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Original poster

Attic conversion

20 replies

TenGinBottles · 15/02/2018 08:04

Or loft. Because I don't know the difference between the two. I need an office. We live in a top floor flat and have an attic above half of the flat (over bedrooms), the other half (living area) is open up to the height of the roof.

I'm debating whether it is worth exploring putting an office in the attic and how it can be done. There are currently no windows there, just a light. I don't know if we would get permission to put a roof window in (and it wouldn't give an escape route because it's on the other side of the roof to the balcony) because we would have to get permission from all other owners to alter the outside of the building. Do you think an internal window from the attic into the living room would be enough to give some daylight?

As there is a light, it should be possible to install a plug? At the moment I drop an extension cable down if I need to plug anything in.

Has anyone done a loft conversion in a very small space and what have you done about stairs? We have a trapdoor at the moment.

What else do I need to think about?

OP posts:

whiskyowl · 15/02/2018 08:16

This sounds more than possible - you need to speak to an architect or architectural technician! An important question will be where permanent stairs go.

Key question is that of permission - unless your building is of historic value, will people really object to a high quality velux or two?

flapjackfairy · 15/02/2018 08:18

What about a mezzanine in the full height area. Could that work ?

flapjackfairy · 15/02/2018 08:20

Or a mezzanine with access from there through to the rest of the attic ?

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 15/02/2018 08:31

I hope they wouldn't. But there are 8 families in each house so we would need the permission of 15 others. I want to have an idea in my head of how it could work, because I'll need to persuade DH before I can speak to an architect. It's a new build, first owners.

I should have said, in the attic, there's about 1m from the wall where I can stand up straight. The roof is very sloping.

FIL did once suggest building out over the kitchen and making it a playroom (he was unimpressed by the toys in the floor in the living room!) but I don't know if that would enclose the living area too much.

OP posts:

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 16/02/2018 07:18

Ok I sprung it on DH sooner than intended. He wanted to know when he could buy a new bike! He reckons the wall is supporting the roof and we can't put windows or knock part through. Which would leave me this space over the kitchen. Is it possible to build out over a room like that? It would be a major construction project wouldn't it, as a floor would need support and everything is open.

OP posts:

shakemysilliesout · 16/02/2018 07:21

I think it's doable in principle but are you lease or freehold? This will be very disruptive for your neighbors so you need to be in full charm mode!!

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 16/02/2018 07:29

Freehold.

Can you explain how it's doable? I've no idea about building works. Would they have to build a wall to take the floor, or put in support posts...does that mean they'd have to rip up the floor tiles? How can you connect a floor to a wall?

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kingjofferyworksintescos · 16/02/2018 07:30

I'm not entirely sure but I thought the loft / attic / roof space belonged to the freehold owner of the property , you might have to find out who that is if you are leasehold and get permission which is usually at a price , if you have a share of the freehold it would be something you would have to clarify as to permission required with your solicitor . Either way a loft conversion requires building regs even if you only stay within the roof space and convert with permitted development

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 16/02/2018 07:36

The loft above my flat is ours. The loft above my neighbour's flat is theirs. The roof itself and external walls belongs to the 8 of us in this house.

So it would be simpler to knock a window through that wall above my kitchen cupboards, if structurally possible, than build a floor out over the kitchen? Presumably I wouldn't need permission for that?

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Beckspence · 16/02/2018 08:16

We have a very small Victorian terrace house, and were able to have a loft conversion which has made the world of difference and added lots of value to our house! The stairs had to be moved to ensure there was a ‘fire safe escape’

We used a fantastic architect who came round to look at the property, drew up the drawings and recommended a builder. The site visit was £50 (which was then taken off invoice)

The guys I used were young, full of knowledge and had young families (I trusted they weren’t going to rip me off)

We have had our loft conversion for 2 years now and it’s the best thing we did - saved us a few hundred thousand moving house and upsizing! london/outter London house prices are just ridiculous now!!

If you live in London/herts/bucks etc I’m happy to recommend them!!

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 16/02/2018 09:03

What classifies as a "safe fire escape"? Did you go for the largest possible conversion or small one and keep storage? We use the attic to store half our kitchen utensils, large pans etc that don't get used very often. The roof slopes quite sharply, so there's a fair bit that's not really useable as a room.

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Beckspence · 16/02/2018 10:03

So it had to meet fire regulations, it had to have an additional (fire?) door to the entrance to prevent the spread of fire. We had very sloped ceilings too, but had dormers put in so essentially it looks like an additional storey has been added. We have the eaves partitions as storage! Hopefully the way I’ve described it gives a good idea.. I’m not a technical person whatsoever!!

runjumpclimbswim · 16/02/2018 10:12

if you do one, go with these guys:

www.apexloft.com/

They were ace and we now refer to them as 'special forces' a dream to work with and Woody, the owner, is top notch.

Beckspence · 16/02/2018 10:35

We used www.campbellbuildingdesign.com

Wasn’t sure if websites were blocked from comments!

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 18/02/2018 13:17

How have the dormer windows changed the amount of heat that comes into the house? It's very hot where we are in the summer and I can keep the flat cool (think 20 degrees cooler than outdoors) by opening the windows early and keeping the shutters down all day. Probably a window would completely ruin that and make everything unbearably hot.

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Beckspence · 18/02/2018 14:43

We have a velux on one side, so open the vents when we’re out and about to allow air flow, and just open the windows when it needs to cool down like any other room

It does feel hot, but unless you have air con, I’m not sure you can avoid it unfortunately!

I’m guessing because it’s a small area, with good insulation..? Just means it’s nice and warm in the winter anywho!

Beckspence · 18/02/2018 14:45

Also we have a blind which helps thinking about it

Original poster

TenGinBottles · 18/02/2018 15:05

Ok, thanks. We cannot open the windows after 6am during the summer, that way I can keep indoors bearable (around 27-28 degrees). I mustn't do anything that could affect that and the roof is south facing so gets the strongest sun most of the day.

OP posts:

Abiaug0888 · 21/02/2018 11:57

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

RichardBrook · 07/05/2019 08:03

That a bit tricky situation. Well, you can always try to do a loft conversion or add a mezzanine level. As for us, when we needed additional space in our workplace, we opted for a mezzanine floor Sussex which was advised and installed by this contractor. They told us that based on the type of space we have, ground floor extensions might be impossible. So we opted for a mezzanine floor instead. Anyway, I think it’ll be better if you talk to professionals as they can properly guide you and resolve your specific concerns.

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