Frequently Asked Questions

We've got years of knowledge when it comes to Loft Conversions. If you've got a question you think we might be able to answer please post it.

Apex lofts is the perfect moduloft alternative and here's why. We have been raising the roofs on homes for many more years then moduloft. Our time scales from start to completion are the same if not shorter on some projects. With Apex you get the owner of the company on site for most of the job as we only run one job at once. Moduloft need very big cranes where we can normally get away with a small city crane. Apex lofts has been known to be 40% to 25% cheaper than Moduloft and never more expensive. We also promise you will get more loft for your money with no expensive "moduloft" gimicks. Bold statments but you only need to see the quality of our work to appriciate why to use Apex loft conversions and not Modulofts.
Apex lofts is the perfect moduloft alternative and here's why. We have been raising the roofs on homes for many more years then moduloft. Our time scales from start to completion are the same if not shorter on some projects. With Apex you get the owner of the company on site for most of the job as we only run one job at once. Moduloft need very big cranes where we can normally get away with a small city crane. Apex lofts has been known to be 40% to 25% cheaper than Moduloft and never more expensive. We also promise you will get more loft for your money with no expensive "moduloft" gimicks. Bold statments but you only need to see the quality of our work to appriciate why to use Apex loft conversions and not Modulofts.


Hi I live in a 1930s semi, with a very low pitch roof (I’m 6ft2in and can’t stand up!!). Can we raise the roof without causing major issue to the adjoining house or incurring the wrath of the planners?
We have in the past got planning permission and carried out a couple of raise the roofs on semi detached homes. It depends on a few things if you are going to get permission. "Street scene" is the terminology, Are the rest of the homes on the street different? Are you on a hill ? and ideally the higher one. Have you both got gable ends as opposed to hipped roof. Are you a new home? All these are factors could help or cause a few problems. Developers build new estates with the guidelines of diverse design of the homes this is to add character to the estates having said that the stupid people in planning don't like loft convertors trying to put character into older estates ?? Having said that a well put together planning application to most councils should result in you getting planning permission , we have never failed on any loft conversion application but between myself and my architect we do sometimes have to do a little bargaining on the peripherals of what we get permission for. As for the adjoining house it helps to be on talking terms to start with. No matter how good your loft converter is they'll have to lightly disturb next doors roof. But rectification and a sympathetic join profile ( where both homes meet ) should make it look like its always been like that. Hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to contact me and we will give you a better online opinion of what your hoping to do. Thanks woody


We have just extended a 1960 detached house and have already decorated most of upstairs but we are now wondering whether we can convert the attic as the stairs would continue up quite easily. Trouble is it is only 1.7 at highest point. We also don't want to disturb the bedrooms below by tearing all the ceilings down! Is there any way of doing it and is it an expensive job?
Thanks for your enquiry Its no problem whatsoever to give you a loft conversion by raising the pitch of the roof i should be able to give you 1or 2 rooms and a eunsuite if you require it. as for cost i could do with a little bit more info . I can't quite work out if your home is one of the ones with gable end facing the road or side on ?. But one thing for sure if you were to buy the space in a larger home you'd pay a lot more per square metre. Your ceiling should not be damaged at all we only raise the roof and should only have to touch the ceiling where the stairs goes through. do you have a picture you can send me on the phone ? i can then id your home on google earth measure it on google earth and have a price back to you after we've had a quick chat too. thanks woody 07974653481


Our loft conversion was done in 1997 before the building regs. The headroom is 185cm top of stairs at the apex. I think this can be encreased by changing the insulation and getting a rear dormer of at least 90cm. I basically want it to comply with modern building regs so that it is signed off as another inhabitable room rather than storage. It has a velux window and central heating, all it needs is required alterations. Can you come for a viewing?
( I have spoke with this client now ) It's a very difficult one this really. Firstly building regs have been in place for many years so in effect the loft conversion was done illegally. I have also never come across a loft conversion where regs have not been obtain that even partially passes any of the requirements. Even a loft with regs done 5 years ago would no longer pass today's regs due to loft conversion insulation regs . You've mentioned in our chat that the stairs is also too steep. So being honest I think it's going to be a total strip out and re do. This could be a hard blow as you have a semi habitable room now. As for space / head room! You've already told me that you have very high ceilings so with a clever bit of adjustment on the first floor I'm sure I can get you a really nice loft conversion by lowering the ceilings. As a little bit of a warning . Do not get a loft conversion without getting building regulations. I've even head builders saying they have and they haven't ! Do be doubley aware ( if that's a word ) woody


Hi there, next door converted their loft space about 8 yrs ago and it's come to light that it seems they have taken some of our loft space. Can they only go above the walls in their house or are there any reasons they could have gone over? If this is not legal what can we do about it?
Oh No I can only hazard a guess how they could have done that being your in a terraced house ? And you share a alliway , with your home above the rear and next door above front or viceversa ? But although I'm not a lawyer I'm confident what they have done is not legal . It definitely a civil matter . As for reasons I can only think the builders were stupid or the clients were unscrupulous and just wanted more space. I think you need to talk to your solicitor ASAP ( after making sure they have stolen part of your loft ) . You technically own the space directly above you loft and unless the mining rights have been sold the space below your home . Solutions ! Have you spoke to your neighbours ? You could tell them you are going to take legal action and or you are having a loft conversion done . My only fear is that the 8 year rule of usage does not take effect like it does for land . " if someone has used a piece of land for 8 years ( I think ) unchallenged it can be claimed as there's " but I can't see it . Please give me a update in my loft conversion questions and answers when you can . Good luck woody


I live in a top floor maisonette flat privately owned but in a council building , my flat has a private loft . Can I convert without any windows . My flat is 4 story's high . Ps would like to put a velux window in but can I do this ? . Regards Anne
Hi ya Anne Yes fairly confident it is convertible but if the council own the building you'd need to get permission of them for sure. Ive even heard of people that live in a council house looking at converting to loft at their own expense as long as it is all done to building regulations. hope this helps. woody


I live in detached house hipped on all sides. The roof is low, 2.1m top of joist to apex of roof. Everything I've read tells me this is too low (I'll lose approx. 300mm). Would you agree? My house is small and so even raising the roof won't give a particulary great room. I know raising the roof will almost double the cost of the conversion hence my reluctance since I'll only be getting a small room anyway. Do I have to raise the roof? Regards, B
Thanks for your enquiry. Depending on street scene it's no problem to get you a very large loft conversion. Ignore " double the price " " not possible " comments every where in the net , you've obviously had a look on my site and 50% of those were low pitched roofs with no head room. All I need Is an idea of what you require ( 2 rooms / 1 room ) , a floor plan if possible and a place mark on google street view and or earth. From that I can give you an exact cost. Simple as that. We've made raising the roof loft conversions and turning hip to gable loft conversions a straight forward procedure over the last 20 years with minimal disruption and minimal time to complete. Hope this helps


