I want a loft re-design, significant work but not a conversion, do I need a loft company, an architect or a builder?

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Sorry for such a basic question but we've never had work done before.

Our lift is converted but badly designed. We want to knock down two walls, build a new wall, re-position the bathroom and install a new bathroom. We will need significant re-plumbing to get proper water pressure up there.

Any idea what sort of workman/company I need to call?

Loft NOT lift! Sorry.

If you know what you want and believe you have nailed the design, I would get in builder and use his technician (they usually have one) to draw up any plans needed.

do you know for sure that the original conversion complied with Building regulations and had planning permission? you can probably look it up on your council's website

if it was a non-compliant conversion it is liable to cost extra to rip it out and do it again properly, especially the floors, walls, roof and insulation (i.e. everything). You will need plans and BR approval to remove walls.

Get recommendations for a local builder who will have done hundreds oif them. Avoid anybody you have never heard of who stuffed a leaflet through yoyur door or advertises on a self recommended builders website. Avoid anyone who has a mobile number only and no registered company or local premises. You have plenty of time to ask around and look for builders vans working near you, or newly-built loft conversions. ask the householders, at least a month after the job is finished.

You can always ask local architects for advice - a lot of small practice architects will come out or advise you for free but would then charge for the work if you needed it for building regs. Aside from the drawings an architect can help control your costs, advise on scope, look for ways to best add value or address your living needs, administer a building contract between you and the builder and so on - if you just find a builder with an in house technician you'll just get what they see as the easiest solution, nor necessarily the best (or cheapest) solution..

Thanks all. I will contact a few architects and a few builders and see what they say. Sadly I know nobody to give me local recommendations so I am going to have to wing it in choosing who to contact. I guess I will chase references for those that quote attractively.

I assume the current conversion is compliant with building regs as we were not told otherwise when we bought the house after a full survey two years ago. Would that have been picked-up by the survey? And does abolishing and re-locating internal, non-supporting, walls really require new building regs? We are not changing the wall that includes the fire door we are just changing where the bathroom is located within the shell of the main room.

Knocking down and relocating a stud wall (i.e. Non structural), doesn't require regs. Any electrical work needs a Part P registered electrician. If at all worried, call building control and they can advise but it sounds to me like you won't..

if you bought it two years ago, your solicitor will should have obtained evidence that it was compliant, or taken out insurance against being found out later.

It will be useful to get the plans from the council if you can, to help the design of changes.

i had assumed you meant moving structural walls. Stud walls might still be holding the roof up though.

PigletJohn I've never heard of a stud wall holding up a roof..?

There might be timber bracing, for example to replace a chimney part way along a ridge

p.s.

I used to live in a house with a trussed partition wall, a masterpiece of skilled carpentry. Builders brought their friends in to look at it when the plaster was stripped off.

you're right, in most cases a stud wall will not be holding anything up, except perhaps a floor or staircase.

Interesting about the trussed partition - was this a fairly old house?

I only ask as a recent loft conversion, if built in compliance with regs, should have any structure within the roof itself and therefore the OP is unlikely to need to worry about stud partitions. I would never design a stud wall to hold up a floor or staircase either, I'd expect if I couldn't use a masonry wall for this to have additional structure (steels or timber joists) located within the floor/ceiling.