Really low ceiling in loft - is conversion do-able?

8 years ago

Hi!,

We have plenty of space (15 meters+) in our loft but the ceiling is really - low - about 1.9 meters without any floor/insulation. Is a conversion - into a study (ceiling fine for sitting at a desk) or some other use - even if then just as a kids playroom - do-able?

thanks very much!

Antoon

Featured Answer

mayfly182

8 years ago

Unfortunately, it doesn't meet building regulations for floor heights. Floor height should be at least 2.1m. In areas with sloping ceilings at least 50% of the space needs to be 2.1m high.

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Comments (12)

A B
8 years ago
The options would be lower the floor i.e. Ceiling of room below. Or raise roof slightly which is hugely expensive and requires planning. I looked into creating a study in our loft once but we also have low roof. Frustrating waste of space isn't it!
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A bedroom needs a window to escape from in the event of a fire - I very much doubt that what you may be able to open up into space will be suitable for a bedroom as you describe it at the moment . Perhaps it could be used for extra storage space ? But not as a safe place to sleep from the sound of it .
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It is a frustrating space in many ways thanks to building regs (necessitating a landing at top of stairs that we really could have done without) and planning permission (as we are a flat with no PD, all we got was a small recessed dormer - which ironically now looks out of place when viewed from rear because all the houses in the street have full L-shaped affairs). What could / should have been a decent size double is actually a cramped room that's difficult to furnish.
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Hi Heather! At Urbanist Architecture we love helping our clients get planning permission and turn their dreams into reality! We are a team of planners, architects and engineers and we had the chance to work on over 500 projects in London that are similar to yours! We would love to help you progress from a ‘’pipe dream’’ phase into something real and amazing. Just to give you an idea of what we do, please visit our website: https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/ After getting in touch with us, we will carry out a free initial feasibility report and will send you a quote. We will help you formulate a brief, prepare design options and submit your planning application. We are experts in our field so we will be advising you along the way in order to deliver your dream project stress-free. Don’t hesitate to contact us!
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If it were me I would move the WC closer to the stairs so that midnight flushes don’t disturb the bedroom next door. I would also add a sensor and LED so that in the middle of the night a light comes on without using the principal lights plus extractor. I would also ensure there is a socket somewhere convenient for a vacuum cleaner. You might think if you want phone points or TV/satellite points on this level too. And if there is a loft put a light switch on the landing.
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Jonathan
8 years ago
Raising the roof may not be prohibitively expensive and may add more to the value of your property than you spend. The cost depends on the complexity of the roof and of course raising your roof requires permission.
An idea of cost can come from a loft/attic builder
A B
8 years ago
That's interesting Jonathan. When I looked into it, raising the roof involved building a whole new roof. Is there another (cheaper!) way?
Jonathan
8 years ago
You do have to build a whole new roof (depending on size and complexity may be £40k including tiling). However if you increase the square footage of a £400k house by 20% you could add up to £80 k to the value and it could still be cheaper than moving.
https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/roof-cost-guide/

The benefit of putting on a new roof is that you can specify attic trusses- this means that you have the required space and strength to put a room up stairs. Alot of the cost of loft conversions is creating the space and strengthening the joists to take a habitable room.
buggypie
7 years ago
Hi

did you proceed with this or establish costings?

I have a similar problem and looking for ideas and inspiration

I have basement and attic envy...
GardenFairyGodmother GFG
7 years ago
We had the ceilings on the first floor lowered to do the loft conversion.
Heather
7 years ago
You would have to either raise the roof or lower the ceilings to make a habitable room as 1.9m is too low - in particular when you add in boarding/flooring this will reduce that height even further - we are doing a roof raise loft conversion and it is definitely pricier than a bogstandard loft conversion! You would need planning permission as well - this may cause issues if a roof raise would increase your roofline above the other houses in the street (depending on what the other houses on your street are like)
essey77
6 years ago
@GardenFairyGodmother GFG - how disruptive was lowering the ceilings on the first floor? We’ve only got 212cm headroom in our loft so think this might be what we have to do in order to get a decent conversion
Rose Williams
6 years ago
How high are your ceilings downstairs now? ... interested, because my loft was over 14ft high yet the previous owners lowered the downstairs ceiling to eliminate any need for knee wall and it annoys the heck out of me.
essey77
6 years ago
Hi @Rose Williams we have 2.4m height in the first floor rooms, so I guess we could lose 10cm or so to create a bit more precious head space above. From what I’ve been reading, lowering the ceilings does add significantly to cost and is messy enough that we may have to consider moving out temporarily while it’s done - so I don’t think it’s a decision that should be taken lightly! I’ll wait to hear what the loft companies say. I’ve only had one company say they will do it so far, a few others feel it will be too difficult 😬
Rose Williams
6 years ago
My lowered ones are 2.5 &2.6, but they used only 6x2 joists where it needs to be more like 9x2's for the upper floor to be strong enough, at least you are looking at companies to do it right first time. Perhaps it is a good thing you are looking at the ceiling being renewed to also be a supporting floor at the same time, rather than ending up with my entirely opposite problem

Really low ceiling in loft - is conversion do-able?

mayfly182

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