Hi Woody We have just had an offer accepted on a house which has got a DIY loft conversion, without any building regs, and with quite a number of problems. It's a 1890s terrace. The issues are: - As it's a DIY job with no building regs, it might not be structural. - There's a velux-style window but we don't think it opens so I think there are problems with fire exists. - Low ceilings - the height of the room is only about 1.8m at the apex of the roof (we need to measure this properly). It might not be possible to get permission to increase the roof height because it is a conservation area (although others have managed to - and it's very likely to could get permission for dormers) so we were also wondering about whether lowering the ceilings is possible. - The wooden staircase goes up from what should be the middle of the second bedroom to the loft, taking up a lot of useful space. If it was possible to put stairs in over the existing stairs they would go enter the loft under the apex of the roof. We don't know what issues would be associated with that? We want to know if it's going to be possible to sort out these issues and if so, to get a quote. From your website loft conversion Q&As it sounds like you will have a lot of ideas about how it might be possible to deal with the issues! Hopefully you might be happy to travel as far as Cambridge to do the work? We are going to see the property again on Tuesday or Thursday and will take some more detailed measurements then, so it would be great if we could have a telephone consultation later this week? Thanks
Hi ya In my experience if it did not get building regs most of the loft if not all will have to be redone. 1.8 m in a loft is pretty low but don't worry about that as even though your in a conservation area planning permission for raising the roof should be obtainable. The stairs can then be usually remade and positioned to probably give you two rooms and ensuite. I'll have a look at the property in question on google earth and by the time we speak later in the week should even have a very good idea of cost for you too. By the way myself and me team do travel the country starting and finishing one loft at a time so distance is no object. thanks woody


hi there, we are thinking of adding a large bedroom/dressing room/en suite to our detached house as a loft conversion, we have some concerns regarding the aerial space as loft is very low. we have a very steep slanting roof giving us room only to stand in the middle of the loft. any ideas to increase the height? what sort of price are we looking at? and an estimated time scale please as w ehave a baby. kind regards S.cruize
Hi ya Your loft should be no problem although I'm not sure when you say it's low and then mention steep roof? Making me think you could have a narrow home. Still not a problem to convert. The cost of a loft conversion would depend on the size of your home and a few other things like roof construction. But I'm sure it would come in way lower then the cost of moving to a house with the same extra space. As for time scales it should take no longer then 4 weeks. We do quite a few lofts with either expectant mothers or new mothers as the above is a common instigator of needing a loft. With the relitivly short time scales involved and most of the work carried out from outside their is minimal disturbance. So please don't let this worry you. We make a complicated job look easy. Please fill in my enquiry form and I can have you a exact price when I get a bit of additional information. Thanks woody


We're an expanding family and looking to to convert our loft to livable space. Insulation both heating & sound is a big priority for us. Ideally we'd like to use the space for a living area, double en suite bedroom & a single bedroom. Our house is a 1980's extended semi detached with a footprint of 25ft x 30ft, the loft has a headroom of 7ft 1inch floor joist to apex. We've been told by a friend that we need at least 7ft 2 inch to comply with building regs and that lowering the 1st floor cieling is the only option. Is this a possiblitiy as it sounds a complex & expensive procedure?
Hi ya The only issue with head room is at the top of the stairs. For all building regs care you can crawl about in you loft. But obviously you'd not want to be doing that. I like the sound that its 1980s this probably means it has a gable end and it could be possible to maybe even raise the roof to form you loft as it's rare in a relatively new home we have the ability to lower ceilings. For my company it's a fairly straight forward procedure and I would have thought from your requirements the only option. I'm not quite sure if by double eunsuite you mention, you mean a jack and Jill ( accessed from both rooms) but I've done quite a few and they work well. Just in case you are saying two rooms in the loft because you think you are going to lose the front one for the stairs, we very rarely have to lose that room either. Please fill in the web enquiry form with a street view link and let's get you some figures for cost and we can get the alls rolling. Thanks woody


Hi, we have had an offer accepted on a 1970s semi detached bungalow with a front and rear dormer. The building survey has come back saying that building regs would need to be checked and he has suspicions due to a bouncy floor. I have asked him to elaborate but he said carpets were down. We are worried that the dormers will need to be removed and replaced - do you think this is a likely possibility pleaase? Many Thanks
Hi ya . 'Dormers front and rear' implies it must have had planning permission. It's very unlikely they did not obtain building regulations. But a phone call to your local authority should put you straight on that. Having said that unless you have fallen in love with this home. Or getting it at a ridiculously low price. If consider finding a non converted bungalow if it's detached I can get usually 2 3 and somtimes 4 rooms in the loft . For a lot less then you will be paying for the space you are about to buy . But floor joists somtimes do have a little bounce. I'd still beware of old loft conversions the insulation and other bit will in no way be up to regs and if you need to do all the rectification work it may cost as much as a new loft . Sorry it's probably not the answer you need but if you send me a link to google street view of any home you are considering ( including this ) to either 07974653481 or woody@apexloft.com I'll give you a good idea of cost for the best job. Thanks woody


Hello Could you help me please? Is my loft high enough to convert? Its 2.1 m in the middle , judging by what you say on your website it is but i could do with a more direct answer for our loft please. Thanks Jan
Hi Jan 2.1 is pretty low for a roof at he minute but building regulations for head hight for a loft conversion are 1.9 m on the stairs only. For all they care you could crawl around if you wanted. If you are in a terraced house without lowering the ceilings we will have to make the most of what you have and yes we can convert it. If you are a detached property i would always recommend highering the roof pitch to form a loft conversion this will dramatically increase the head room you have. Drop me a webenquiry and ill take a look. Thanks woody


