loft conversion

[marthab]

Hi,
I'm in the early stages of planning a loft conversion and would really value comments on dust issues from people who have already been down this road.

I read that all the work prior to breaking through for the stairs can be done from the external scaffold platform. On this basis I am thinking that there will be no major dust problem then until the the stair work begins. I plan to seal up the doors of the rooms on the eve of this happening and plan to move out until it is all complete - 'imagining' this will be around a week?

Is this a realistic plan? How long is it usually from installation of stairs to project finish? Am I living in a dream ? :)

Many thanks for any light you can throw on this.
M

Had no dust issues in the house whatsoever. None. It was all contained and taken care of by the contractor.

The only dust from ours was when they broke through for the stairs. I had also planned to seal up th house but they did it ahead of schedule and didn't warn me. Grrr.

Thanks minkah, its such a relief to hear that! And thanks HermioneWeasley I will certainly emphasise the need to let me know in advance in case they are not as careful as minkah's contractors!

Generally the above is true. However if it's a Victorian house be aware that when they break through it is possible that the entire ceiling in the stairwell will collapse, if it's the original lathe and plaster. This happened to us on one of our previous houses - indescribably filthy and dusty....

Also the contractor's idea of complete ( plastered walls, boarded floor) might be different from yours! The most frustratingly slow part on both our loft conversions was definitely the period between 'completion' and being able to move in, ie decorated and with flooring down. In both cases this was about 3 weeks.

I would say...make sure you use a loft conversion specialist, not just a general builder.

You want someone who has done it 2000 times, and perfected the art before they arrive at your house!

Thanks ogredownstairs. If the whole stairwell ceiling were to collapse would the repair and restoring to previous finish increase the cost of the conversion? Do you know if there are companies who will agree to a fixed price and so absorb these kind of risks/costs?

I'm very glad you raised the point of a habitable finish, I must be careful to detail that on the spec.

Minkah I absolutely take your point on using a contractor who has a proven track record of quality work in this area. When I have finished researching it thoroughly, especially learning from others experience like yourselves, I will feel in a stronger position when it comes to consulting with potential contractors and making my selection.

Many thanks :)

When it happened to us they cleaned up and repaired, but the cleaning wasn't to a liveable standard, so we ended up paying to have the stair carpet steam cleaned and the whole stairwell repainted rather than just the upper floors. Should really have insisted they pay, but the whole thing had over run by so much and was so exhausting I just wanted them out of the house.

I used a different company for the second loft conversion - they were better and quicker but still managed to rip a flat roof while they were up there. They replaced it and redecorated the damaged room underneath without quibble. (I was older and wiser by then so didn't even brook the possibility of them not doing it!)

I think it helps to be clear about what might happen and what you expect if it does!

We have had upstairs lighting changed while they are doing the loft, so have ended up with holes in every ceiling and dust everywhere.