tiles and tiling, new carpets, painting, replacing existing internal doors with fire doors, etc. You really need to think about whether spending all that money to only get 2m head height with lowered ceilings on the first floor is worth it compared to buying somewhere else.
    Don't listen to me, I'm no expert!
  • Section62
    Section62 Posts: 8,654 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    ZackB said:

    I've had a quote and lowering the ceiling would be an additional £6k. 

    Seems very cheap for the amount of work involved...

    One of the problems of talking to loft conversion companies/builders is they often have a 'can-do' approach to the project... only once you are under contract and fully committed do you discover the limitations on what they can actually do.  If a company is quoting you £6k for lowering the ceilings on top of a relatively cheap quote for the conversion then make sure you have absolutely everything in writing along with fully dimensioned plans of the work.

    Architects and structural engineers usually get paid for their professional advice, not the project, so generally will give a more balanced opinion on what is possible - although some architects will be looking at 'managing' the project through to completion (collecting fees at each stage) so can be more 'can-do' than others.
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