Do you have any advise for wooden floors in loft conversions that could help me please.
Here's some advise from my partner flooring company. During planning of your loft conversion, you will need to decide on the future flooring material. Your decision will have to weigh in practical as well as interior design considerations. Wood flooring are a popular choice, but one that should be served with a pinch of salt due to the natural characteristics of wood making it unsuitable in a small number of loft conversion projects. Here are your options and considerations to take into account. Types Of Real Wood Flooring: Your choice of natural wood is in fact made of two types, each containing a slightly different core, but ultimately looking the same. Solid Wood Floorboards – These are the most popular choice, containing a core made of 100% natural hardwood such as Oak, Walnut and other species. From end to end, the floorboard contains only natural wood. Engineered Wood Floorboards – These look the same due to an upper layer that is made from the same natural wood as featured in solid wood floorboards, though the core is built from artificial materials such as MDF and Plywood. Choosing Solid or Engineered For Your Loft Conversion: In the vast number of projects, you can safely fit either option. It is in the more unusual circumstances that your project manager will recommend one over the other. Stability Consideration – Natural wood will expand when temperature rises and contract when the temperature drops. This may cause the solid type wood floor to rise due to expansion or for gaps to appear due to contraction. In such cases, engineered wood flooring is the suitable choice as the floorboard is immune from this reaction. Typically this will occur when under floor heating is fitted in your conversion. Humid and Wet Areas – Hardwood that is used in flooring lacks natural oils to repel water damage over time. If your loft conversion includes areas such as a bathroom or kitchen, water and humid conditions may occur. In such cases, you should either consider a different material to wood or fit the engineered type with a suitable waterproof coating of lacquered. High Traffic Areas – Of the two types, solid is by far the stronger option. If your loft conversion is expecting high volume of foot traffic, such as when used as an office, solid wood flooring is the better choice. That is, provided that the above two constrains do not apply. Noise From Flooring: Any flooring material will generate noise due to footsteps and the passage of sound (vibrations in the air) between the floors. However, wood floor will generate higher levels of sound if an underlay isn’t used. A suitable one can reduce noise by as much as 20dB and should therefore be considered. An underlay will include two features in its description. These are walking noise reduction (in percentage) and impact noise insulation in dB (Decibel). The thickness of the underlay and the materials of which it is made from will make the underlay better or worse in terms of insulation. Additionally, the underlay will make the floor softer to walk on so don’t overlook it. Again your project manager will be able to suggest a suitable one. If you have any questions about loft considerations, talk to Apex Loft Conversions. Information by Jonathan Sapir. Jonathan is the MD of WoodandBeyond, a UK based hardwood supplier.


I'm having my loft conversion and cracked are starting to appear in the rooms below/ground floor. Should l be worried.
I presume you mean your half way through having your loft converted ? The ceilings are surprisingly durable but there is always a slight risk of cracking. You've probably got at least 2 15 stone hairy arsed loft converters moving around on what are probably 3inch by 2 . That are only designed really to support your ceilings . Hopefully the builders are strengthening you floor and any builder will in due cause of the job re plaster your damaged ceilings . If it cracking that has happen post conversion get the builder back out ASAP it should not happen . Thanks woody


We have a loft that was originally built using open span 8x2 joists and has 3 original dormers. some years after the house was built we had a staircase put in that i believe meets regs having no less than 2 metres head clearance and is 770mm wide and no more than 42 degrees, the loft insulated with 2 inches of kingspan and plastered and central heating installed.. we would now like to bring this loft up to regulation so that we can sell the property with a legal bedroom so the questions are:- 1,Would we need to instal more insulation if so would all the plasterboard need removing? 2,Would we need fire doors throughout the property? I look forward to your reply. Thanks Chris Fishburn Pudsey
Hi ya Chris It's a grey area really and difficult to get it up to regs without great cost but ( after our brief conversation ) I'm still trying to work out what you'd have to do. I would have thought if it was original you may not have to do too much. If it's a bungalow you do not need fire doors if it's a house you might be able to get away with smoke detectors. The only people that are going to be able to tell you exactly what you need to do is building control. Be nice and honest. They should be happy to help and help is the key word, ask them to "help" you. They should and take notes of what you need to do. Good luck


Sorry I've re wrote this question because It got deleted some how. I live in one of 4 terraced houses and I've been told you can only have a loft if you lower your ceilings by 15inch. But at the same time my next door neighbour is wanting a loft conversion too. Is raising the roof possible on both your homes.
In short I'd go for it. Planning can only turn you down but at the end of the day two slightly steeper roof will only contrast two low picthed roofs. 15inch of lowering ceilings is nothing to what a slight increase on roof pitch will give you. Send me a web enquiry and I'll get my guys on it. Thanks woody


My house is in green belt and we have had our allotted 30% size increase from the original size, so the only route available for our loft conversion is Permitted Development and we cannot go up in roof height. Unfortunately we only have 1.93 cm from existing floor joists to bottom of the apex beam above. Is this enough height for a loft conversion?
We specialise in raising the pitch on homes to form a loft conversions. Its a perfect solution to form a really nice size loft conversion when your roof is low pitched. The price also comes in at a very affordable space compared to what it would cost to buy that space in a new home. Give me some more details when you have time and ill give you a good idea of cost of your loft conversion. Thanks woody


Raise the roof loft conversion.
Raise the roof loft conversion .


: Hi mate.. i am trying to get a loft conversion on my 4 bedroom detatched house but the architect said the loft is 1.9metres height and I'm about 3 feet short... how much will it cost to add 2 extra bedrooms with en suite please.. 2 deluxe windows front and 1 longer dormer at back...
Hi ya we can raise the roof to form a loft conversion where the roof is too low. We've took a very technical Complicated even sometimes thought to be impossible and made it simple and straight forward. Also in raising the roof you have no need for dormers as veluxs give you more light and in a raise the roof loft conversion dormers do very little for head room as you have it already when we raise the roof. As for cost I promise it would be a cheaper loft conversion then a moduloft loft and to be honest we are completing our raise the roof lofts in 15 days so probably a lot faster then a moduloft . Woody


Hi, I have low ceiling and would like to rise the ceiling. I have an hip roof. Help just raising the middle would make the house look bigger and would it be expensive....help!!!!
I could do with a little bit more information but the best thing to do is turn the hip to a gable loft conversion and maybe raise the roof too . This loft conversion needs planning permission but thats usually no problem. please drop me an email with more details/address to woody@apexloft.com


Just seen you are a northern company? Do you do work in the south ?
We are northern but we are so specialist in the type of loft we do, yes we cover the whole country. I was in Cambridge only yesterday looking at a roof lift loft conversion. We do a lot of the initial contact via phone, text and email to see what your looking for and I give you a good idea of the price of your loft conversion. Then I nip to see you to talk you though it with no obligation whatsoever. Either fill in the form or give me a call on 07974653481 Thanks


We have a typical 1930's three bed semi, really small bedroom above front room door. Need another room but I can't see how we could fit a staircase to loft in without losing the small bedroom as there is only a small landing and the head height on the existing stairs is really low. We have a small budget...any help or advice on this and rough cost would be great!
The key to your stairs for your loft conversion rests on a couple of factors. Have you a bulk head in that front room? If you have then you still could retain that room but lose the bulkhead. If you have not then a clever loft convertor should be able to start a kite winding stairs off and turn it above you existing without making your head room any worse. If you'd like I'd even give you a quick FaceTime to give you some advise. Just be warned very small budgets do not make for good loft conversions and unless your going to do it yourself ( I'd talk you though it ) you get what you pay for most of the time. But drop me a line or give me a bell I can give you advise and an idea of budget. Thanks woody


