Growing out of your dream home is a regular occurrence for homeowners.
Perhaps your family is expanding and the property you’ve invested in no longer offers the space you require. You might find yourself contemplating whether it’s time to sell, but that’s not your only option.
So what’s the best way to extend your home on a budget?
If you’re weighing up the costs and time involved in relocating altogether, considering a loft conversion might be a more cost-effective option for you.
Loft conversions offer you the opportunity to build up on your home, creating a new living space specific to your own needs.
Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide reported that a loft conversion could increase a property’s worth by about 22%. Not only will investing in a loft conversion add value to your home, you’ll be expanding your home without reducing the garden size. Not to mention, these days, most loft conversion projects don’t require Planning Permission.
Loft conversion building regulations
It is vital that your conversion is compliant with a specific set of limits and conditions.
The first step is to consider if your home would be suitable for a loft conversion.
Here are some criteria to help you assess the suitability of your home for a loft conversion:
- A minimum roof height of 2.2m is required for a loft space
- Consider the roof structure, traditional rafters are more suitable for a loft conversion as rafters run along the edge of the roof leaving more space below, though truss rafter roofs can still be converted
- Are there any other features in your home that might obstruct your expansion? For example, a water tank or a chimney stack.
Building regulations are the minimum standards for design and construction in order for your renovation to be compliant with health and safety protocols. This encompasses everything from structural integrity to fire safety.
What is the average cost of a loft conversion?
The costs involved in loft conversions depend on the level of work required. Prices start at around £15,000 for the most straightforward option, with projects requiring a complete structural roof modification costing upwards of £40,000.
Loft conversions fall into two different categories – ones that don’t need any modifications to be made to the existing roof structure, and ones that do.
Below we’ve summed up the average price for varying loft conversions for you to determine the best option for your home. When analysing these price ranges, remember the bigger the size of the renovation and the higher the quality finish of the project, the more expensive your loft conversion will be.
- A roof-light conversion, the most affordable option, is ideal if you’re looking to transform a sufficiently spaced roof area into a liveable area. Remodelling could involve measures like, floor reinforcements, insulation, electrics, lighting and fire safety measures, with costs starting from around £15,000-£20,000.
- The dormer conversion, a more complicated project involving the extension of an existing roof, with the addition of dormer windows, will promise increased headroom as well as floor space and comes at a cost ranging upwards of £20,000.
- Hip-to-gable conversion, specifically for semi-detached properties featuring a hipped roof with a sloping side, aims at extending the property on the sloping side, creating a vertical wall, the same height as the ridge and then filling in the unused space. This typically costs upwards of £30,000.
- Mansard conversion, the most costly option due to the complete remodelling of the roof structure through removing the property’s entire existing roof, is suitable for most property types. This conversion costs around £45,000 upwards.
Converting your loft is one of the easiest and inexpensive ways to expand the square footage of your home oftentimes, outweighing the costs involved in sourcing an entirely new home.
Ultimately, the price of your loft conversion will depend on the structure of your roof, the space you have to work with, and any modifications that may need to be made.
If you’re looking to simplify the process, using a service like Arkiplan, will not only provide you with regulation-proof building plans but will act as your agent and apply for your Building Control Approval on your behalf. Get started with us today!