Megan's Home Haven

Since the property crash, many people have struggled to sell their homes for the price that they want and so have decided to consider a loft conversion instead of moving house. This allows them to enjoy their home more and perhaps get the extra rooms that they desire to live in more comfort and luxury than they did previously.

A loft or attic conversion is a great idea, as it can give you the extra space that you want for an additional bedroom, an office or even a small bedsit style apartment that could be let out to earn you extra money each month to cope with the cost of running your home. Converting any space in your home is most definitely a job for professional builders, as it will need to be done properly to that it will be durable and there won’t be a risk of your home getting damaged. You’ll end up with a beautiful area full of natural daylight, and you’ll also find that the conversion will add value to your property, so it should be viewed as an investment rather than an expense!

First of all, go up into your loft and make sure that there is actually enough space for what you want it for. Are you able to stand up? Some attics have very little space or no head room, and of course if you want the room to be additional living space, it will need to be something that the professional builders can actually work with to give you what you want. The highest point in the roof needs to give you at least 2.3 metres of height in order for the conversion to be achievable according to the Federation of Master Builders.

Ask the professionals to see whether your idea is even feasible before you start with anything. You will need to check whether the layout of the plumbing in your home, for example, will allow an en-suite bathroom if you are considering an additional bedroom. You’ll need expert advice from builders or an architect on whether the wooden beams in the attic are safe to be removed, or whether there would not be enough support left to hold up the roof. Of course, more support can be added but it is certainly something that needs to be considered.

Next up, get planning permission. Any big changes such as this will need it from the local council to avoid you having to spend more money undoing the work once it’s done. Then once you have obtained it, inform your mortgage lender and your building insurance company of your intentions t ensure that there are no objections from them either. Once that’s done, you can move onto finding a good builder to do the conversion for you.

The best thing to do is to go to the Federation of Master Builders website so that you can find a builder who is registered, insured and licensed to do the construction work in your home. This will ensure that you’re not handing thousands of pounds over to a cowboy firm. Never hand all of the money over straight away either. Drip feed the money so that you have something to fall back on just in case. You can also ask around for recommendations, as you may find that a friend has recently had a beautiful loft conversion done.

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