Loft conversion could be a solution for your growing family

Converting your roof space into a functional loft can make use of space currently unused. As one of the warmest areas in most homes, this space can be converted into an extra bedroom, effective storage or even an additional living space to relax away from the daily pressures of modern life.

Darling, Princess just turned 16 – I don’t think she should share a room with her younger sisters much longer. And the baby - well not quite a baby, almost two - we can’t keep her in a crib in our room, she wants her own bed now. We got the house for a great price, and we are in a great neighbourhood so moving house is not an option. What can we do?

What about an attic conversion, Sweetie?

What do you mean, darling?

I mean, we can build a functional room up there. Depends on how much space we have, what we’d like to use it for, what we need it for. A guest bedroom would be nice, or a home office. I could use some extra storage space or maybe a gym. Do we have enough room, you think, for an ensuite bedroom?

Sorry darling, that’s a fancy word for an attached bathroom.

Here’s a Sunday supplement, “The Bare Bones Guide to Attic Conversions ”. Hmmm. It says it can be a DIY project, but it’s better to contract with a renovation specialist company. And then, is it feasible? They say to first get the precise dimensions . . . must have 2.3 metres of headroom, although you could get a functional space at a minimum of 2.1 metres . . . also check your roof to see if rainwater is seeping into the roof space . . . and then check for 2 metres clearance above the position of the access stairs. Are you writing all this down darling? 

Sweetie and Darling continue reading “The Bare Bones Guide to Attic Conversions”.

Access: A compliant access to the attic/loft that fits with the flow of both the current layout and the planned new attic/loft space. For a simple storage room this can be a pull down set of attic stairs but for an occupied space you will need a compliant staircase.

Headspace: A minimum of 2.1meters of headroom is required where the stairs reach the new attic/loft space. The rest of the space can be a mixture of full height ceiling in areas of people movement through to lower and/or sloped rooflines in storage areas or where people will not normally be standing.

Flooring: The existing ceiling structure will need to be evaluated and where necessary strengthened to carry the additional load associated with your attic/loft conversion.

Lighting: This can be either conventional lighting or the use of Skylights to provide natural lighting through the daytime.

Roofline: In a number of situations no changes are required to the existing roof to accommodate your attic/loft conversion. However when the existing roof line doesn’t allow for the space you want create a redesign of the roof structure will be required. This could either be a dormer type addition or a full roof re-pitch.

All other aspects of the project are as they would be for a normal home renovation project.

Rooflight This type conforms to the shape of the roof itself, saving on roof restructuring costs. The window installation will flood the loft area with plentiful light.

Dormer Extends headroom inside the loft to the front and features a window.

The cost of an attic/loft conversion can vary wildly, depending on the size of the space you want to create, what you want to put in it and the current roof design. For a small space with no plumbing you will be investing around $15,000, through to a larger space with plumbing kicking in around $50,000.

If you are considering an attic or loft conversion at your place why not give us a call to discuss your idea’s and if things sound good from there arrange a time to come out and view the site and discuss layouts and budgets.

For more information please visit out Attic and Loft Conversion page .