Loft conversion - hipped roof...ideas?

[SpidersAreShitheads]

Hi all,

I've posted on here a couple of times for advice. We're selling up and so is DM and we're buying a house sort of together - basically a granny annexe for her.

After having no offers at all on DM's house since August, we got an offer today for almost the full asking price. Very exciting news!

Trouble is, we have a very tight budget and a long list of requirements. Last year there were quite a few houses for sale that might have suited - currently there is only one.

As luck happens, I LOVE this house. Works well for DM's needs and it's so much bigger than others. The only issue is the third bedroom is tiny - we're talking 5ft x6ft. It's a cupboard basically. I have 2 DC and they need a bedroom each so this is a big sticking point.

However, I'll have around £45k maybe £50k to spare so could convert the loft. Also, I love loft extension so it's a win.win. Just realised though, it's a hipped roof so I'm not sure we'll have the money for the hip to gable loft conversion. Aaaargh!

Does anyone have any suggestions for hipped roof loft conversions? Would a dormer work well enough? We'd need at least a bedroom and a small office in the loft. Ideally a small ensuite but it's not imperative. Also, the ensuite can be added later when we've saved up a bit more!

I'm in the Gloucestershire region so thankfully not SE prices where we are (I am a native Londoner who escaped!). £45-50k - is it doable? With or without hip to gable?? I'd love some advice - I've never done any renovations before!

I think the problem you will have in the current market is that your budget is likely to be inadequate for a loft extension of any size.

Assuming it’s a semi, you could potentially convert the loft without a roofline change, I did. Staircase over existing staircase (ours runs up the middle of the house not the outside) but I only got one bedroom. Suitable for a teenager and a decent size but no way would I have got two rooms up there.

I guess it depends on the size and shape of the house and staircase location.

You need 2m head height above stairs for building regs. If your existing stairs are under the hip of the roof, you would probably struggle to put the stairs to the loft above them and have 2m head height.

Putting the stairs to the loft elsewhere would probably eat into existing bedroom space.

Is a hip to gable conversion all that much more expensive to do? Maybe get some quotes?

@MarieG10 a regular loft extension (for a different house) was being quoted for around £30-35k so I was fairly confident we’d be able to afford at least a basic one, even if we couldn’t do an en-suite just yet. The hipped roof has changed that though - I don’t know anything about them and everyone I know with a loft conversion has a regular shape roof.

@WutheringHeights66 - thank you. One room is the essential we’d need up there. A small study too would help but isn’t absolutely vital. Yes it’s a semi.

@BananaPie - ah no, it looks like the stairs are at the back of the house, not under the hipped area so might be ok? I tried looking for online quotes and it seemed to suggest hipped roof conversion around £55k upwards. But I think that was a hip yo gable rather than just adding a dormer and using existing space….

I will try and get some quotes.

I think it's probably do able. I've just done a hip to gable loft extension. One v large bedroom, a very small office, ensuite, and a storage cupboard. It cost around £60kish which included having the whole roof replaced at the same time but didn't include bathroom suite, flooring or decoration.
But when we booked the builder in, we knew it was 8-12 month wait for him as he was so busy. Everything then got delayed due to covid so we were waiting 18 months ish. He's now taking bookings for summer 2023! Can you all live together for that long before doing the loft work?