Hi, I live in a terraced 2 bed house built in the 70s. The space in the middle of the loft is approx 1.9 meters and the floor to ceiling on my first floor landing is 7.5ft. We also have a trussed roof. Would it be possible to convert my loft?
Hi ya Unless the terrace roofs are at different heights even I'm having my doubts that getting planning permission for raising the roof in a terrace is going to be near on impossible. But i'm guessing that you maybe desperate for more another room to even ask the question of a very low roof like yours. So here's a crafty solution. 1.9 is low but i'm presuming its going to be a kids bedroom? At the end of the day a kid would enjoy a small room until ( speculating ) you either move home or your other child moves out lol ? So 1.9 is perfect for a childs room and even one thats probably going to spend most of thiers time sleeping. So the key to your loft room with a low roof is stairs! Building regs would like you to have 1.9 at the top of the stairs the full width and at the min its not possible , Unless you put a sneaky sunken landing on the top step. Its a little complicated to design but done correctly should work well. The next thing is to put plenty of velux windows in it. You may think that they do not give you anymore head room but they certainly do. In cases with little headroom in the loft i've even made the veluxs run the full width of the loft and literaly replace the ridge tiles with the velux flashings at the top. I've just got your web enquiry too so ill get some figures to you thanks woody


Hi woody.. how much will it cost to raise roof on four bedroom detatched house please.. looking to build 2 bedrooms with ensuite...
Its slightly too vague a question to answer accurately enough not that i'd need much more info to do so. Please just fill in the form with a few more details, location, size, roof covering ect would be great. woody


Hi mate, I own a semi detached property. I currently have a ridge height of 2.02m, at an obtuse angle, both not good for conversion. I am going to seek planning permission to raise the ridge height to 2.5m, add a dormer to the rear and leave the front of the property to retain its current look (with addition of windows). What I am concerned about is not having to raise the floor level too much. Is it possible to put the joists in between the rafters to prevent losing 0.25m from them alone. The footprint is not square, a rough measurement from inside gives reading of 4.4m (across the front), 6m (across the back), 6.8ish (along the straight party wall on the right) and 7.1 (running at an angle along the left - detached). Sorry for the mammoth length of my post!
Planning for loft conversions is getting seriously more difficult by the week. Planning are idiots , and at the minute i'm preparing a paper to the government in regards of planning legislation for raising roofs as apposed to building the thousands of new homes they think we need . At least if everyone were allowed a loft it would elevate the need. On to your problem , yes in effect the floor joist can be dropped between the ceiling joists yes . You could also install steel to cut the spans down ( we do on most of our lofts that are not roof lifts ) this might get the size down to 125 mm some times. Another trick is putting the joists closer together , using thicker timbers and better quality timber grade as c24 timbers that will span a little further than c16 timber. Dont forget in a loft conversion for all building regs care you can crawl around ( not that you'd want to ) but the crucial measurement is at the top of the stairs to the loft . In some case's you'll get away with 1.8 at the side to 2m on the other and in theory ( not always practice depending on if it's an idiot building inspector that has misread the building regs ) you'll get away with 1.9 . Thanks for your questions on loft conversions . woody


I'm In the middle of a loft conversion (Reigate and Banstead Council) .... Builder thinks that he has to lay chipboard sheets, for fire reasons, whereas, I want to have individual softwood, Tongue and groove floor boards. I will then be able to save money, simply staining this. Whereas with the chipboard, this would mean I have to lay a laminate on top. Who is correct?
Hi rugby I very much doubt this is to do with fire regs ! ( don't hold that against him ) But from experience I'd never lay pine to start with in a loft . For these reasons . To lay them straight only joints in you loft would be pretty awkward , it's one on the first jobs and speed is at essence at this point as the more hassle there is your in more danger of coming through ceilings or just damaging them . The other thing is in short by the time your lofts finished the boards will be dirty and probably damaged this will only give you cause to get on at the builder and weeks of sanding to get the damage out . Last thing is and this is a definite . When the plasterer does his part the moisture in the air will expand the pine floorboards . When they dry out they will shrink again causing you to be unhappy and also drafts . So this is what to do , carry on with your loft converter let him put chip board down and making sure he allows adds probably 18 mm to the rise on the stairs and making sure you make it clear your adding 18 mm to floor for doors ect , you could even ask him to leave skirting a off , then when the plaster is totally dry leave the flooring in the room unfitted ( to acclimatise and simply fit the flooring on top followed by skirtings , bingo everyone's happy . Don't forget chip board in a loft floor takes only a couple of hours to fit but floorboards done right take up to two days . So you will have to pay and this might be the real reason he's shy about putting it down . Thanks woody


We had a loft conversion done over 7 wears ago the builder ensured us that he would do all the required documents with the council. We are now wanting to sell but cant find any records on the councils online system. Am worried what happens now! Plus the company no longer exists but at the time they did a few loft conversions in the area.
This could just be a case of the councils incompetence ( hopefully ) I'd go down to the offices and see firstly. If that draws a blank secondly knock on the doors of your neighbours and see what they have to say ( did they get a certificate ) over the years i've seen company after company set up trying to do what is sometimes the most complicated home construction job possible , so to get around structural complications the don't get regs. So you need a solution if they have not got building regulations for your loft conversion. Its very difficult to get them retrospectively but not impossible. Unless its structurally not sound. Your local authority building control might just wipe there hands clean of you and not wanting to scare monger be a bit funny with you. But it might be your first point of call. Or a sympathetic local loft convertor ( not general builder ) ask them to come out. Fill out my on line form quoting your question and let me know where you are. Don't lose hope but do on the other hand maybe be prepared to spend a bit of money with a local loft company or structural engineer . You can call me any time on 07974653481 Thanks woody


Hi Woody, Contacted you a while ago (1920s detached 5 year plan!). The money looks like it may become available in the next year or so and I have some more questions. The house needs re-rendering and I wondered as there will need to be scaffolding whether this would be something that your team would be able to do at the time of the attic conversion. It needs to be a breathable layer rather than concrete as the house is desperate to breathe! The house is 10 meters by 5 meters. Any idea of cost for the two? Thanks so much. Juliet
Thats great news juliet , any chance if you see this answer you could contact me as this part of the website does not have any inprint of your details , but nothing is a problem for what you require. woody


Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion ?
I'd say 90% don't need planning , But if you are increasing the roof height or dormers on the front of your property you may need planning , Don't let that put you off at all . Its a simple procedure and our dedicated team are proud to have 100% success rate with plans usually approved in less the 7 weeks


