Extend your home with a loft extension

With estate agency fees, stamp duty and moving costs (not to mention the huge amount of stress) putting many people off moving to a new house, many home owners are opting to try and extend their existing home instead when they need more space. Sometimes this can be a necessity with growing families needing more space to make way for a new addition and other times it could just be a financial decision, looking to add to the value of your property. Whatever the reason, there are a range of different options available to extend a property including home extension, garage conversion, garden room or loft conversion. 

Loft conversions are a very popular choice, as they make the most of what you already have. Building directly up into your loft to give a new space, usually used as an additional bedroom or bathroom.  This all sounds very straight forwards, but there are actually a few different options to choose from when having a loft conversion built for your home. These options will be chosen dependant on the style of home you have and the amount of space you currently have in your loft.

Types of Loft Conversion

The first style we are looking at is a “Velux Loft Conversion”. This is the most popular style of loft conversion and in most cases doesn’t even need planning permissions.  Velux are a very well-known manufacturer of roof windows, but this name is now synonymous with this style of loft conversion.  Velux loft conversion work within the existing space you have, with your ceiling being the existing roof line. The roof is not touched at all, so this is the most affordable option.

The second option is a “Dormer Loft Conversion”.  This style of conversion actually extends the roof of your property to give additional headroom.  The dormer extension comes out of your existing roof horizontally, giving you a flat roof and walls (as opposed to the diagonal walls of a Velux conversion. This gives the most amount of room space, using the floor space of your loft as much as possible. There are many different types of dormer loft conversion, which your builder will be able to advise you on.  Ben of Create Room tells us “When considering a loft conversion it is best to have one of our experienced surveyors visit, they can understand what you are looking for and then advise on what options are available to you and what would work best for your property.”

The last option we are looking at is a “Mansard Loft Conversion”. This is a less common option and is used more on period properties or listed buildings which may have issues getting planning permission for either of the other styles of loft conversion. Named after French architect Francois Mansart who used this style of roof design on many of his buildings, this style is more expensive than other loft extension styles and requires more planning permission, but can still be popular with home owners trying extend their home whilst still keeping with a particular style.

How much does a loft conversion cost?

Budget can be an important factor for home owners, whether you are adding a loft extension to create more room for your family or are extending solely to add value to your home.  Nationwide Building Society recently completed a survey of UK home prices and published figures showing a loft extension can add 20% to the value of your property.  This is a great profit for any home owner, but finding the most cost-effective building option, paired with the perfect finish is the goal. There is no exact answer as to how much a loft conversion costs.  You would need to get a professional to visit your home and price up all the options available to you to know for sure.

All of the options we have covered here give a completely different finish and different amount of space for your loft.  It is worth knowing how each of these styles would look in your home, but at the end of the day the best option is to contact your local loft extension expert and have them visit your home to see which of these options would work the best for your property.  Once you are aware which options are available to you then you can make an educated decision to see which style fits best for your needs, style and budget.