Adding a dormer to an existing loft conversion

[Pickpick101]

I'm looking to add a dormer to the existing loft we have now. I'm not sure what it would cost , anyone done a similar job ? I'm thinking about 10k . I'm not sure how realistic this is.

[Loofah01]

No idea but you might need planning for it, and depending on distance between houses and where it points you might not be allowed it at all. Worth checking!
Best to get 3 quotes for your area tbh as the prices will vary a lot.

[thinkingcapon]

Is it literally just putting one dormer window into a current room?

[Pickpick101]

46Loofah01
Alot of the neighbours have done the same so I don't think planning will be a problem.

[Pickpick101]

thinkingcapon

Basically yes , no electrics or plumbing needed. Looking at something around 5m across.

[thinkingcapon]

I'd hope it would be well under £10k then?!

[Pickpick101]

Okay that's sounds not too bad. It's across 2 rooms but still be 5m across.

[thinkingcapon]

So two dormers in two separate rooms?

[Pickpick101]

One dormer across 2 rooms . They are both bedrooms next to each other.

[Staringouttosea]

I had a dormer extended (doubled in size) and repairs to the roof which were able to be done without scaffolding-that alone would have added 1.5k to the cost. It cost just under 8k. I'm in the South West.

[Pickpick101]

Thanks for that , handy to see what others pay for something like this.

[FuglyHouse]

Staringouttosea, could I ask you about your dormer extension please? We're hoping to do the same. Did you need planning permission? And how long did it take?

[TaleOfTheContinents]

I was thinking of asking this very question! We're buying a house that has a dormer to the back and a velux to the front. I'd love to change the velux to a dormer to get extra head height so I'll be following this thread with interest.

[Yellowbutterfly1]

If changing it means your neighbours lose all privacy then keep the velux.
I’ve seen this happen to a friend and, they would have lost all privacy so the council said the format had to have non opening opaque glass.

think it’s best to have good neighbourly relations.

[Yellowbutterfly1]

Sorry, meant to say the dormar windows had to be non opening and be opaque glass.

[Staringouttosea]

@FuglyHouse

Staringouttosea, could I ask you about your dormer extension please? We're hoping to do the same. Did you need planning permission? And how long did it take?

No planning required-sorry can't remember why not. Altogether with the repairs it took about 4 weeks but the builder wasn't exactly great at time keeping!

[FuglyHouse]

@Staringouttosea thank you. That doesn't sound too awful (apart from builder timekeeping, and I think that's not unusual!)

[katrin174]

Did you get your conversion in the end OP? We are thinking of doing the same. How much did it cost you if you had it done?

[Pickpick101]

No didn't get it done , it's a maybe but covid has pushed it back .

[SecretOfChange]

I've been quoted 19k for a front dormer and never investigated further. My issues were with money (obvs), time needed, and headache (planning permission etc). You need planning permission for dormers on the front, but not on the back.

[katrin174]

Oh that's interesting thank you for that input. Wow 19k was that to add it to a pre existing loft conversion? Seems like a lot.

[TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]

5 meters?
That could mean removing 12 or more of the rafters (depending on the spacing) and the roof would need a lot of strengthening after this to maintain its integrity. I think this is where quite a bit of your cost will go - and you'll really never see it!

[Mish88]

Interested to know if this came to fruition, regarding having a dormer addition to an already renovated loft! I'm interested in a property and have this exact thought in my mind, thinking on how we could improve it! Would be great to here how this worked out!

[Midlifelady]

I want to do this too, add dormer to back about 4.5m across. It will have either one double doors on to juliet or doors and window. I'm thinking about £15k, as not only the structural work but will need to recarpeted etc inside, though scaffolding is mega so that could easily add a grand or more.
It is pd I believe, but there's building regs. Party wall agreement? All adds to it.

[MrsJamin]

We looked into this, adding a dormer and en suite to a loft extension done in the 90s, the loft companies we talked to were rather scathing of the original loft job and said they had to redo the whole thing, costing £30k or so. We thought it wasn't worth the investment so we actually moved in the end!

[Sunflowergirl1]

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles is probably right. Making a dormer will normally mean restructuring the roof trusses which is effectively stripping off the roof and relying it once the trusses have been redone. Vast amount of work potentially for a small gain.

If the roof needs redoing then that might make it more economical