As property prices across the country continue to head south, homeowners are looking for ways to eek every last penny of value out of their bricks and mortar, as well as create more space. One of the most practical and cost-effective ways of increasing the size and value of your home is to convert your loft into extra living space, but it’s not all about loft ladders, pokey bedrooms and train sets – your loft can be the crowning glory of your house.

 

So, what can you do with all that space above your head? Well, that’s entirely down to your ideas and, obviously, your budget. But let’s just get a few facts out of the way first to keep you interested and tell you that converting your loft space is not the sole domain of the wealthy. In fact, converting your loft is one of the cheapest ways to extend your house, and if you believe the likes of the Halifax Building Society (given their recent record, we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t), then you can take assurance from the fact that loft conversions are the most profitable home improvement you can carry out on your house, coming in at an average cost of around £100 a square foot, but potentially adding up to around £300 a square foot in value to the loft upon completion. Not too bad for a previously redundant, cold, and spider-ridden void, eh?

 

But before getting carried away by your imagination, it’s essential to poke your head up into the loft and get a feel for the shape and height of the room-to-be. Once you’ve made sense of the area you’re dealing with and have taken a few measurements, you can start planning what you want from your loft conversion. If your aspirations outstrip your capabilities, then enlist the help of a loft conversion specialist who’ll carry out an initial survey for you – often for free – to help you discover what’s possible and what’s not, along with giving you an idea of timeframes and approximate costs for the different options on the table.

 

On getting a feel for the space in your loft, architect and Channel 4 Home Show expert George Clarke says: “Take a measuring tape and a piece of paper to make sense of space and to start thinking about how the space is going to work, because you’ll realise there’s only so much usable space – in other words, where you’re going to get head clearance.”

 

One of the most popular uses for a loft conversion is a bedroom, and with plenty of space and no existing floor-plan to constrain you, you can get really creative with the layout. If it’s a child’s room you’re planning, then safety needs to be a major consideration, and with loft conversions the biggest safety hurdle to overcome is access. Access with just a loft ladder only is not only potentially dangerous, it’s also impractical and restricts scope for the type of furniture you can get up there. Installing a proper staircase is a must for just about all modern loft conversions, so if you don’t know your rafters from your ridge beams, then you’ll need to make enquiries with a professional surveyor about what it’ll take to accommodate stairs.

 

According to George, the staircase to one of the trickiest considerations to overcome when planning a loft conversion: “The big thing is the position of the staircase. It’s the most important decision you have to make. Sometimes, there’s only one place it can go, but you’ve got to think quite creatively about that.”

 

If you’re planning on using your loft for a master bedroom, then you’ll also probably be looking for scope to fit an en-suite bathroom up there too. But with the cost of converting loft space being so favourable, why not consider going one step beyond and decking out your en-suite as a full-on wet room. Tiling the walls and floors and then installing under-floor heating will create a warm and inviting room that’ll lure you out of bed on even the coldest, darkest winter mornings. 

 

The space in your loft could be ideal for a lounge, with the sloped sides offering plenty of scope for large skylights or even french windows to a balcony, letting the natural light flood in from above. But a loft is not just the perfect space for creating a bold, sumptuous family living room, it also brings plenty of practical considerations too. Having your expensive lounge TV and audio equipment up at the top of your house can make you less of a desirable target for burglars or sneak thieves, and using your roof space to create more communal room for your family means that you don’t have to look at extending on the ground floor and losing valuable garden or drive space.

 

Thousands of entrepreneurs have launched their careers from attic offices. With the advent of the internet, the number of people working from home has skyrocketed, with many turning to their lofts to find the space needed from which to run their business. An office loft conversion is one of the most cost-effective types of loft conversion, often requiring less infrastructure changes than bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and kitchens. Running cabling up to a loft for office equipment is relatively simple, and flat-packed office furniture can be built in-situ, so saving the need for a wide staircase. And because businesses run from the home often only revolve around one person, then a partial loft conversion might appeal also, with the obvious cost savings that that brings. Also, as with the lounge loft conversion, your sensitive business documents and equipment are well away from prying eyes and hands up at the top of your house, reducing the risk of disruption should you be unfortunate enough to become a victim of theft or burglary.

 

Don’t ignore the weather when carrying out your loft conversion. Whereas most types of building work will keep running come rain or shine in the UK, loft conversions can be problematic, because the space being underneath is obviously often occupied during the work. Rain showers can be tolerated, but consistent rain may pose problems in some cases, so try and schedule your loft conversion for the warmer, drier months of the year if possible. Also, it’s good to talk – so if you live in a semi, terrace, or even a detached house that’s in close proximity to neighbours, then it’s good manners to tell them about your intentions so that they can plan around any disruption caused by the work, such as noise.

 

Finally, make sure that whoever carries out your loft conversion does it by the book. Any work undertaken will need to meet strict building regulations standards. If the work carried out by yourself or a contractor doesn’t comply, you run a very real risk of more expense to rectify it later.

Also make sure that you have the necessary planning permission if it’s required. Different rules apply to different types of house, so find out how your proposals compare to the rules for your property and then apply for planning permission in good time if it’s needed. Submissions to your local authority’s planning department are normally dealt with within 8 weeks, but if objections are made then the process can be considerably more drawn out. It’s worth adding, though, that most types of loft conversion no longer require planning permission, thanks to a change in legislation in November 2008.