Loft conversion help for a newbie!

Baitness · 14 June 2019 at 6:44AM

Good Morning all, I am a new member here and i have a question about a loft conversion. Me and the wife have been looking at the idea of converting our loft into a 4th bedroom, we have been getting quotes for the work from both loft conversion specialists and from builders,
They are ranging from £15,000 -£19,000 for a conversion to £24,000 - £30,000 for a conversion with an En suite.

My Question is really what is the first thing that has to be done for a loft conversion?

Can i have somebody come out first and build a dormer on the front roof of the house and 2 Velux windows on the rear to flood the loft with light ?

Will this hinder any issues for future work being done with the loft conversion?

It will effectively be a boarded loft with a dormer and 2 velux, can i have this done first and then save up more cash to have the rest done ?

I have asked 2 of the companies that have quoted me on work to be done and all they have said is ‘ we advise you to have it all done at once’ which i believe this is just to get me to get the complete job done with them in one go incase i had them build the dormer/velux then have the conversions done elsewhere

Thankyou

Doozergirl · 14 June 2019 at 7:36AM

I'm not sure why you want to put the dormer on the front and Velux on the back. It isn't Permitted Development, you'd have to apply for Planning Permission and you'd be unlikely to get it because it ruins the street scene. Large dormers aren't the prettiest thing.

You need a structural engineer in the first instance to work out your loading. Most, if not all loft conversions will require some sort of steelwork that has to be gotten into the loft somehow. One option is through the open roof, so you need to establish if that's a need before working on the roof and closing it up.

Re-roofing will require you to conform to building regulations for ventilation and insulation. A major cost in the conversion is solid insulation and the labour involved in cutting it all to fit. You're not going to be plonking down rockwool on the floor after putting windows in, so you're straight into the finishing parts of a loft conversion.

Boarding the floors? It would have to all come up again.

If you want to start a loft conversion and save as you go then you need to go in order, not create a poor man's 'loft conversion' that causes issues with future sales because you don't want to spend the money doing things properly.

It's worth listening to people that have done it before. The most economic way to do it is in one go and no decent builder is going to embrace the idea of you bodging what you think is a basic loft conversion (windows and floor) but is no such thing, to save some money.

Baitness · 14 June 2019 at 8:06AM

Hmm maybe i have mislead you with the dormer situation, i mean a dormer window not a dormer that adds height and space, just something to match the rest of the houses with a third floor house on the road.

There is 2 other houses on my street that have already had the conversions done so i know it is possible and they look brilliant, but my original question still stands can i have the velux and dormer windows put in before he rest

Aylesbury_Duck · 14 June 2019 at 8:11AM

You can do what you like but as Doozergirl says, there is a lot more to it than you appear to understand (that's from your own description: "It will effectively be a boarded loft with a dormer and 2 velux") and if you press ahead doing it in stages, you may find it costs you a lot more than it would to have it done wholly and properly. As she's also advised, there is a proper way of doing things so that you have a safe, legal and sellable "loft conversion", rather than what you seem to be describing which is more like a hobby or storage space.

d0nkeyk0ng · 14 June 2019 at 8:47AM

The joists in the loft are there to support the roof. They're not really there to do anything else. You can board it over for light storage but for anything else, the joists wouldn't be strong enough. You certainly couldn't put furniture up there for example. There's nothing wrong with boarding the loft and then taking it all down later. It will just cost in terms of time and money.

we advise you to have it all done at once

That's sensible advice. I'd listen to them.

Baitness · 14 June 2019 at 9:11AM

Thankyou all for the help looks like I will
Be saving for another couple of years and have it done in one go &#55357;&#56397;&#55356;&#57340;

ANDY597 · 14 June 2019 at 12:51PM

Hello.

I am going through a loft conversion just now and Doozergirl has offered you the best advice.

First step is to engage with an architect, they will discuss with you the best layouts and what you can hope to achieve.

They will apply for the relevant local planning permission which in my neck of the woods takes ages.(12 weeks) We started this journey in January of this year and no work has been done as of yet.

The architect specified that a structural engineer was required to calculate loads and steels again as Doozer advised. Buyer beware that our structural engineer cost MORE than the architect.

now both sets of plans are complete, the architect has applied for the building warrants, again in my area this will take up to 12 weeks. So theres another 3 months of the year wasted waiting warrants.

However at the point that you have the structural engineers plans you can get some accurate quotes. No reason you cant get structural work and windows done and then finish it at a later time, but you might find out doing it in chunks costs more than doing it in one straight go.

Also in the structural engineers plans, it will specific what materials are required, what size of joists, how they should be nailed, how the steels should be connected, what insulation is to be used and where etc.

In our loft, 5 different types of insulation are to be used, roof, floor, walls, dormer cheeks, dormer roof.

Google the price of Kingspan as an example.

Just for clarity and apologies if you already know this but it didn't seem clear from the text:

Velux - Rooflight window brand that goes I the slope of the roof.

Dormer and Dormer Window are the same thing- Box like construction, either flat roof or pitched usually containing a regular window designed to give you more head height. Think square box stuck on your roof. Usually fitted to rear unless in keeping with the street.

Dotn know if you have any skills, but if you just want one big room a lot of the jobs you could potentially do yourself, lots and lots of youtube information. See the velux official fitting guide as an example.

However, whatever you do, if you want it to be a habitable space follow the planning and building warrants route, otherwise all you have is a floored storage space.

Lastly, but lets say you spend 30K on the loft conversion, does that add 30K onto the value of your home, do you need a 4th bedroom. Could you move to a comparable 4 bed home for less than the 30K. Sorry, just my moneysavingexpert head on there for a moment.

Waterlily24 · 14 June 2019 at 2:36PM

We weren't allowed to put dormers on the front had to be Velux type windows.

loftlinks · 12 October 2019 at 10:26AM

To do this you will have to put a rsj steel to carry the weight of the dormer which also carry the new floor joist when you get to that part of the job depending on the size of roof spars u will have to upgrade for insulation purposes any more questions email me on exciteloftconversions@outlook.com

FreeBear · 12 October 2019 at 10:47AM

loftlinks wrote: »

To do this you will have to put a rsj steel to carry the weight of the dormer which also carry the new floor joist when you get to that part of the job depending on the size of roof spars u will have to upgrade for insulation purposes any more questions email me on ?????conversions [at] outlook.com

First - You are posting on old threads.
Second - A reputable company would not use outlook, yahoo, or gmail addresses. A proper email server with a domain name linked to your business costs little.
Third - Joining a forum and dragging up old threads will not generate business and will only make you look like a fool. It could also result in you being ejected by the admin team.

Loft conversion help for a newbie!

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