Is my roof suitable for a loft conversion?

If you’re thinking about creating extra living space in your home by having a loft conversion, it’s natural that the first thing you’ll need to check is whether it would even be possible with your existing roof and layout.

As it happens, the answer is usually yes, but there are lots of qualifications to that, because while a conversion may be possible in theory, you may not be able to because of where you live (such as in a flat, a listed building or a conservation area). Alternatively, it may not be worth the effort, because the cost might outweigh any benefits or the layout of your loft might mean you end up with very little usable space.

In this article, we’re going to examine what considerations need to be made when assessing whether a loft conversion is going to be cost effective, desirable or even possible at your home.

Do I need planning permission?

Most loft conversions can be completed under permitted development rights, but there are exceptions. Read our comprehensive blog on the subject to discover if you’re likely to need planning permission for your loft conversion.

Is there enough headroom?

You will, of course, want to be able to stand up straight in your new room, but not all lofts have the space to do that – at least, not without extensive prior work.

Older properties had their rafters constructed in an ‘M’ or inverted ‘V’ shape, which generally makes them easier to convert than more modern properties where the roof is trussed and in a ‘W’ shape.

If your property has the M or inverted V shape, you’ll need about 2.2 metres at the highest point, whereas you’ll need at least 2.4 metres for a trussed roof – and it will still be more expensive to convert.

The pitch of your roof will also be important here – you don’t want what headroom you do have rapidly disappearing because of a steeply pitched roof. Ideally, you want a pitch of at least 30º.

Is there enough floor space?

The first thing you’ll need to do in order to determine the amount of floor space you have to play with is to work out the gross internal area of your top floor – which will be the same as the loft floor space.

However, not all of this will be usable, as you’ll need to allow for the areas to the side where the pitch of the roof is limiting space – eliminate any areas where the height is below 1.2 metres. You also need to take into account space for the stairwell, plus any chimney breasts or other impediments.

If you’ve got at least 20 to 25 square metres of complete floor space up there, you should be okay, although it will of course depend on what you want to do with it – even a small loft conversion can make a good home office, for example.

Positioning of stairs

If you want to make your loft conversion a practical space you can use on a daily basis, then you need to be able to get up and down easily – and to do that, you’ll need a proper staircase.

The best place to put it will usually be above the existing stairs, but putting those stairs in might necessitate eating into already limited space on the existing top floor. 

Ideally, you also want the stairs to access your new loft at the edge, so that you’re losing the least possible amount of that valuable floor space in your new room. However, the slope of the roof might make that difficult, as you’ll need headroom of at least 1.9 metres at the top. A dormer extension to create this space might be necessary.

Fire regulations

The higher you are in a building, the more you need to allow for an easy exit in the event of a fire emergency. In order to pass Building Regulations, your new loft conversion will need to allow for an escape corridor down to an exit on the ground floor.

There might be additional complications if your stairs lead down into an open-plan living area, as you might then need additional partition walls to protect your escape route.

Property value

Last, but not least, you need to decide if the expense of your loft conversion is actually going to be worthwhile. Many loft conversions add enough to the value of a property to make them a good investment as well as a practical home improvement, but that’s not always the case. 

Some areas have a price ceiling, which might mean that – almost regardless of how you improve it – your property won’t be able to sell for more than a certain amount. Of course, if you have specific plans for your loft and you’re planning on staying around long enough to make the most out of it, then you may not let this put you off.

 

If that all sounds like a lot to work out, then why not get the loft conversion experts at Highline Design & Build to take a look for you? We won’t be able to advise on whether your loft conversion would add sufficient value to your home – you’d need an estate agent for that! – but in all other regards, we can advise on the practicalities of whether your roof and the layout of your home will allow for a good conversion.

If you have loft conversion plans and dreams you’d like to discuss with us, get in touch with us today and ask for a free home visit.