Loft Conversions – Is There A Better Way?

Many people are realizing that building a professional loft conversion is a lot better than moving home if all you need is one extra room. London and the south east house prices are very fickle often declining, it can be a big risk to move house just to gain an extra room and it could turn out that you end up losing a lot of money. (With the additional costs of stamp duty, increased mortgages, conveyencing fees and paying removal companies it can really be expensive|Not forgetting all of the usual moving costs such as a bigger mortgage, stamp duty, normal removal expenses and solicitors fees it can really mount up|Then there are the costs which are always associated with moving home such as removals, the cost of hiring a solicitor, higher mortgage payments and stamp duty}.


So if you need that extra room what do you do? A loft conversion is a very good idea as it will meet your requirements for that other room and it will add value to your precious home. In a recent survey conducted by the Alliance and Leicester building society it was revealed that a professional loft conversion can add as much as £40,000 to the value of your house. You also have the benefit of not moving house and all of the costs that come with that.


A recent 2008 relaxation of the planning laws has lead to many people undertaking loft conversions. The law changed to “permitted development” when it comes to loft conversions which means that most conversions will not require local government planning permission. Building regulations are a separate issue and still very necessary to comply with as the loft conversion will be a room for people to live in.


Prices will vary from different contractors when estimating your loft conversion. But you need to be careful here as an inferior conversion will not add value to your home and may even decrease it. Temporary staircases are not recommended and estate agents will tell you this really doesn’t add much value. It is well worth paying more now for a totally professional job as you will reap the rewards of significantly increased value in the future.


Loft conversions have lots of advantages over traditional extensions so what are they? Well there are many. Most houses, regardless of style, will be suitable for a loft conversion. A traditional house extension should be far more expensive than a loft conversion and you won’t lose any valuable outside space either. Local government planning permission will almost certainly be required for an extension whereas a loft conversion shouldn’t under permitted development. Time required to plan and build a quality loft conversion should be significantly less than that required to plan and build an extension which is a major advantage when you consider that you won’t have parties of construction workers cluttering up your home for what seems like a lifetime .


You can go a step further with your loft conversion and help the environment by installing solar panels to generate electricity, heat your water or both. Your electricity bill should be reduced also. Incentives are available from the government for householders who install solar panels for the generation of electricity and water incentives are on the way.


The final price that you can expect to pay for your loft conversion depends on the structural requirements for the flooring, the size and shape of your loft, whether or not water tanks need to be moved and a whole host of other factors. Regardless of the price a loft conversion should always be worth considering.



There are many advantages to choosing a loft conversion if a quality solution is sought. To find out more about quality loft conversions visit this link loft conversions London.