Loft Conversion Specialists
Budget and Planning
You’ve decided that a loft conversion is the thing for you and want to press ahead. Where would you start?
If you talk to a professional you’re going to need an idea of cost and a few of the other things you might need to budget for. After all, nobody wants to go in completely blind to a project that is as important to their quality of life as this.
You can’t do it alone either, so remember to think about the people you might need to involve in you project.
Architect
You’ll need someone to come up with a concept for you. Some builders may do this, or you may feel you want the professional touch from the off.
They can also advise as to the latest developments in the field and add those little touches that make your conversion above the norm.
Planning Department
Do not forget to involve your local planning department. Most loft conversions will be granted quickly, there will be little to stop it going ahead as you’re merely altering the existing building.
What if you’re in a conservation area though? It costs around £170 to apply for planning permission, but in doing so you can have complete peace of mind that everything you’re doing is legal and above board.
Building Inspector / Building Control
It is crucial to remember that planning and the building inspector are not necessarily the same thing. You may have permission to commence your conversion, but what of the extra consideration.
You will need to take extra consideration to fire safety, insulation and the like.
Also, if your loft adjoins another property there may be partition walls to consider.
Loft Conversion Budget
How much will you really need to do your conversion? After all, weighing up the benefits is only possible if you’re in complete understanding of what the initial cost is going to be.
It is thought that in most instances your conversion will cost in the region of £1,000 per square metre. This is usually the case if you have a water tight building in a good state of repair.
Design shouldn’t be excessive either, somewhere between £1,500 and £3,500 would represented good money. In addition to the planning costs of around £170, there’s also the cost of siding off the project, usually around £400 in the UK.
These costs may be included in your quote from your builder, so it is worth speaking to him in depth at the start of the project.
A standard single space conversion usually comes in somewhere between £15,000 and £35,000 if its to have a dorma window, cupboards in the eaves and en suites bathroom etc.