Hi relatively new house with high broad roof, do I need to add to what will be the floor joist to strengthen or add "noggins"? Builder said roof structure was not made for any storage as joists and lower walls were not made to support! Any advice appreciated
Unless ( as once seen ) you are putting something heavy like thousands of records or magazines up there and i mean thousands, you should be fine if you place some longer timbers 3" x 2" across the existing ceiling joists. Then you could board over the top of the timbers, this would spread the load over the whole ceiling. if you have purlins (large timbers that run across under the roof rafters) it would not hurt to put a vertical tie down to one of the ceiling joists. Thanks woody


Hi I live in a 1930s semi, with a very low pitch roof (I’m 6ft2in and can’t stand up!!). Can we raise the roof without causing major issue to the adjoining house or incurring the wrath of the planners?
We have in the past got planning permission and carried out a couple of raise the roofs on semi detached homes. It depends on a few things if you are going to get permission. "Street scene" is the terminology, Are the rest of the homes on the street different? Are you on a hill ? and ideally the higher one. Have you both got gable ends as opposed to hipped roof. Are you a new home? All these are factors could help or cause a few problems. Developers build new estates with the guidelines of diverse design of the homes this is to add character to the estates having said that the stupid people in planning don't like loft convertors trying to put character into older estates ?? Having said that a well put together planning application to most councils should result in you getting planning permission , we have never failed on any loft conversion application but between myself and my architect we do sometimes have to do a little bargaining on the peripherals of what we get permission for. As for the adjoining house it helps to be on talking terms to start with. No matter how good your loft converter is they'll have to lightly disturb next doors roof. But rectification and a sympathetic join profile ( where both homes meet ) should make it look like its always been like that. Hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to contact me and we will give you a better online opinion of what your hoping to do. Thanks woody


Hi ya Woody I'm wondering if you could advise me on the best way to soundproof a loft conversion floor?.
Hello Not sure if its a existing loft? If it is the only real financial option is a retrofitted underlay to your carpet. There are lots on the market or varying costs. If its a new loft then besides trying to minimise the new loft floor joists contact with existing ceilings and joists. You could add extra insulation under the floor but a very effective way is to fit a 12.5 mm or even a 15 mm plasterboard to the top side of the floor joists pre boarding. This is slightly unconventional but very effective all the same. Don't forget to allow the extra floor level to floor level in the stairs as even 12.5 mm makes a big difference. Thanks Woody


We are looking to buy a property - 1930s mid terrace. On the other side of the road many of the houses have loft conversions to create an extra bedroom and bathroom but no one has done it on our side, apparently the pitch is two tiles worth lower. Being mid terrace we wouldn't be able to raise the roof and I don't think we would be able to lower the ceilings as the top of the upstairs windows come practically up to the start of the roof. Any ideas as to how we could get a loft conversion in there?
Hi ya Mmm very rarely have i found a loft not convert-able. Ive even been to jobs that i have been recomended to as 2 or three builders have said " its not possible " and then ive gave them a perfectly except able loft conversion ( always to building regs ) . Firstly! technically if you have your 1.8 m of head room on your loft conversion stairs ( only lofts are allowed this head room ) then its possible. Now its all above your expectation of loft after that. You obviously need another room or you'd not be asking. So id say with a cleaver use of steel to get the floor timbers down. The special insulation we use to minimise head height reduction and probably a lot of veluxs to aid the head height on both stairs and room then it should be possible. As for lowering ceilings to form loft conversion, as long as the height of the lower rooms is good then the loft floor can be fitted stopping short of the windows by a meter still making sure there is no reduction in amenity to those windows but again its all about what you need as its not everyones cuppa tea but its a perfectly good solution. Fill my form in when you get a minute and give me a bit more info ie is it for kids ? thanks woody


Hi, we are interested in buying a house that had a loft conversion done in the 1980s. It looks quite ugly and has a pillar in the middle of the room which is the chimney. We were wondering how difficult and expensive it is to redo the conversion to a higher standard and with better insulation? Is it possible to remove a chimney from the middle?
9 times out of 10 its going to mean a total strip out and rebuild so without more info its hard to say but unless your loft convertor is willing to waver the strip out cost it will cost more then it would normally . Drop me a google earth plan and ill get you a price . Thanks Woody


We bought our house with a loft conversion already done. It was done 7 years ago. The room is great, however it gets so cold in the autumn to winter and even with heating on it does not help. Is there anything we could to improve the heat such as foam in the roof etc. The ceilings are plasterboarded with no access to the roof. Any suggestions/help would be appreciated.
Two real options here. No1 you take down the existing plasterwork and install a modern very efficient multifiol insulation , counter batton it and reboard and plaster . Advantage is you can guarantee the 50 mm air gap is there , it would now be totally sealed and insulated . Disadvantage is its the more expensive way . Option 2 Providing you already have the air gap you could just over insulate the existing plaster and re board . Advantage is a lot less mess and less cost too . Hope this helps


Hi, I live in detached house hipped on all sides. The roof is low, 2.1m top of joist to apex of roof. Everything I've read tells me this is too low (I'll lose approx. 300mm). Would you agree? My house is small and so even raising the roof won't give a particulary great room. I know raising the roof will almost double the cost of the conversion hence my reluctance since I'll only be getting a small room anyway. Do I have to raise the roof?
Thanks for your enquiry. Depending on street scene it's no problem to get you a very large loft conversion. Ignore " double the price " " not possible " comments every where in the net , you've obviously had a look on my site and 50% of those were low pitched roofs with no head room. All I need Is an idea of what you require ( 2 rooms / 1 room ) , a floor plan if possible and a place mark on google street view and or earth. From that I can give you an exact cost. Simple as that. We've made raising the roof loft conversions and turning hip to gable loft conversions a straight forward procedure over the last 20 years with minimal disruption and minimal time to complete.


Is there any chance you travel further afield ? Could you do a loft conversion in Oxfordshire?
Thanks for contact us! Yes myself and my team are traveling up and down the country carrying out loft conversions. We've just finished a loft in Kendal and we a looking at one just outside of london next week. If you give me a call we'll have a look no problem whatsoever! Thanks woody


How much do loft conversions cost ?
Maybe less than you think. But we do read a lot of articles Quoting a price per square metre , Here at Apex usually we come in a lot less then prices quoted . The best thing to do is give us a call and we'll tell you exactly . Thanks woody


We are looking at having a loft conversion done. But our builder has told us we would need a saniflow in the loft conversion. Have you had any experience of using macerators in loft conversions? Thanks Rachael
Ive always stayed clear of saniflows in lofts and at all cost, with a very well planned loft you can normally avoid having one. But saying that when needs must it could be a alternative. We've just been working on a loft conversion in Cumbria and the client had a under house restroom fitted indeed with a Saniflow / macerator. Without going into details for three weeks a combination of 6 hairy backsided builders used it. I was definitely hesitant about letting the guys use it, but its passed the test. So i would go for it and buy a " run dry " macerator that this was. I've one coming up that is going to need one and i'm going for a sanibest. Top of the range to be on the safe side. Good luck Rachael. woody


Ive a low pitched roof can it be converted into a room ? Its got lots of diagonal braces .
Yes in short . Apex pioneered a technique of raising the roof ! For us its a fairly simple and comparatively inexpensive way of doing it . Believe it or not we can also have your roof off and back on in the day so you'll also stay nice and dry .


