Loft conversion

[doyoudoduvets]

DH is a needs things done asap kinda guy and I need more time to consider the practcialities (he always wants the awkward/complicated solution over the easier/liveable way just so he can get the job done and move on).

Anyone done a loft conversion with young kids? How do you keep it stress free?

2 primary aged kids and we both WFH (me PT and term time only and him FT at home).

1. I think get it done in term time as I'll have the kids in the school holidays and it will be stressful trying to dodge around building work and having to take them out when it's not convenient to get away from it etc.
2. He wants to go on holiday to the US whilst it's being done. I don't fly well and this will just add to the stress. He doesn't agree with this.

I wouldn't go away while a loft conversion was being done. When ours was done they kept having questions that needed answers. Difficult to imagine the space properly until build underway so harder to pin down eg window hight up front.

Term time.

Absolutely agree with this!

I wouldn’t leave the country whilst it’s being done - they’ll probably need to contact you as things change all the time. Much easier if you’re there.
We had a loft conversion done when I was a kid (my brothers are 5 years younger than me, so very young when it was being done). I just need there being builders around the house for a while. Didn’t seem super disruptive. Though I imagine it might make WFH slightly tricker with the background noise.

Definitely don't go away while you have work done on the house.

I would encourage you to have work done during the warmer months though as it's easier to go out or sit in the garden if it's warm outside.

You probably need to wait till next summer now and plan it properly.

When ours was done, the impact on the house was minimal, until they broke through with the staircase. It was mainly one chap working on his own, who just needed a nice supply of freshly brewed coffee, which I delivered via the ladder in a lidded cup. I wouldn't go away whilst the work is taking place, though. Not sure I could have trusted him with the Gaggia.

He says it's killing 2 birds with one stone (the holiday and the loft). It's always urgent (I know - he could be lazy) but I'm like slow down a minute. How will that actually work?'

Just got permission so he's got all the structural people ready and we are getting quotes done.

The new staircase will be over the original staircase which is next to the kid's bedroom but they will only work in the day don't they?

Hey! Can I please ask how much it cost you to get plans drawn up? We are at quote stage for this and it seems we could be spending £5k ish before a builder has even set foot here! That's architectural plans, structural plans, fees for the council etc.

Sorry to gatecrash your thread!

You can say no to going on holiday, just say you are not going. No way would I leave my home while people made major changes to it.

He sounds very difficult.

My suggestion would be to rent a property short term nearby, meaning you can supervise but not have to live in the chaos.

Hi blueberry23. This is all being done by DH atm so I’ll try and let u know when I know!

We went on holiday for most of ours. It sped the job up no end as they didn't need to leave things in a livable condition each day or work round our needs for utilities etc and also did some very late nights. We did have a very tight agreement with them, they had contact numbers and a relative popped by every couple of days to check in (with everyone's agreement). So glad we did this as even the part we were there for was a massive upheaval, the worst part being the dust, which got absolutely everywhere. That said it was so worth it and one of the best things we've done.

@blueberry23 - our plans through to submission were around £2k. Total build for an L-shaped loft conversion (master bedroom, bathroom and second bedroom/study) was £100,000.

Ours wasn't really that bad dust wise as they blocked off most of it till they put the new staircase in.

But it was handy being there to answer questions, and while we did go away for 2 weeks, I'm not sure an awful lot happened while we weren't there....