Loft conversion - any great ideas?

[Whalewatchers]

We are going to be getting our 3 bed semi loft converted into a multi-use/office type room.

Have you had your loft converted? Is there anything in particular you'd recommend doing as part of the conversion, either that you did do or wish you had have done? Or any tips in general about what really works in the space you have?

Thanks :-)

if the roof slopes to a low angle into the corners of the room I would mix how you use that space.
Rather than just leave open and therefore as a gap once furniture is in, have a small wall put into it and built in shelving or giant drawers
Put a wall in to part of it so you can put a radiator on the wall, but leave open at the side so you can "shove" stuff behind it rather than having to crawl and open a cupboard door to access.
If possible have a window on each side of the roof so that you can circulate air as they get v hot in summer

If u can afford it, get a fancy window that turns into a mini balcony for extra joy in summer

If its a narrow staircase up to the room, only buy flat pack furniture to ensure you can get it into the room and take away if you move, or built in stuff if you can

Consider a door that slides open and shut rather than conventionally opening, so you gain more floor space in the centre of the room

We altered a bed by chopping legs off it and adding wheels so it could slide into a corner right under the eaves rather than middle of room
Triple check ceiling heights and plan furniture accordingly

I wish I’d had a dormer put in mine for more space, but we had it done about 18 years ago and it was a massive investment then and we did as much as we could afford.

that said, it’s been used heavily and has paid for itself. Ours was my home office, with a day bed that pulled out into either two twin beds or a king size for guests, with storage cupboards and a wardrobe in the eaves. Two velux windows and window seats.

I still love it.

A window on each side of the roof definitely, for thru-drafts.

A shower room (not an en-suite ideally) for future saleability.

Built-in in furniture to maximise storage and optimise use of space.

Ours was done by the previous owners. It's freezing in winter & boiling in summer so it's worth considering insulation & radiator placement.
Built in cupboards in the eaves are a good use of space.

If it’s going to be used loads or at any point as a bedroom it might be worth considering air con. Loft conversions get HOT.

Also agree with PPs who’ve said have windows each side of the roof and if possible, a bathroom (not en suite)

If u can afford it, get a fancy window that turns into a mini balcony for extra joy in summer

only do this if you want your neighbours to hate you! Next door have done this and it’s like having a watch tower looming over our garden. Luckily they didn’t consider ventilation or the effects of the sun, so they have to keep the blinds closed to prevent their Bedroom from turning into a sauna

We did a loft conversion last year. Make sure you put a small velux over the stairs. Makes a massive difference to the amount of light on the middle floor and stops it all being too dark and the stairs feeling cramped.

We couldn't afford to add air con at the time we did the loft, but we had the wiring set up for it so we can add it a later date (currently its an office / guest room so we didn't have the immediate need for air con).

We've got a semi-detached house and went for a hip to gable conversion as well as a dormer on the back, which makes it so much bigger.

Having windows on both sides of the main room means it's really easy to cool down in the summer.

We went for a separate shower room instead of en suite.

Also, I really recommend matching your banisters up to your existing ones, we matched the skirting and architraves too, so it looks like it has always been there.

Think about a cupboard under the stairs on the loft stairs so give extra storage space. Even if it's not accessible all the time (ours is behind daughter's bed) it's useful.

Good heating and cooling. I dont even know how you do that (mine was just extended before i moved in) but in the summer its honestly like a sauna, can feel it from half way up the stairs, and freezing in the winter. Not abnormal to reach 10 degrees warmer or colder than the downstairs levels.

We do have great storage built into the walls which is soooo useful. But id rather have normal temps!

Thanks for all the tips and feedback so far, much appreciated. I'm taking it all in and will read and re-read!

A neighbour had a conversion and they went with the standard option of eco wool and 1/2 inch plasterboard and said that it did get cold in the winter. They didn't mention summer temperatures but they always have their window cranked open! Out of interest, what insulation have people used and is it affective?

I've seen Velux do some sort of sun shade blinds that affix on the outside of their windows and they claim a huge heat reduction inside, but you can still see through them, has anyone got these?

I think we'll have a day bed for guests. I've seen the ubiquitous IKEA one which isn't too expensive to boot, but if anyone has any other suggestions, go ahead please :-)

Thanks!

Get the most expensive insulation!

• use a specialist loft conversion company who do this day in day out so will know the right insulation, biggest velux you can have, building regs etc. Likely more expensive than your usual builder but worth the extra IMO.
• instead of en suite make bathroom accessible from stairs so you have more wall space in bedroom
• get plug sockets installed on landing for plugging hoover in etc
• window rather than Juliette balcony as again you lose wall and would have to put radiator somewhere else other than under window if you have doors.

the more wall space the better for wardrobes and everything else!

Velux have a built in blind option, total blackout. I highly recommend that.

We have the external velux shutters -they are fantastic. You can draw them down and then open the windows about 5 inches, so you have light, ventilation and shade in the summer. We did that this summer, and combined with open skylight in corridor and Juliet balcony, did not struggle with the heat in summer. All areas really well insulated though, just as important for keeping heat out as in.

@NightNightJohnBoy are they not very noisy when it rains though? That put me off those

It's highly unattractive, but we tape tin foil onto the outside of our velux at the start of summer and leave it on til September. It reduces the amount of heat coming into the room. Means we have no option of opening the blinds but open blinds bake the room so that's fine. Can still crack the window open for air flow.

Yy to built in eaves storage.

Yy to window in the stairwell.

Consider a slightly larger landing area, as when you come to sell in future it can be dressed as a home office space.

I'm thinking the same! This would include insulated boards on the ceiling of the room as being part of the solution. I only get to do this once so would rather spend a couple of grand more now rather than being left with a room that I can't use as it's too hot or too cold!

@coronafiona
The whole loft is fairly noisy when it rains (and we've had plenty of that this week!). I love it - I feel like I'm in a tent. I think I hear it more fr the flat roof , but I'll listen more carefully next time

I am going to go with a specialist loft conversion company, they've been doing this for many years.

I'm not actually getting an en suite put in at all. We already have 4 toilets in the house and we'd prefer to have more room in this multi function space. I'm not too bothered about future resale value as I'm doing this for our needs. It'll barely be used as a bedroom, only a pull out bed for very occasional family visits.

I have a Dyson cordless. Any other uses for landing plugs? :-)

Not getting the balcony but getting a quattro window. Seen it in a conversion and it was a centre piece, really opened up the attic and added the wow factor, plus we have a great view out the back to enjoy from it. I am wondering where the radiator will go though! Going for an expensive electric one... 1800w!

Sorry, in terms of?

Do you know what insulation you have?

I like the look of the velus anti-heat blinds as they keep the room cool while preserving the view and letting in light. Velux say they reduce heat intake by "up to 77%".

good point about keeping heat out. It's about trying to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the year.

Maybe look at the Velux anti heat blinds which go on the outside? You attach they inside then turn the window.

I think I will be going for the window in the stairwell, whereas before reading these posts, I was going to just rely on the LEDs.

Your point about the landing area is an interesting one... Part of the reason for the loft conversion is so I have a quiet office space. When the children are at home, I would want to be able to close the door and whether they are in the house or not, also have a view of the outside world, which you wouldn't get in the landing area presumably? I understand potential future buyers may not have children, but then they'll have lots of spare bedrooms to use as offices?