Hi Chris Martin, First of all if your property does not fall within a Conservation Area or is Listed, then you are allowed to build a loft Conversion and an outrigger similar to your adjoining neighbour on the right hand side provided that the volume of the proposed outrigger and the Existing Loft with a dormer roof do not exceed 40.00 cubic metres to falls under ' Permitted Development ' where Planning Permission is not required. I have done several of such projects to confirm that you will not require Planning Approval as such. However you will have to modify the staircase from first Floor Landing to First Floor if you want the finish floor level of the Outrigger to be at the same level as that of the Finish Floor level of the Existing Loft. Regards Alain B

I'd go for option 5 for upstairs as you can make the attic room into a bedroom further down the line. I wouldn't want a windowless bathroom and it'd be easier to run plumbing directly over the former bathroom. Honestly speaking, £11k is not going to cover the upstairs bathroom and kitchen unless you're very handy and are going to do most if this yourself. Even then a new kitchen will blow that budget. I would do the upstairs bathroom and use whatever you have left to rip out the old bathroom suite, lay some lino and have a WC / utility room with the hopes of a bigger renovation of the kitchen/dining/lean-to space further down the line.

I currently have a small loft hatch in my airing cupboard (it’s a big cupboard!) and want to improve my loft access on a small tight budget. The airing cupboard is a huge 6ft x 5ft and houses my distribution board and unvented hot water cylinder as well as the usual airing cupboard shelving and storage. The hatch itself is of simple hinged plywood and has no insulation properties at all and the ladder is utter rubbish and desperately needs replacing. When the ladder is down it stretches across the airing cupboard doorway. The building is a bungalow with a trussed roof and a very large integral garage. My question is, am I allowed to install a new loft hatch in the garage where insulation is less important and where there is more room for the ladder when it’s in use, or are there building regs requirements that would make the whole process more costly? A well insulated loft hatch is pretty pricey from what I’ve seen online. Image shows plan of the airing cupboard with the approximate size and location of the hatch

Hi Ki njal, If your side extension would be less than 3.2m deep, I recommend to go with the loft. I am a space planner and rooms less than 3.2m on one side are always snug to dress. Julie is right about her loft comments and losing 'bedroom 3'. You will instead gain a master with ensuite and a seating area or 2 rooms without an ensuite. I recently worked on a floorplan similar to this. Please feel free to visit www.londonfatcat.com/services if you need any help on any aspect of your refurbishment, including seeing a 3D floorplan with furniture arrangement to scale. All the best, Faten from Londonfatcat Interiors