Loft Conversion - Initial Plans

Measurements

The key measurement for any loft conversion is the height of the existing roof space - it needs to be over 2.2m at it's highest point. I say this as if I'm an expert when, as we all know, the reality is that I spent hours on Google.

 

Then it's just a case of figuring out how wide and how long the interior of your house is. In reality, the converted loft walls will have to be slightly inside the existing exterior walls if it is to stay within the permitted development rules but, since I didn't know what constituted enough of a difference, I just went with the full width for my initial plan.

What Are You Using it For?

Another important part of the planning process is to have a clear idea of what you want to use the new space for. For us, we wanted a generously sized master bedroom, overlooking the garden, and a hobby room / guest bedroom.

Then it's just a case of dusting off the old trigonometry skills and deciding where the big bits of furniture would fit best.

 

 

 

The Plan

This led to the below floor plan. The roof would slope to the right of the piece of paper while the flat roof would extend to the left. The access to the loft would be from above the existing staircase.

 

There's space for a double bed and wardrobes in the main bedroom. Tracy has wanted a window seat ever since we visited a cottage in Cornwall many, many moons ago - so there's space for that too, looking out on to what will eventually be our beautiful planned garden.

The hobby / guest room has a sofa-bed, and tables that can be moved to suit whatever is being worked on (tabletop gaming, making things, looking at old maps etc.). The idea is to have a versatile space that is open to everyone.

A lot of people recommended having an en-suite but we would rather have the floorspace. However, adding 5% to the value of the home is not to be sneezed at so you'll notice that there's still space for one in the bottom left corner should we ever have to move.