- Failing to comply with building regulations
- Ignoring planning permission
- Forgetting to tell your neighbour
- Positioning the staircase in the wrong place
- Failing to hire a professional builder
- Forgetting to consider headroom
- Failing to inform your insurer
- Lighting
You must obtain building approval before converting a loft. These regulations will provide guidelines for ventilation, floor and wall construction, insulation, electricity, headroom, and soundproofing.
Some loft conversions, like rear dormer and rooflight, don’t need planning permission. However, if you are doing major loft conversions that change the appearance of a building and hip-to-gable designs, you need to get permission. If you live in a designated area like a conservation or your home is on sale, you must also seek permission to alter the loft from the relevant authorities.
When you decide to convert a loft, you must inform your neighbor about it because they can stop the construction through the court. If they succeed in stopping the construction, you will incur financial losses due to the money you would have spent buying building materials and hiring professionals to assess the suitability of your building. This is especially important if your new structure will affect the wall you share with your neighbour.
One of the challenges you will face when converting your loft is deciding where to position a staircase. When you convert your loft, you will need to access it, and the best way to do this is to build a sturdy staircase. The best place to construct the staircase is directly above the existing staircase. This way, the stairs will not look out of place.
If you are a DIY enthusiast, you may be tempted to transform the loft into a livable space without help. However, this is not advisable because an attic is a delicate room requiring utmost care and professionalism. Enlisting the services of a professional builder will save you time and money. It will also ensure the loft is safe and built according to the required construction standards.
A loft might have limited headroom, so it’s crucial to increase it to make it habitable. You can increase the headroom by removing parts of the roof and reconstructing it in your desired design.
When starting your loft conversion work, especially if you will extend your home, you need to let your home insurance provider know what you are doing. You will likely discover that your current policy doesn’t cover the loft project, and you must get more specific insurance. If you fail to get the necessary insurance, things don’t go as planned, and there is an accident, you will spend a lot of money to pay medical bills for the injured person. You need to ensure you communicate with your insurance provider even if the builders you have hired have their policies. After completing the project, you should also notify your insurance provider so they can update your policy to include the new room in your house.
This is another aspect of loft conversions that many people overlook. You need to consider the location and type of lighting to use in the new room. This means considering the natural and artificial lighting. If you use the loft as an office, use window shading to make it easy to see the computer or laptop screen by minimizing screen glare. Additionally, if you will use it as a bedroom, avoid placing a rooflight directly over the bed because the sunlight might wake you up. Blackout blinds will also be great for keeping the light out when you don’t need it.
Wrapping Up
Loft conversion is usually an outstanding achievement for most people. It is an affordable way of creating more room in your house, and the shape of the room makes it fun to spend time there, especially for kids. However, you may be unable to make your dream loft conversion dream a reality if you make the above mistakes. Steer clear of them, and you will have a fantastic loft conversion you can cherish for years.
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