Is my loft high enough to convert?
The quick test is head height at the ridge: measure from the top of the ceiling joists to the underside of the ridge board, and if you have around 2.4 m you have room to work with once the new floor and insulation eat into it. Less than that and a dormer, a hip-to-gable or dropping the ceilings below can still make it work. We come and measure rather than guessing, and we will tell you honestly if a loft is not worth converting.
Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion?
Most loft conversions are permitted development, including rear dormers, provided you stay inside the volume allowance and the dormer is not on the front roof slope. Conservation areas and flats are the common exceptions. Either way you still need building regulations approval, which is a separate thing from planning and is not optional. We sort both sides of that.
How long does a loft conversion take?
Typically six to ten weeks depending on the type. A Velux conversion is at the short end, a dormer with an en-suite at the long end. The roof is opened up and made weathertight in the same stretch of work, so the house is never left exposed over a weekend.
Can we stay in the house while you do it?
Yes, and nearly everyone does. Most of the noisy structural work happens up in the roof, and the stairs going in is the one stage that reaches down into the house. We sheet the route in and out, keep the dust contained and clean up at the end of each day.
Will the new room count as a bedroom when I sell?
It will if it is built to building regulations and signed off, which is exactly what we do. The certificate covers the structure, the insulation, the stairs, the escape route and the fire protection. Conversions done without it are the ones that hold up sales, and putting one right afterwards costs far more than doing it properly first time.
Do you fit the en-suite as well?
Yes. Plumbing is in-house here, so the en-suite is designed in from the start rather than squeezed in at the end. That matters in a loft, because soil pipe routes and water pressure at the top of the house are the two things that catch people out.