Hi. I am interested in having an attic conversion in a few years however, we are in a five year old property with low ceilings as per all new builds and we now have solar panels on the rear of the roof. Will a conversion still be possible if the roof needs raising?
Yes I'm sure it will . Your solar panel fitters probably only took a day to fit your panels ? So in theory at the most 2 half days to remove and refit the panel should not cost you too much , if anything . I would even say in your contract that new roofs if you should ever need one the sp company will allow for that . If you want me to have a quick look on google street view just drop me a web enquiry or a quick call to 07974653481 otherwise when the time comes don't hesitate to contact us . The job of raising the roof for a loft conversion is mainly what we do . Thanks woody


I have a low roof and would love to have an extra room for my 2nd youngest child. Only the middle bit of the roof would allow standing. I know it is probably impossible to estimate the possible cost of such a venture but could you possibly give me an idea? The hatch to the loft is currently located above the upstairs landing, which give access to 3 bedrooms and the bathroom. Is there any way of having stairs to the loft without restricting access to the other bedrooms? Thanks so much. Lisa
Hi ya Lisa ( I'm posting reply after just speaking and getting a few more details.) Thanks for your question. So your a detached house with a low pitched roof and require a loft conversion. It's a fairly complicated procedure I'd like to think here at apex loft conversions we've made easy. We would easily be able to get you at least one room up in your loft possibly even 2. I realise you only want 1 but sometimes because of stairs position for your loft conversion 2 will get you more space. Cost of a loft conversion is fairly simple for me to work out as soon as you can get back to me with the couple of measurements and external photo I've just requested. " How long does a loft conversion take " over the phone. If you don't require a eunsuite we should have your loft complete in 3/4 weeks. To our high standard we've found no other companies can touch us on time , quality or cost. Thanks woody


Hi ! I have a 2002s linked detached house in Northamptonshire which my garage is linked to my Neightborough's propety. I had already rejected from the local council and planning appeal for planning permission to raise the height of ridge due to harmful to the character of the area. My attic height is 1.9m only and I really want to convert the roof for my growing family. Would u suggest any ideas for me ?
I really could do with seeing the refused plans for your loft conversion. Ive got plenty of raising the roof loft conversions passed for planning and i can't see why you should have failed if you are only link detached. woody


Hi there just been accepted an offer to buy a home..went in loft and measured 2.1 meters approx. want a dormer across the back. It's is a gable end and semi detached. Is there enough head hight, will not be able to raise pitch...as uttersford council are a bit strict...any suggestions ..want a bedroom with en suite. Regards jimmy.
Hi ya Mmmm I do find if people ask planning about a project 90% of the time they seem to poo poo it. But in reallity if they'd have just submitted the application and then negotiated it will eventually get passed. So don't rule out any planing application if it ends up being your only option or if you don't mind a possibility of losing £750 but getting just what you need , get an application in ASAP. As far as your specific low loft conversion is concerned 2.1 is low but not impossible to convert as long as the stairs is well designed and with the aid of a sneaky landing you've the appropriate headroom at the top. As long as it's only going to be a kids room and you put plenty of Velux windows in ( I've on occasion nearly filled the whole roof to the ridge ) you'll get a reasonably decent floor area. On the other hand concider either trying the planning route and rather then raising the roof. Continue the roof plane up at the same angle. And building the rear courses of brickwork up . As far as planning goes for loft conversions, surly this has a lot less impact then a double storie extension. The other option is look at another property and just run it past me. Thanks woody


Will I need to replace all my doors for fire doors if i have a loft conversion
Single storey homes + loft ! usually you will not , your existing doors should be adequate . As soon as you go to 2 storeys + loft it gets slightly more complicated , but saying that we have ways of complying with building regs but keeping doors with character , or we have a very large selection of fire doors if needed that to anybodies eye will be pleasing .


hi can i have a Spiral Staircase in a loft conversion as i have a very small space to put the stairs in thanks
Daft as this may sound spiral stairs do not take up that much less space then a well planned normal stair case . If you want a spiral stairs for aesthetic reasons to a loft conversion then it should not be a problem . But if you'd rather have a normal kite winding stairs then contact a stairs manufacturer or us and we can design a perfect stairs to fit in your small space . Thanks woody


Hi, we have been told that we have to have the ceiling lowered in two of our bedrooms if we want to do a loft conversion. I would like to know if we would have to have three RSJ's, one in bedroom 1 ceiling, one in the wall dividing the two rooms and one in the 2nd bedroom.
Hi ya its a good possibility what you are been told is true. I do hope you are in attached property though as a roof lift would probably be your best option if you are detached. If the dividing wall is load bearing and goes all the way to the floor you might be able to get away without the middle beam. Thanks woody


We have a low pitched roof (2.1 m in the centre), live in a semi-detached 1950s property (and therefore cannot presumably raise the roof) and our existing ceiling height on our first floor is about 7foot 5inches high. Is there any way to convert our loft so that adults can walk around in the loft?!
Thanks for your enquiry . It does depend on the pitch of your roof as well as height . But 7'5" ceilings are not very high . But ive done a few very simular height with the clever use of a lot of velux windows and maybe slightly lowering ceilings although not always . probably the use of steel , i think we can get you a loft up there yes . I can give you advice over the phone and a good idea of price too if you like . thanks woody


Hi how's many loft room s do u think you could get in a Victorian terrace? Thanks
How longs a piece of string ? Ive done a double back to back and got three reasonable sized rooms. The fact you are asking i'm going to hazard a guess at two. It all depends on how big you require the rooms. Send me some more details and ill give it the once over. woody


