Have You Got Planning Permission For Your Loft Conversion?
Don't Know If You Are Able To Convert Your Loft?
What Is The Process For Converting Your Loft?
Read The Information Below, If You Are Still Unsure, Contact Us For A Free Meeting!
This article gives you a good introduction to everything that is, a loft conversion.
This article covers every property in England but should you be based in the South East or London regions we can provide a FREE Site Meeting and a FREE quotation for your necessary works, always tailor-made for your project. Give us a call or drop us an email to find out more.
What's The Process & Time Scales?
One of the first questions for any loft conversion must be 'what's the process', well this can depend on a few of things...
Before embarking on your loft conversion project, just consider the below points, we have also added a couple of images to help understand some of the internal dimensions.
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Does your proposed loft conversion exceed the Permitted Development Rights? your PD rights differ from property to property and may have been removed by your Local Council either at the time of construction or via a local Conservation or Listed Building Order. A good general rule to follow is the 40 cubic meters of additional space for a terraced property and 50 cubic meters of new space for a semi-detached or detached property.
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Does your loft conversion require Planning Permission? If so, you may need to add several weeks to your timescales. A Householder Planning Application can take up to 10 weeks to reach a decision!
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Regardless of whether your proposed loft conversion requires Planning Permission, you will need to obtain Building Control permission for your works. This will also involve a Structural Engineer, at Design Spec we can assist with all of your necessary third parties and offer everything within a fixed fee pricing structure. A building control application can take anywhere between 4 to 12 weeks to complete.
How Much Will It Cost Me?
As Building Regulations are constantly updating and amending to cater for materials, heating, insulating and housing needs, these figures will always fluctuate but a good rule for thumb for a general 3 bedroom house to have a single bedroom and a small en'suite within the proposed loft conversion would cost in the region of £45,000 in the South East and will naturally cost at least £55,000 for a similar design in London. London build prices can fluctuate massively depending on your postcode, access, parking etc.
Want To Know The Exact Price?
Is It Even Possible?
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Height — Is there enough height within your loft? Note the minimum height for a traditional roof is 2.2 to 2.4 meters and the minimum height for a modern trussed roof is 2.4 to 2.6 meters.
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Roof structure — Is your property a traditional cut rafter and purlin roof or a trussed roof? (See diagram on the left).
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Space — Is the loft space large enough to provide a usable room?
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Chimneys or services — Do either of these obstruct or spiral the build cost of your loft conversion?
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Felt — Your roof has felt under the tiles or is fully weather tight. Note that if you don't have felt you will see the back of the roof tiles and the battens they are fixed to. If you have felt you will most likely see a black bituminous paper under the tiles and battens. Most modern houses will have felt.
If your property fails any of the above points then do not discard your project! There is always a way around these issues and we are always on hand to help guide you!
Benefits Of A Loft Conversion.
We have helped clients of all shapes and sizes achieve their loft conversions for all sorts of returns. Whether you need this additional space for additional bedrooms or perhaps you need to create a financial uplift to allow you to sell your property and move on, there are massive benefits to either building your loft conversion or simply obtaining the necessary permissions and selling your property with everything in place!
Should you choose to build your loft conversion then you will benefit from not having to construct foundations... Unlike a rear or side extension, you do not need to 'pour' your money into the ground in the form of structural foundations. This saving per square meter very quickly adds up while also presenting a large floor area in which to work with.
Should you choose to simply apply for your permissions before selling your property then you can benefit from an uplift in property value. At Design Spec we always aim to cover our fees with this property uplift, regardless of whether you sell with permission or build your dream loft conversion!