Loft conversion - thoughts/advice wanted!

[VittonWillage]

Hiya,

We're in the process of looking at a full conversion for our loft. It's a new build (2014) end of terrace on an existing houses plot. The loft is boarded up (right through the eaves) and has a peak head height of around 2m.

We've got plans drawn up for a bedroom, en-suite and some storage/wardrobe space. I'm a bit concerned about the under-pitch-roof headlight for either a bathroom (in one config) or the wardrobes (in another), we'd also have to look at a macerator for the bathroom in the under-the-roof config which doesn't fill me with joy.

We'd be looking at hip-to-gable + dormer, so we'd get quite a lot of space out of it, we just want to make sure we don't spend £60k and not be very happy with it!

2m from the boards to the top of the rafters? It sounds too low to me tbh, once you've boarded and insulated the ceiling. Sounds like you might need to drop the ceilings on the floor below to achieve a better head height. I'd also do anything to avoid the macerator if possible.

Do you really, really need an en suite up there? New builds usually abound with bathroom space. Just consider if that is worth the expense.

Ah sorry, no it's 2100m currently (from the carpet to the ceiling), as I say it's already boarded + decorated (we use it for an office currently).

Thanks for the thoughts on the macerator though. It sounds horrendous.

@RainingZen We've got a bathroom on the 1st floor and a toilet downstairs, but the existing bathroom isn't huge. It is going to cost an arm-and-a-leg though so maybe worth re-considering ...

Thanks!

I had a macerator toilet (in a basement, so pumping up) and the only time I had to get a plumber in was when a tenant kept throwing wipes down it. Otherwise it was no problem and was the only way to have a toilet as drains were one floor above.

Ah, ok, that sounds much better. I'd try and get a bathroom, or at least a toilet in if possible. There's a guy on YouTube who's worth a watch, if you haven't already, called Daniel Byrne. He does some really clever stuff with loft conversions, squeezing bathrooms into places you'd never have considered.

I think loft conversions require a minimum head height of 2.2m for building regs, so I'd get that checked out first.

You'd only be able to sell as "storage" space which wouldn't bother some people (me included) but there are plenty of threads on here of people in a tizzy about a loft conversion that hasn't been signed off by BR.

I doubt the joists will have been put in big enough to satisfy building regs if at the time the developer didn't make it a proper room. Usually ceiling joists are 4" and you would need a minimum 8". I would be surprised if there was anyway to get the loft done through regs or the developer would have added the extra floor when they built the house

I think you’d be surprised at how
Much the slope of the roof reduces the room size, even with the hip to gable extension. Will you be adding in other dormers on the sloped section of roof? We had a loft room in our previous 1930s semi, with a dormer only
To the side, and it was surprising how small the room felt considering the size of the footprint.