As more of us turn to conversion over moving expenses, we’re becoming increasingly creative with the space we have at home. It’s now not unusual to see conversions for things like home offices anywhere from the basement, right up to the attic.
Attics, in particular, can make spacious, airy offices, or additional bedrooms. Unfortunately, not all properties are suitable for attic conversion. Find out whether your attic would work by answering the following questions.
Converting Your Attic into Liveable Space
1) Are there other attic conversions local to you?
Most areas require you to seek planning permission for even an internal addition like an attic conversion. This can be a costly and time-consuming process, and isn’t worth pursuing if you’re unlikely to receive permission anyway. To determine this, consider whether your neighbors have attic conversions, and how recently they converted. If there are no new conversions in your area, it could be a sign of potential problems. Equally, if there are a load of new attic conversions locally, it’s a sure sign you’d get permission quite easily.
2) Is there space for a conversion?
A dormer conversion can create additional headspace in even a low-slung attic, but to have any chance of creating a viable attic room, you’ll need around 2.2m between your floor joists and roof timber. This will buy you roughly 2m of headspace with a new floor in place, which is a minimum requirement. If you don’t have this room, then you’re probably best leaving your attic alone, or using space for something like a child’s room.
3) Are there any potential obstacles?
Sometimes, our attics contain obstacles that can make a conversion difficult and expensive. For instance, if you have a water tank in your attic or a domineering chimney stack, you may struggle to convert. These setbacks can be especially problematic if you don’t factor them in, so be sure to do your research and take note of anything that’s in your attic right now. You can go ahead with a conversion even in the face of these obstacles, but it could mean either expensive relocations, or the need for additions like cupboards or containing walls.
4) How much work would you need to make the space comfortable?
It’s also vital to consider how much work you’d need to do to creat a comfortable, livable space. If your attic is already insulated and well-sealed, then you can create a great new room for a relatively low cost. However, if you’re unsure of these things, it’s best to invest in something like these infrared heat loss inspections, which can help to identify things like insulation leaks and weak spots in your attic seals. This way, you’ll be able to judge whether you’d need extreme work to secure the space, and whether that’s a worthwhile cost for this project.
An attic conversion is a great home project that can give you extra space, and add value to your home. Simply answer these questions to make sure this project will work before you start piling money into it.
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