Hi, we have a detached house on a quite a busy road. We want to convert the loft into a master bedroom and en suite. I had a look up there, to see the space we had and noticed quite a lot of road noise as it is just a loft at the moment. My question is, if we have a loft conversion, and of course that noise will be reduced, but will we still be able to hear the traffic noise albeit much less? What is the best way to keep the noise out, what type of insulation? A colleague suggested we use 15mm plasterboard, will that be sufficient or to we have to double it up?
Your work colleague is a wise person. It is just a simple case of doubling them up. I'd use 12.5 mm boards and double them as I do fairly regularly if the road noise is a problem. The window should not let much sound in but if it does ? Buy a blind and you'll hear nothing ;) Woody


In my loft there is lots of space but you can't stand up properly as the support beams go across the width of the loft. Can these be raised ? I am thinking about a loft conversion but don't want to waste someone's time if this is not allowed Thanks
Hi ya , I think the supports you are referring to could be purlins , the long large pieces of timber that run from gable to gable . Yes you can it may need a little extra support with steel to counter act you moving them but its fairly simple and well worth doing if its going to give you a better usable space


Hello the height of our loft is 2.3 meters in the centre is this enough room for conversion?
I'd say yes !. With a clever bit of planning i have done lofts with less. Its all to do with head room at the top of the stairs and as far as that goes you should be fine. Even if its too tight then i can cleverly use velux windows to give me a bit extra and potentially a landing too. If you have a detached property ive got to suggest raising th roof to form your loft conversion. That way the sky is the limit and in all detached properties i could get you too rooms. send me your details and ill have a look on google earth.


How much does a loft conversion increase the price of my home?
Well at the end of the day estate agents usually come in with their fancy electronic laser measure and take the dimensions of your home. They then take into account some of the fixtures and do a very technical calculation that comes out with your price they are going to market it at. There and then if someone likes it they will buy it. So if you contact your local estate agent and can get the square metre cost for your area and do the calculation against what you might pay for your loft conversion then you'll find out if its worth it. Having said that if you are desperate for space and your only other option is to move don't forget to weigh up stamp duty, moving costs and what you are gaining from the move. Here's some house prices per m 2 The ten most expensive cities based on price per square metre: 1. Westminster, London, £7,586 2. St Albans, South East, £3,227 3. Oxford, South East, £2,821 4. Winchester, South East, £2,813 5. Chichester, South East, £2,638 6. Cambridge, East Anglia, £2,634 7. Brighton, South East, £2,549 8. Bath, South West, £2,376 9. Edinburgh, Scotland, £2,125 10. Salisbury, South West, £2,060 The least expensive cities based on price per square metre: 1. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, £817 2. Lisburn, Northern Ireland, £945 3. Hull, Yorkshire and Humberside, £1,027 4. Bradford, Yorkshire and Humberside, £1,042 5. Swansea, Wales, £1,063 6. Belfast, Northern Ireland, £1,064 7. Durham, North, £1,104 8. Stoke On Trent, West Midlands, £1,126 9. Sunderland, North, £1,129 10. Newport, South Wales, £1,134 Source Telegraph oct 2012 Depending on size of loft and finish according to these prices even most of the homes in the bottom 10 would benefit financially from a loft conversion if you came to sell.


party wall agreement
Party wall agreements generally are a southern issue ( mainly london ) although I'm not a expert on them because we never have come accross them in the north .


Can I contact u anytime
I have 24 hour call out for all customers apart from that any reasonable hour is good for me. Thanks


hi woody, i spoke to you earlier today for some advice on what type of floor would you recommend for a loft conversion, if its OK to use t&g chipboard, as there is a lot of drama about this product on the market. thank you for clearing that up for me. really nice to see there are genuine people out there... :) thanks Ali.
Yeah Ali Thanks for contacting me for a bit of advice . Just to clarify . I do realise that solid wood floorboards can be nice on the floor in loft conversions . But that is the only reason these days why you would put them in . Even then due to past experience I would still initially fit a good quality water proof chipboard flooring ! Glued and screwed to the joists . Then do all the work ,mainly plastering, plumbing and electrics . Let the plaster dry out completely ! Then put the pine / oak boards down after ! If you don't do this you would risk damaging the boards during construction . But even if you avoid that I will guarantee the boards will shrink and give you unsightly gaps between the boards , that will let drafts and dust up into your new lovely loft conversion . But in short chipboard is perfect alone for lofts . 18mm for any less then 450 joist c/c ( centre to centre ) and always 22mm for upto 600 mm c/c . Thanks woody


Can I sell my house if my loft conversion isn't up to the building regs? I am currently selling my house advertised has a 2 bedroom with loft conversion for storage, we had our loft conversion done 8 years ago it has a proper staircase done by builders and a floating floor, a mains fire alarm and velux window. We were told we didn't need planning permission but also didn't get anyone in to see if it was to building regs, would this be a problem when I sell my house as it's not advertised as a bedroom and only a storage room
Ive got to be honest and you are not going to like what I'm going to tell you. I realise you are not advertising it as a loft conversion but yourself or builder has done major works to your property and technically could have caused structural problems to it.(they probably have not but.....) The problems could be anything from ventilation problems causing condensation problems. To exaggerated fire escape problems. In this day and age surveyors are keen as mustard for above such problems and i do get phone calls asking me to come and sort or give solutions every now and again. This is all i can suggest, try selling it ! If its not looking good and it sounds like its purely because you can't find a cash buyer or mortgage company willing to lend against a property with a loft conversion without regs, bite the bullet and remove the stairs , if that has not helped remove the plaster , insulation and just leave it with the floor. Good luck woody apex lofts


We bought a old semi detached property in Wales, living in Norfolk we were only able to have 2 viewings and could not get access to the loft.On moving in we decovered that there was no partion wall in th loft only a unstable few rows of bricks in the centre, leaving our loft entirely open.we were cash buyers and have now been informed that it will need to be partioned to be mortgaged. When we decide to sell. We have decided th get it done for security , bot the owners next door are unwilling to share the cost .would you advise us .
I don't think you could force them to do it . So you may have to grin and bare it and just build it . Build it in breeze blocks and it will not cost the earth escpcially if you are willing to do the leg work and carry the blocks upstairs . Rough cost of £1 per block 10 per m2 . To lay them you maybe looking at around £2 to £3 per block. If it was a large house the going rate for laying blocks is £1 each but you have some time consuming cuts so you'll need to pay more . Good luck


Apex lofts is the perfect moduloft alternative and here's why. We have been raising the roofs on homes for many more years then moduloft. Our time scales from start to completion are the same if not shorter on some projects. With Apex you get the owner of the company on site for most of the job as we only run one job at once. Moduloft need very big cranes where we can normally get away with a small city crane. Apex lofts has been known to be 40% to 25% cheaper than Moduloft and never more expensive. We also promise you will get more loft for your money with no expensive "moduloft" gimicks. Bold statments but you only need to see the quality of our work to appriciate why to use Apex loft conversions and not Modulofts.
Apex lofts is the perfect moduloft alternative and here's why. We have been raising the roofs on homes for many more years then moduloft. Our time scales from start to completion are the same if not shorter on some projects. With Apex you get the owner of the company on site for most of the job as we only run one job at once. Moduloft need very big cranes where we can normally get away with a small city crane. Apex lofts has been known to be 40% to 25% cheaper than Moduloft and never more expensive. We also promise you will get more loft for your money with no expensive "moduloft" gimicks. Bold statments but you only need to see the quality of our work to appriciate why to use Apex loft conversions and not Modulofts.


