Where to start - loft conversion

[Skinnydecafflatte]

Hi, I’m completely new to building stuff. We want to get our loft converted and I’m at a loss where to start.
Do I find a builder or an architect first? Planning permission?
What do I need to consider? It all seems so daunting, we should have got a new bathroom about 4 years ago and that seemed so daunting. We’ve not got round to it. I really need a beginners step by step guide! Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance

Hello, we are also just about to start our building work and we found an architect first. I came across this website that has a checklist so at the moment I have been using this as my rough guideline! www.loverenovate.co.uk/checklist. They also have some articles that seem pretty helpful. Hope it goes well - so daunting but it will be worth it in the end!