Does a boarded out loft used as a room ever bypass any steps to a full loft conversion?

[FraterculaArctica]

Previous owners of our house boarded the loft, plasterboarded the walls, put in a Velux and electrics. Clearly used as a room.(accessed by a loft ladder).

Wondering if this sort of work ever shortcuts any of the steps to doing a proper loft conversion that meets building regs - I'm thinking perhaps in terms of reinforcing joists?

Suspect it's unlikely, but I'm half hoping some of the work done might make a loft conversion very slightly cheaper!

I’ve had a couple of builders around to look at mine. They said it can become a skylight conversion by strengthening the floors, insulating and putting a proper staircase and window and fire safety doors downstairs/hard wired smoke detectors. £30k. There’s just about enough headroom but it would be a bit of an awkward shape. I was assured it would get building regs sign off as a bedroom with those measures. Would need a party wall agreement as we’re terraced.Advised £60k for a full dormer loft conversion. Trying to think whether it would be worth it or if we should just move as that would be a similar cost.

Thank you! Is yours in a similar situation to ours currently? I think we would need at least one dormer, possibly a second out the side to accommodate the staircase.

Ours doesn’t have a dormer, just one skylight. If you’re needing a dormer then it’s going to be a full loft conversion I presume? In mine there is space to make a staircase out of one of the bedrooms.

Best to get a builder/architect designer round to tell you what’s possible.

Our house had similar done to it by previous owners (very much 'home DIYers' rather than professionals). We've just had it properly coverted to meet building regs - and pretty much everything had to be checked, ripped out and redone. Our builders did comment that it would have been easier just starting from scratch!

I doubt we saved any money, but didn't cost more. Perhaps took a little longer though! But worth every penny for us.

The window might get you some saving.

But for a "proper" conversion you are going to need floor re-inforcement, a staircase, insulation in the roof.

I doubt whether it will be any cheaper to covert what you have vs. an unmodified loft space.

not unless the owners can produce building control compliance paperwork confirming the flooring has been reinforced to building reg standards

boarding over existing loft rafters does not magic it into a loft conversion

it reality such a situation will probably cost you extra becuase someone is going to have to open up the floor to visibly confirm what work was done before the council will give building reg sign off on an actual subsequent conversion

We have fully converted ours (boarded out, plaster boarded, deluxe, electrics and a staircase with door at the top). But between low head height and not having fireproof doors (would be needed on all 3 floors) - it doesn’t count as a room if we ever sell. But is clearly DC bedroom. And would appear as such when marketing…just not LISTED as such on the paperwork.

(Paperwork would say 3 bed - 1 being box room….reality is box room would only fit a built in bed and is our office now).