Loft conversion

[GreenTea70]

Hi -
How much would it be to convert a loft into a bedroom? The loft space has already been made into a carpeted space with 3 Velux windows, and access by a proper carpeted staircase - but the EA has not classed it as a bedroom.

You need to get plans drawn up by an architect and / or a structural engineer. A steel beam may be needed to support the room and reinforce the floor.

Most of what is there will probably have to come out and be redone in order to have it signed off by buildings regs.

We had the same thing (5 year old loft conversation totally ripped out to be done above board)

Where are you OP? Rough guide £30k with en suite here in North West.

Down south Surrey Sussex borders - so what they have done up there already is a bit pointless?

It depends. If the floor is adequately supported with a staircase and it all meets building regs then not necessarily no.

I would imagine labour costs are higher there so the cost would be too?

@GreenTea70

Down south Surrey Sussex borders - so what they have done up there already is a bit pointless?

It was in my experience. Even the insulation had to come out because we couldn't prove it met standards (it did!)

So I would be prepared to pay the price as though no work had been done previously. It might be the case you can keep the staircase and Velux though so the price may be negotiable.

One of the key things is fire proofing including a fireproof door. (Or it was when we had ours done).

If the EA hasn't called it a bedroom, then that's a SURE sign that it's not been done legally.

I'm no expert but there are building regs for the staircase - head clearance, a maximum degree of steepness and a minimum tread width I think - that are to do with it being safe for use as an exit route in case of fire. We viewed a house with an illegal staircase up to the loft which was why the 'conversion' didn't count.

But there's a ton of other stuff too that would potentially have it fail building regs. I think there has to be a door between the stairs and the room, again a fire thing. And as others have said it could be the floor needs additional structural support to be safely used...

Before you offer (or ASAP after you've offered!) get an engineer or a surveyor round to give you their expertise and a quote to re-convert the room with building regs approval. I'd think it will likely cost £30K minimum but it depends on the complexity of the conversion.

Again - if it COULD legally be described as a bedroom, the EA would DEFINITELY be describing it that way! The fact that they're not is a huge red flag.

Thanks for your amazing help. The property has been done up from being a wreck in 2016 - so if it is all pukka they should have all the relevant paperwork to see??
Totally agree - the EA not calling it a bedroom is a huge red flag as a house I viewed last week had a ‘study’ under the stairs - it was a bloody under stairs cupboard with a window!!

What questions should I definitely ask tomorrow?

I am in the West Midlands. 5 years ago had loft conversion into 2 enormous bedrooms and shower room with a full width wooden staircase, new boiler all electrics painted and tiled. Sky light in each bedroom and on stairs and windows in bedrooms too, plus radiators in each bedroom. Cost £40k including architect and scaffolding and took 13 weeks. Roof had to come off, steel beam in flat roof with slope on extension then ridge tiles replaced. Building regs meant we had to have fire alarms in every room in house wired into electric mains with 10 year battery backup. You need to get stairs checked by building regs as if ok will save a lot. They have to be certain width and head clearance.

DB had one including dormer to side and en suite. 50k but he does live in Surrey and proportionate to the value of his house was 8.333% - maybe calculate something similar based on your house price 🤷‍♀️

I've recommended these guys on here before - www.homeandmaker.com when you get a quote it shows the average cost for the whole job of the conversion. they did all the drawings for our barn for 2K - we had been quoted 5x that by the local architects...

The loft may have been tarted up in this way because it's physically impossible to convert it fully & with enough headroom, without completely removing & rebuilding the roof to a higher ridge line.
It doesn't necessarily indicate any dodgyness.

My house is like this - if proper floor joists & building regs amounts of insulation were put in then the headroom would be insufficient. I can however, put a floor down on what is already there, put 'just enough' insulation in & a few Velux's to give me a useable room/'posh storage', which is what I plan on doing. I'll still be doing a quality job - It just won't be a legitimate extra bedroom.

Does it have a door? I have seen a few lofts how you describe which don't have a door, just stairs into the room. This makes the room very noisy, and means it can't be a bedroom. As well as the other building regs that pp have pointed out.