Trying to find expert loft conversion ideas and advice that will provide you with a well-designed, cleverly thought-out extra space? When you begin any focus on your loft conversion’s interior design, it’s vital to have not only the structure right, but also your allowance, the room’s configuration, the positioning of windows, and obviously your loft’s energy efficiency.
It’s always worth considering a loft conversion to make better use of existing space before you even think about adding extra square footage by building an extension (and sacrificing some garden in the process).
Loft conversions can be the ideal way to add space to a house without extending its footprint. Whether it is a growing family, a new hobby or the need for a dedicated home office space, a loft conversion is often the perfect solution for those wanting to squeeze the most space out of their existing homes. Our guide to converting a loft includes advice on everything from costs and planning permission to the best design ideas for your project.
Loft conversions are a particularly useful solution where planning permission for an extension is likely to be difficult, or in built-up urban areas where there simply isn’t the external space. It is also worth bearing in mind that, according to Nationwide, an additional bedroom and bathroom has the potential to add around 20% to the value of a typical three-bedroom, one-bathroom house.
The 4 types of Loft conversions we offer:
Roof light conversions
Roof light conversions are by far the cheapest and least disruptive option, as you won’t have to make any changes to the shape or pitch of the roof. Instead, it’s simply a case of adding in skylight windows, laying down a proper floor, and adding a staircase to make the room habitable. However, you’ll need to have enough roof space already without having an extension for this type of conversion.
Dormer conversions
A dormer loft conversion is an extension that protrudes from the slope of the roof. Dormers, in particular flat-roof dormers, are the most popular type of conversion. They are suitable for pretty much any house with a sloping roof. Dormer conversions are less expensive than mansard or hip-to-gable conversions, but will still add a good deal of extra headroom and floor space.
Hip-to-gable conversions
Hip-to-gable conversions work by extending the sloping ‘hip’ roof at the side of your property outwards to create a vertical ‘gable’ wall, creating more internal loft space. This type of conversion will only work on detached or semi-detached houses, as it requires a free sloping side roof. If you have a detached house with sloping roofs on either side, you can build on both of these to create an even more spacious double hip-to-gable extension.
Mansard conversions
Mansard extensions run along the whole length of your house’s roof and will alter the angle of the roof slope, making it almost vertical. These tend to be the most expensive type of conversion, but will result in a significant amount of extra space. Mansard conversions are suitable for most property types, including terraced, semi-detached and detached houses.