Be smart while building your house extension, to save money. We are listing 7 tricks to help you in making value-adding decisions.
Choose a reliable architect and explain to them what exactly you want as an outcome.
2. Leave time for paperwork -
A planning permission commission almost takes 8-14 weeks to provide a lawful development certificate. It's advisable not to start any extension work without getting approval from the council. As the delay in paperwork can delay your extension work too, so do that on priority. Ensure that all your appraisal, survey work, building control, and party wall matters get settled before you begin. If you start doing this early, you may get a more competitive quote.
3. Use standard materials and features -
You can get a lot of ready-available and easy to use products. Generally, if you are looking for a custom-made solution, you can eliminate the costing from the initial estimate. Keep it simple using precast beam and block solutions for the block-work for the walls, ground slab, brick, render or timber cladding for the exterior coatings, and can use softwood for the roof frame structure.
4. Check your agreement and break down your quote -
Before starting any extension work gets a tight contract, so, if anything turns during your project, it will give you a proper way to handle inflating costs. Get a fully cost quote from the builder so that you will be aware of the price of each element, and if anything gets changed, you can refer to the original price per unit.
5. Eliminate problematic groundwork -
Avoid building near trees, drains or other services or if you have a detached house, try not to extend too close to your neighbor's house, it may affect their foundation, and they may apply for a Party Wall Act.
6. Compare suppliers -
Compare different supplier price rates form choosing an architect to sourcing a builder. Try soliciting 4-6 quotes for all supplies and finalize the best one. However, we can sometimes say it's possible that the cheaper one will not be the best. House extension London offers value, quality and trust and handles your entire contract precisely to give you the best outcome.
7. Save money on a planning fee -
Expert Architects at House extension London helps you to keep costs down and build low-cost development simultaneously consolidating a high-value design. We will help you throughout the making process of the Planning and Building Regulations applications. It would be the best idea to invest money to those who will look after your interest.
You can avoid paying the fees associated with the planning permission
if your extension comes into the Permitted Development criteria. However, House extension London always advises for an initial pre-consultation inquiry.
8. Hire a project manager -
Whether you're building a two-storey rear extension or a renovated kitchen or just removing your conservatory, a project manager is always relevant to consider.
A project manager will help you to stay updated about the work progress. Also, he will keep an eye to the trades person and will try to complete the work within the timeline.
9. Get the design accurately -
An improvement to the drawings will always require more hours from your architect; on the other hand, any changes during the construction process can cost you more labor, time and materials. Decide the design in one go, as replacements always acquire in extra costs that only become apparent later on. A perfect design ensures that everything is happening in the right place. It becomes crucial when dealing with loft conversions as it has a complexity of having different roof pitches, stair's headroom and the available quality space. However, use the 3D model to make the designing work easier.
10. Negotiate trade discounts -
House extension London uses its own trusted suppliers, and get special prices for their loyalty. We offer the best deal in the market.
We keep our costs down by using basic specifications. Get in touch for more specifications.
If you want to add up space but moving in isn't an option, loft conversion is a great way for you to get started with creating up additional space in your existing house. But before Loft conversion, one is required to keep a check of all the laws in that particular area, other considerations and obviously a lot of planning is required. The most important factor that comes into our minds while thinking of loft conversion is the cost and how to calculate loft conversion costs. Here, we are going to talk specifically about that.
The most important factors on which the cost of loft conversion will depend upon are- structure of your, roof, the available space you have, what kind of alterations do you want to make, installing a staircase and obviously the cost related to the amount of interior design you want to add up and beautify the space.
Converting your loft is a relatively cheap and an easy way to add up space in your house. A loft can work as a storage space, an additional living space, a lounge area, an office, s guest room, a children's play room, a home cinema or even a gym. Sounds amazing, right? But, the question remains the same, that - how much does a loft conversion cost? We let you discover the average price of a loft conversion along the course of this article.
One of the biggest loft conversion cost calculation factors is the location you live in. To simply this, here is a list of some average loft conversion costs for areas in the UK for 20 m sq. standard space.
Northern Ireland - £8,580
Scotland - £12,012
Wales - £10, 639
Northern England - £11, 669
Midlands - £10, 868
Yorkshire - £11, 669
East Anglia - £11, 097
South East England - £12,012
South West England - £10,686
The average cost for one room in the loft conversion starts from around £15,000 and goes upto as much as you can afford. This minimum cost will include -
The actual cost will vary on the quality of products you want to invest in for all of these factors.
Another popular option for loft conversion is Hip to Gable loft extension. This includes converting the slope side of the roof into the fat edge and adding up additional space in your loft. This type of loft conversion costs between £30,000 - £35,000. The cost will increase if you want to make additional changes too, in the loft.
Another common option for loft conversion that is being mostly opted for is the dormer loft conversion, which means extending the outwards from the back side of the loft and converting the loft in a box shape. This type of loft conversions are also known as kennel or box conversions. These add up to a lot of extra space and the cost of such dormer loft conversion ranges between £19,000 and £30,000.
The most costly loft conversions are when you want to change the roof structure altogether. Changing the roof structure is considered to be the most expensive and the most difficult kind of loft conversion ever. This is because it mostly requires removing the entire roof and re-building it in the desired way. People of for changing the roof structure in two cases -
This type of loft conversion does require the homeowner to take permissions, which adds up to the cost even more. The average cost of changing the roof structure begins £40,000 and goes upwards to unimaginable extent, depending upon the quality, quantity and desirability of the outcome.
The cost also varies depends on the type of and number of windows that you want to add up-
Hence, these are the common aspects you'll need to know about while calculating the cost of loft conversion.
A loft conversion is one of the most cost-effective and convenient ways to increase the space of your house while adding some value into it.
