Loft conversions - I have questions!

[Chirpygirl]

We are going to be (hopefully) in a position to move within the next year and are thinking of converting the loft before we do.
Well, DH is thinking of it, he reckons it will add more to the house as we can put an ensuite master bedroom in the loft and the house is arranged in such a way it will have proper stairs up to it as well.
I am worried as I will have a 2 year old and a relative newborn in the house when he is talkijng about doing this!

So, questions - Will it be a nightmare for us to live here while it is being done?
Can it be done in the winter as we want to move before next summer if possible?
Is it going to be worth it with the hassle/cost etc or should I just forget about it!

[mrsmalumbas]

I'd say it's worth doing if you want the space to live in yourself, but are you really sure it's worth doing it to sell? Remember that houses have a maximum value based on the area you are in and the type of houses around you, a 4 bed in a street of 3 beds won't necessarily be worth 50 grand more. There is also the factor of some houses with loft conversions being "top heavy" i.e they have a lot of bedrooms for the living space downstairs. If it was me I'd speak to some estate agents etc first to be sure that you really will add significant value as 20 grand is a lot of money to fork out unless you are sure you will get a good return on your money.

[unfitmummy]

The most important thing is to find a good builder - without this it will be a nightmare! try to get local recommendations from people who've used them. another usefull place for recommendations is local structural engineers and architects. i am a structural engineer (are you near salisbury?) and we are more than happy to reccommend builders who we've worked with successfully. while you're there you can have a quick informal chat with them about what is required. if someone comes into the office with plans of exisiting and proposed loft we are more than happy to talk through what is required structurally (and architecturally as far as i know). for example, if the existing roof (rafters/ceiling joists/hips/ valleys) can be left in place and re-used this reduces cost - then you just have to add floor joists. however, in some roofs a large number of steel beams are required and this increases the cost significantly.

anyway, good luck - i certainly wouldn't go through this amount of hasstle before moving!!

[fluffymummy]

We're doing ours at the moment - ds1 has just turned 2 and the bump is due in january 08. Its costing a fortune, but thats also because we're putting a bathroom up there, we've got to move some walls and things downstairs to make space to squeeze the stairs in, and we live in a conservation zone so there's a lot of extra limitations on the materials we can use and how we can build it! So far, not too much of a nightmare - the noise has been manageable (some really bad days), and ds1 has generally managed at least a short nap most afternoons. But then, at the moment they're doing all the access via scaffolding and ladder from the outside - I think it will get really bad when they need to break through into the house to fit the stairs and stuff. Anyway, our builders have been brilliant, and we've got a lovely architect - these 2 things definitely make a difference! Good luck....

[gatleygirl]

We had ours done last year - cost under 25K i think for a huge bedroom plus ensuite. Builders were great, in and out in under 6 weeks with no disruption. Problem was, it then took us ages to get a plumber /tiler to finish off the bathroom! Finally got carpets / furniture / bed in recently and have had the rest of house decorated while on holiday. From a cash flow point of view you need to budget for all these "extras" - like our carpet cost £1000 cos the room's so big. Probably good luck that we had those extra months to save up for it while we waited for the plumber!!

[Kaz33]

We are doing it in January - costing us £40K but we need to do a gable end and put in two large dormers and we live in an horrendously expensive part of the world.

Other quotes came in at £35K and £38K - they did not inspire me with confidence. One went to measure up our loft and left the roof ladder down - then half an hour later he remembered . This is after my 3 year old had climbed up the ladder to have a look, which he informed afterwards I was not happy.

[mahonia7]

Hi Kaz33

Do you live in London? We need to do something similar but are having problems finding the right people to do the work.


Thanks

M

[Kaz33]

We are in Guildford. The people we are using are quite small (50 conversions a year) and only operate in Surrey area. I know two people who have used them.

Think the best thing is to trawl the internet for specialist loft companies and then contact interesting looking companies

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

Would add that it's good to check what is included. Our builder provided everything except the white goods which we got from screwfix.com. What I mean is that he was an electrician, the other two were joiners but he employed the plasterers, the plumbers, the tilers. It was all part of the deal so I didn't have to go looking round for tradesmen