Hey there and thank you for visiting my profile, my name is Liam but most people call me Sooty, I am a loft conversion consultant living in Meridian Oklahoma. My favorite interests are macrame, parkour and audiophile. I went to school in New York and I have a sister Lexi-Mae and a brother Haydn, I've a pet monkey Caesar. I manage a loft conversion enterprise and help home-owners improve their properties.

With the escalating expense of buying a house at present, not every property owner is even able to get together the funds to move house simply to gain that extra bit of space. The actual cost moving house needs to be added to the price of the new property as well as all of the inevitable extras when determining the total outlay involved. If you find that your home is not large enough to accommodate your growing family, relocating isn't the only real option.

If your property is suitable, you may be able to put on an extension to generate that much needed additional living space. You might need planning permission to do this and it could be expensive. If you've got a garage that you are not using currently, you could consider doing a garage conversion which would be cheaper. The other option is to have a loft conversion, which may not only be cost effective, but will also add to the value to your home without the need to increase its footprint.

In recent years, for some of the reasons mentioned previously, loft conversions have become more popular than ever. It is important, before you take the plunge, that you check whether or not your property is in actual fact well suited for a loft conversion. Properties that have trussed roofs are not normally suitable. Some older houses that were built prior to the 1970's are likely to be well suited for loft conversions because they were built using sturdy rafters and there was typically plenty of headroom.

You'll want to bring in a conversion specialist to take a look the situation with your loft space and make certain it is in fact acceptable. The builder will present you with a quotation for the project after he has affirmed that your particular loft is okay for conversion. Get in touch with a few conversion specialists and collect a handful of quotes so that you have an overall notion of the probable costs. You ought not decide only on price, make use of your instinct when picking the ideal tradesman for the task.

Loft conversions very rarely need planning permission, so it is unlikely that your conversion will. Seek advice from your local authority planning office or chat to your conversion specialist whether planning permission is required.

Even though for householders, doing a loft conversion may be a good choice, it does require a significant financial investment. Most people get a loan for a project such as this, or even re-mortgage their property. As a basic guideline you could expect that a loft conversion will cost you approximately as much as a good size brickwork ground level extension although the chances are that you'll achieve more space with an attic conversion whilst not raising the overall footprint of your property.

The design and style of your actual house influences which kind of conversion you go for. The various styles of conversion include: hip-to-gable conversions, loft pods, roof lift loft conversions, velux loft conversions, mansard loft conversions, dormer loft conversions and roof light conversions. Your chosen builder or loft conversion specialist will confirm what kind is most suitable for your property.

Possibly the most widely used form of loft conversion at present is the dormer pattern, a concept which gives you the best affordability, although still generates the maximum extra space. This is a well-liked choice for householders since it's both practical and appealing and offers all which could possibly be required. With a dormer conversion its even a possibility to include a little balcony, which means that you are even creating supplemental exterior space too. There are various kinds of dormers for example hipped dormers, Velux dormers, shed dormers and flat roof dormers. Chat with a specialist to understand which will be the best option for your particular dwelling.

One of the most famous brands of roof windows, Velux, have been in business for around 50 years and they can be depended on to provide you with loft windows that are both reliable and prime quality. These are supposed to be fitted flush with the angle of the roof and therefore don't alter the look of the structure, nor do they in general need local authority permission and they are pretty inexpensive to put in. Velux windows produce a good quantity of light and in reality could even need window blinds during the summer time. If your attic has got a fair bit of head space, a Velux conversion could be a good choice for you, in particular if you've got limited resources.

The amount of time that it may take to do a standard loft conversion would depend on various things such as the prevailing climatic conditions, the proficiency of the builders, the degree of forward planning that is undertaken, the availability of required materials and the design of conversion. As a rough guide a rear dormer conversion undertaken on a terraced home should take around four or five weeks, a hip to gable dormer conversion on a semi-detached home should really take around five to six weeks.

You just need to determine what to use all that extra space for as soon as the loft conversion is completed. You might use it as a teen hangout, a new downstairs bathroom or an extra bedroom. Nevertheless there are lots of uses to which a decent conversion can be put, constrained solely by your imagination!