Find out to start with your loft conversion ideas with our expert advice to determine the best suitable way to convert your loft.
A loft conversion is a perfect way to add significant value to the house, which can be up to 20% value of the existing property. Many families opt for the loft conversion to obtain more space without enduring costly and stressing the full process of moving.
However, be careful not to outgrow your road, as if you are investing a lot and extending too far, you may end up unlikely to see the return of investment.
Before you start with your loft conversion, you need to work out whether your loft is suitable for conversion are not. You need to check that your house comes under an allowance for permitted development. It means that you do not require any planning permission to go ahead with your conversion planning. You can ask your builder or architect to visit and check if you need any planning permission.
You should assess whether your loft is suitable for conversion. Mainly you should check three things:
Can take an idea from other conversions on your street
Checking your neighbour's loft can give you a rough idea for more possibilities and conversion designs. Also, you can ask them for any references.
Once you have a plan in your kind about your house establishment, think about how you would like to use it. Perhaps you want an extra bedroom or a playroom or space where you can spend your free time. Also, you can think about changing it into a multi-functional room or in storage as in-built space. However, it entirely depends on your requirement, and if you are not sure you can take help from your family members or your architect.
Who should approach for the loft conversion?
From the four main types of loft conversion, you can choose the most suitable one for you. However, before selecting any, determine your house type, age of your house and budget. For your guidance, here we are sharing brief details about the types of conversion:
There is a possibility that your conversion may not need any planning permission. However, it is always advisable to check it with the council to be sure.
Nevertheless, if you are extending the roof space or exceed specified limits, like if your plan is going higher than the current highest part of the roof, you may have to apply for planning permission. Also, some properties don't have permitted development rights, so without submitting a full planning application, you may not be able to build your extension. But in the following conditions, you do not need to have permission:
Conversion rules
You may also need to check whether your loft conversion is subject to the party wall act 1996. If yes, then you must have adjoining owners notice.
You can contact your contractor for more planning rules information.
Summarization
A loft conversion is an addition of space or room into an existing space and this involves extending a part of the roof or replacing the roof entirely and building a new one. Loft conversions are so popular and are seen everywhere because they are the best option to do something new with the house and it doesn't take up too much money.
If you want to shift to a place with an extra bedroom you will end up incurring a lot of expenses and on the other hand, if you simply loft an additional bedroom into your existing house, the costs are much less.
How loft conversion helps in value addition
Loft conversions not only allow you to have the specially modified place you want, but they also help in generating money. The value of the property increases if you loft an extra room and this value keeps increasing and after 6-7 years you could see the value increase from anywhere around 15-20%.
Loft conversions are an investment that you put in and for example, if you spend 20,000$ for loft conversion on a 100000 house, the value of the house can increase to about 122000 just because of the loft conversion.
Things to look out for before considering a loft conversion?
Getting a loft conversion done might sound simple but there are many different things to consider to make sure that the property can complement a loft conversion. Below mentioned are three factors to know if your roof is suitable for a loft conversion.
How can you use this lofted space?
Once you go through all the requirements and are sure about your house supporting a loft conversion, you can go forward and make plans on how you want to use this additional space. You can use the space to create an extra bedroom with a master bathroom to facilitate guests. You also make it a dedicated room for mediation or make it a kid's play area. Hosting parties and having movie nights are also extremely fun in these areas.
You can also use your creativity and make it a multipurpose room. You can add a TV, Home theatre, projector, and a folding couch to have good family time and lay down a carpet so that kids can play. Decorating the room with the required ornaments or gadgets also helps to lift the essence of the place.
Can you do a loft conversion by yourself?
A loft conversion is not a simple task and you want to include local planners and Architects and take their help to get the best loft conversion. There are DIY loft conversion ideas that you can follow and these small conversions can be done alone.
You can also find pre assembled rooms that can be lofted into your room and all you have to do is purchase the lofted room, get it dismantled and delivered to your doorstep and then have the room assembled on your roof.
Who should You approach to get help with a loft conversion?
1. Appoint an architect/technician or building surveyor.
These architects and local technicians have a good understanding of the different plans and designs that you can use to get your loft conversion. These architects and technicians have the required experience and can help in providing the best options.
2. Appoint a specialist loft conversion company.
Many companies deal with loft conversions and these companies have their own architects and designers. You can get help from these companies and they will take care of everything right from purchasing the raw materials to cleaning the house after the loft conversion is done.
3. Use an experienced builder.
You can also approach a local builder and this builder might have been doing the loft conversions for other houses in the area as well. Hiring these experienced builders can be the best and affordable option for some.
Should You consider taking permissions?
Permissions are a must when it comes to getting a loft conversion. If you hire a company or an agency to do the loft conversion for you, the agency will work on getting the required permissions. If you hire a local builder, you should personally go and visit the local planning office, lay down your lofting plans, and show proof that your house is suitable for a loft conversion. The planning authorities will examine the documents and cross-check all the details and you can proceed with the loft conversion only if they give the required permissions.
There are certain types of basic loft conversions and if you are going with these basic designs, planning permissions can be ignored. It is important to get permissions if you are making changes on your roof like changing the height of the roof, changing the ceiling and floor, etc.
Conclusion -
The cost of getting a loft conversion depends on the type and design of the loft conversion you choose and it is important to know the requirements of every type of loft conversion changes from property to property. Spending too much on a loft conversion is not advisable too because you won't be able to get back the investments or proper returns. If you are planning to get help from companies, you should do enough research and find good companies like Loft Conversion London, who offer quality services at low cost. The loft conversions take about 7-9 weeks and sometimes seven more and you should look for a different place to stay and also make sure to visit the site to ensure everything is going according to the plan.
