Loft conversion

mani · 22-01-2006, 22:32

i'm wanting to mkae a loft conversion

a) do i need planning permission if all i'm gonna install is a skylight?

b) what structural improvements will i have to make to the flooring?

c) anyone know of any good builders who have a track record of such things?

thanks!

Madhatter · 22-01-2006, 22:35

only if its a habitable room.
What flooring?, is there already flooring?, whats it used for, what do you intend to use it for ?
Is the roof lined, is there a proper stair case to it?

Madhatter · 22-01-2006, 22:37

If you intend to make a loft thats just got a loft floor down into a habitable room, yes you need planning permission, and it will be expensive.

shakermaker · 22-01-2006, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madhatter

is there already flooring?, whats it used for, what do you intend to use it for ?

i should imagine it'll be used for walking on

mani · 22-01-2006, 22:44

*LOL*

the family's expanding and our current room isnt big enough so we wanted to get the loft done

so its gonna b used to for bedroom activities *L*

Madhatter · 22-01-2006, 22:59

I was on about the loft not the floor, but ye the floor could be used for walking on or just storing things on

Madhatter · 22-01-2006, 23:01

well walking and putting furniture on.
Sounds like you need a builder m8, and if you haven't got a propper staircase you'll need one putting in, and you'll deffinatly need planning permission.

harwood red · 22-01-2006, 23:10

thats where you're wrong madhatter, unless you are putting in a dormer it is only building regs that you need,. I have recently just had my loft converted, with full new staircase, full new floor and skylight and it is now a bedroom. It was done completely above board with HBC and in fact the building inspector there was great!

Madhatter · 22-01-2006, 23:45

I always thought a stair case was classed as something planning permission was needed for.

Madhatter · 23-01-2006, 00:09

well according to that site you can even have a dormer if its not facing the public highway.
I must be thinking of building regs on the staircase and habitable room thing. which would make sense, you have to have a stair case not a ladder.
It says you may need pp if its a conservation area(your rights may be removed) or a listed building.
All irrelevant of course cos you still need building regs n it's got to be done all propa like, not bodgit n scarper

mani · 23-01-2006, 00:33

well as long as any maintainence doesnt affect the outside visability of the building nor affect the structural integrity u can do as u please - hence we dont need to get permission to refit a whole room etc *though with some people's tastes...*

if the outside look is affected then u need plannin permission

if the structural integrity is affected u need the building regs

i guess the fact if ur having a skylight or a dormer affects who u need.

harwood - if u dont mind who did u have it done off? how much did it approx cost?

Neil · 23-01-2006, 05:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by harwood red

I have recently just had my loft converted, with full new staircase, full new floor and skylight and it is now a bedroom.

Are congratulations in order?

WillowTheWhisp · 23-01-2006, 07:54

You may need to re-inforce the floor because it's only a ceiling at the moment. By that I mean that the ceiling of your downstairs rooms which is also the floor of your bedrooms will have stronger beams in it because it was designed to be a floor and to support furniture but the beams in your upstairs ceilings were not designed to be a floor and may not be strong enough to support furniture despite the fact that people put all sorts of heavy stuff in the lofts.

We had ours done donkeys years ago and the builders who did it knew how much weight a floor needed to be able to support etc. I'm not sure they realised that it would have teenagers dancing about up there or prior to that younger children leaping off bunk beds but even so the ceiling hasn't come down on us yet! Your builder will know what permission you need and what regulations you must comply with too.

entwisi · 23-01-2006, 08:15

When we had our new 'upstairs' put on the bungalow we had to pay for an engineer to calculate the strength of the RSJs that would be needed to hold the floor etc in place. Effectively our new floor is suspended from three RSJs, one in the apex of the property, two just above the 'new floor level'. Our work was done by Stephen Astin and he did a superb job but unfortunately he died of a heart attack a few years ago. He did play merry hell about the size of two of the RSJs, he reckoned that the top one needed to be larger than the two bottom ones and that the engineer just calclated the top one and said all three to be the same. Still better to be over engineered than under

As for costs, as ours wasn't just a loft conversion it won't give you much of an idea one thing to remember is that it does cost a lot more than just the builders quote though when you add in carpets, curtains, poles, paint, trimmings, furniture etc.

harwood red · 23-01-2006, 11:55

Will dig out the number for you Mani, he was called Andy and his trade is joinery. I had a lot more done to the house than just the loft, in fact the whole house was remodelled. So price wise it's hard to say how much just the loft cost. But now deep breath everyone. The final amount I paid was a few hundred quid under his original quote!!!!! And even better he's a regular stanley fan!! He is very busy so you would probably need to book him quite a few months in advance. Don't forget for building regs you will need proper plans drawn up too