Basic loft conversion - anyone have any idea on price?

[Queijo]

I have a Victorian terrace, both next doors have converted lofts so don’t foresee much problem with planning.

I’d like to keep it as low cost as poss (ha!) so would probably just stick a velux up there and have a foldaway ladder type thing rather than creating a staircase. No bathroom up there as already have 2, 1 off my bedroom on the 2nd floor anyway so not a huge distance.

Does anyone know if that’s possible? Would have to widen the entrance to the loft which hopefully wouldn’t be a huge job, but pretty much just want to get a bed up there and have it either for me, or for Dd if she fancies it.

Or am I being a cheapo and need to shell out proper?

You can deffo do what you are looking to do with £40k- including the stairs!!

youre not suggesting adding a dormer and there won’t be any plumbing.

but do look at getting an architect. Some loft companies will have one included but will also work to private architect plans if you have them. It would be well worth the investment in an architect particularly as you mentioned that you’re not sure how/where stairs would fit

Just had a quote for a 1930s semi loft conversion in the SE - £55k including vat for shell and £80k to fit out including plastering, floors and an en-suite bathroom.

It wont be habitable like that.

We have a pretty big attic (55 square meters) and got a quote for £11,500 (In the north east) to have our attic turned into office space now we are work from home.

This is with no staircase just ladders, widened and moved loft hatch, raised floor with insulation, insulated and boarded, 2 velux windows, plug sockets, lights and plastered.

We might add stairs later but the company don't offer that. Its not a legal bedroom and wouldn't be sell able as such but that doesn't bother me at all.

Of the 3 people I know with attic rooms (all of which have been used as bedrooms at some point) non of the are 'legal' rooms. Two of them bought the house with the room as a selling point not caring at all that it was not 'legally habitable'.

Can I ask what company she used? They probably wont cover NE but I am looking for more quotes still.

I had mine done 5 years ago. It was £40k and has been done properly. With a staircase, fire doors, bedroom and en-suite.

What you're suggesting won't pass any kind of building regulations. You'd also be miserable getting up for a wee in the night and trying to navigate a ladder!

Just get a builder round to give you some ideas and a quote.

That seems very high. I know lots of people who have had them, including me (although mine was a while ago now) and it was nowhere near that for what you describe. I'm also in the SE but Home Counties. I do know materials became prohibitively expensive so maybe that's why.

Does that include changing the roof (hip to gable)? We have a 30s semi and that is the only way I could think of converting the loft.
Did it have a dormer or just velux windows?

Yep hip to gable with a dormer. Our roof needs doing anyway which makes it more appealing financially

We went for a garden room instead and we really like it, as it is on the ground floor it's a lot more usable and nice to have a space that teenagers can be in and make noise in without it impacting on the rest of the house. We got ours from garden retreats, nice British company based just outside Bicester. Cost £30k all insulated and air con etc.

Do you have vehicle access to the garden?
you could get a great touring caravan for around £5k and have fun kitting it out. It should already have electrics, basic kitchen and maybe even a (chemical) loo! Great as a teen’s hangout.

Your house sounds like mine, small terrace with just a square landing at the top of the stairs between the bedrooms. What the builder did was take a strip off the largest bedroom which was about 14' x 13' to create new stairs and make a new doorway into that bedroom. Not as bad as it sounds in reducing the size of the room as it created a large understairs cupboard so no wardrobes required in that bedroom and still a largish double room. You do not need planning permission for a bedroom with velux windows but it has to comply with building regs which 12 years ago cost about £450 and entails someone coming out to check the building work is compliant at various stages. (Things like fire doors, fire alarms ect).

Can't say how much as mine was done with the whole house gutting and an ensuite in the new loft bedroom. Was about £50k at the time so I'm sure even with the increase in prices you could get a simple safe bedroom within your £40k. A neighbour did just the loft bedroom about 4 years ago for £25k. North West.

We are in the NW and had our loft done 6 months ago.
for £50k we had double bedroom and bathroom (first fix only), staircase and the whole roof retiled.
extras were decorating, fittings, fixtures and tiling of bathroom and replacement of all interior doors to meet new fire regs.

Can I ask how much the fire doors cost including fixtures and fittings per door please?

@Stormbornform depends on the doors - you can get slightly cheaper designs or more expensive. Ours were £150 per door and £1400 for fitting (fitted in Jan this year).