I live in a Victorian end terrace with suspended flooring and have exposed wooden floor boards. During the winter it gets very cold with very noticeable draughts coming through the floorboards. My wife and I would like to keep the exposed flooring so I have been told that Kingspan insulating boards wedged between the underfloor joists will be a good way of remedying this. I went under the floorboards the other day and there is about a 3ft gap underneath so I should have enough room to install strips of Kingspan. However, having looked online I have found conflicting views as to how much ventilation should be left between the Kingspan insulation and the underneath of the floorboards. Therefore, I am after some advice how I should install and fix the insulation boards with respect to how much room I should leave between the insulation board and the underneath of the floorboards. Many thanks in advance for any advice.
Hi Chris Theres a type of insulation on the market called multi foil . Brands such as triiso super . And super quilt . It's only one inch thick and flexible . Invest in a t50 stapler and a roll of this , oh and a very good pair of scissors as it does not cut with a knife . Staple this directly to the underside of the boards not the joists . This will leave the whole under floor still ventilated and will insulate the floor better then the messy , awkward , smelly kingspan , and you'll have no waste apart from what's left over . It comes in 15m2 rolls . @ around 150£ Its the best thing since sliced bread . Thanks woody


i don't have enough height in my loft but still i want to have loft extension
That's no problem. It's easier if you detached but not the end of the world if your not . We can convert it . I've you can fill in my contact form and I'll have a look . Thanks


I bought 4 bedroom house 5 years ago and two of the bedrooms are conversions upstairs in the loft. I have building regs document for a new roof and dormer that were installed by the previous owner, but during recent structural survey (to assess cracks that are appearing above door frames and ceiling) it became evident that the floor joist were not according to the current standard, no floating floor was installed. And this is now causing problem with the downstairs as well as the floor upstairs is looping and bouncing. The new roof and dormer were installed about 6 years ago. Can I request Council to take responsibility for not pointing this out during their inspection? I have asked them to send me the I section documents but despite three requests they have not yet done so. I live in North London. Not sure what I should do, as common sense says that the floor should have been inspected to meet the current building regs standards at the time the new floor and dormer were installed as clearly the space was used to house two bedrooms.
Thanks for your question ! Its a good one . You say the owner produced a building regs cert for a new roof and dormer . But until the last line do not mention a whole loft conversion . If for example the loft conversion already had a stairs , floor boards and probably a velux style window , and the work was carried out a good time before ( i think 8 years ) the dormer works and roof building regs application . Then it is very difficult for building regulations to make you change the floor structure , stairs act . As they are existing . One of the reasons maybe the dormer and roof works might actually be improving a already bad situation with the use of up to date ( at the time ) insulations . Not to mention the dormers probably gave the rooms substantially better fire escape situation . So id have thought if the above is the case then you cannot claim against anyone . If however it was a full loft conversion with new stairs , dormers , smoke detecters act and nothing but a empty storage space existed before , Get on the phone to the council / and definitely your local councillor asap and explain to them the situation . Correct Floor joints are obviously one of the most important structural parts of every loft conversion . As you are now finding out and your job should never have been passed by the council .


Part finished loft conversion - putting staircase in place of hatch Hi I've recently bought a 3 bed terraced Victorian home and on checking out the loft discovered a few things. Firstly it's quite big (5.9x5.9x2.8m). The rafters and floor have all been upgraded, reinforced and mostly floorboarded. Then a large velux has been fitted. It seems a waste to just use it for storage through a small hatch. Would it be difficult/illegal to put a small simple staircase in place of the hatch e.g spiral, spruce it up with walls/insulation and carpet all done myself and use it as a makeshift study/kids playspace? I'm not too bothered about increasing value as it's a long term home, just want to enjoy the extra space.
I realise you only want it as a play room but some additions in the process can effect the structural integrity of your "long term" home. You sound of reasonable skills to even consider the job so i don't think you are going to do any stupid structural alterations so the only real harm you may do your home is a cold air warm air ventilation conflict. This is going to happen by not insulating the roof properly and then plastering. If you kept the loft cool you'll not have that problem but you want to use it so you'll be having heat up there with our cold winters. You also need air space between plaster and roof covering for ventilation, lack of ventilation can cause major rot problems. So look at a quality multi foil ( super quilt / triiso ) for the job. As for is it illegal once you make it habitable play or study is habitable! the local authority can and will make you remove it. Just by the local inspector seeing a window go in they maybe knocking at your door! In my opinion in lofts there is no such thing as "done right but just not to regs" seek advice and do it correct yourself. Building control have a duty to help you and advise you. If your not sure get a local joiner in for a few days with the more technical bits.


Hi, we have a low pitch roof (house built about 1989) max height 1.5m with trusses crossing, detached house . Would it be possible to raise roof?
Yes quite easily. 9 times out of ten you could probably have 2 rooms and a ensuite/ separate shower room in the in the loft 2 All i need is your postcode and ideally a google earth place mark. After i've got that we can have a quick chat over the phone if you like to find out your needs and i can give you the measurements of loft space and usually a exact price. If you get a minute fill out my enquiry form and we'll take it from there.


I have a boiler in my loft will this be a problem?
Not normally , they sometimes need moving but can easily be boxed in with a nice cupboard . Tanks can be slightly more problematic as they can take a lot of space up , but in our free survey we will give you all the choices and solutions .


We have a 1920s detached house with a low pitch - I'm 5'7 and struggle to stand at full height in the apex so would definitely need raising. I have some money due to come to me in the next 5 years or so and rather than move I am looking at ways to improve a very pleasant home in a good area. I would therefore be interested to know just how much a loft conversion to create a master suite with ensuite in the roof space would be and could email you the internal layout of the property as per the estate agent plans when we bought it if that would help.
No problem whatsoever to give you a fantastic loft conversion . I've got to say the "the next 5 years" is definitely thinking ahead. But a loft conversion is money well spent. For resale gain or just quality of living while ever you live in that property. Please send me your layouts and let me give them the once over. From that I can tell you what you can achieve. Thanks woody Update just had a look at layouts for the house and it is possible to have two bedrooms and a eunsuite in the loft conversion .


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