After our big project of having the conservatory built we have now started planning on moving upwards into the loft. We’ve been thinking about it for quite a while and even cheekily went to see one of our neighbours who had had a loft conversion to see how they had ended up with their new space.
When we spoke to them we found out that it cost quite a lot of money, way above what I thought. For some reason I had in my head that it was only going to be about 20 or 30k but there was a big big difference. Building is so expensive now, it seems to be a bit over the top. Still I am determined to try to go ahead and see if we can get it within our budget.
I don’t know about you but I tend to rush into things a bit too fast and sometimes that doesn’t always receive the best outcome. Even though it’s a bit difficult for me to say that, my other half is far better at doing all the planning and really looking into things properly. I like to think that I have a good general overview but I must say, Pinterest is normally my best friend when I have any sort of ideas. I can go on that ‘pin’ button and hundreds of ideas come forward immediately, it’s absolutely brilliant and helps me to visualise some of the tiny seeds of ideas that I have flitting around my head trying to take form.
I left the sourcing and phoning around of people to my other half which he did and before I knew it we had three different builders lined up to come round to give us quotes. They were so different, the first one was a big company type where they have the architects, make the plans and deal with any sort of building regulations and planning applications. They would do the build all for one price and promise if anything goes wrong then they will plan in for any eventuality so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Of course, for this sort of peace of mind and hands off approach you pay a really big price! Eek! This price came out of £55,000+ way ahead anything that we would even think to be able to afford.
The second person who came along was a builder who barely even looked at the loft space and just said well when you’ve got the plans get back to me I can make a price from there. That was really disappointing, that they didn’t seem to have any ideas or give us any guidance at all, he just wanted to work from some plans.
The third one however in my Goldilocks story seem to be just right, they came in and straight away hit it off with my OH, he was personable, not to showy and came up with some really good ideas that we hadn’t t even thought of. The fact that they got on well was great since they would be the two people leading the project suited me down to the ground. I really do want to take a back seat with this and not have to get involved too much with the building side or managing the builders. One of the other little extras that we liked was that he put in a call to one of his clients whom he had completed a loft conversion previously and arranged for us to go round and have a look. To actually see first hand the quality of the craftsmanship was a bonus and my OH took him up on the offer.
As yet we haven’t come to a firm decision and the price even from the 3rd one is way above what we first thought. We are now at the stage that we have to think;
Can we afford it?
What will it mean to us as a family to have this extra space?
Do we need all the added extras or should we scale down the plans?
Lots to think about but my gut feeling is to go ahead and keep working in the direction of getting it done. This one is a slow burner and needs time to develop.
Any tips or ideas would be so welcome, goodness knows there’s so much to come to grips with, we need all the help we can get.
Please get typing and let me know what you think:)
All types of conversions tend to take longer than you first imagine. Hidden costs also crop up. But, at the end of the day it is money well spent. Your loft gives you the extra room you desperately needed and it looks great.
Yes, I can’t wait to get started:)
it sounds amazing! it will be so worth while in the end. I think with a build like that you just have to keep thinking what you will have and how you’ll use it through all the problems and stress.
You’re right, I just want to get it started now:)
I’d love to have such a sumptuous room, it looks fantastic
I hope it all goes well! Building work can be very stressful but hopefully worth it in the end.
Looks amazing but a massive step. Think your doing the best by not rushing into it.
Looks amazing, loving this conversion
We had a loft conversion last year to make an extra bedroom. We have velux windows opposite each other and this was great during the hot summer as opening both created a lovely breeze in the room.
Ahh these are things that are really useful to hear. You don’t normally think that you’d get breeze with roof windows but now you’ve said what you’ve done I love the idea, thanks
It looks like it’s goi g to be gorgeous glad you saw the builders work before hand think when your doing a big project and spending a lot of money you need that personal reassurance xx
We are also on a long road to a loft conversion. It’ll be amazing when it’s done but the thought of all the work to be done and the possible expense is something I’d rather not think about. Good Luck. I hope your builder is a successful choice.
Best of luck with your decision, i had no idea of the cost involved.
I’d love to do this but we couldn’t get planning to do ours as it wouldn’t be in keeping with the other houses in the road so looks like we’ll have to move to get the extra room!
Oh no that’s such a shame. I didn’t think it needed full planning permission. I have heard about things needing to be in keeping with the surrounding homes though. Sorry to hear that you might have to move. However it might just be meant to be 😊
lots of hard work, but it looks worth it in the end. it is stunning
It is a lot of work and disruption but, if you can afford it, it is worth it. Not done it myself but friends have and the space is amazing.
We could do with a loft conversion. Currently our loft is full of junk! Need more proper storage space. But haven’t looked into it as just think it will be far too expensive.
Yeah it is so pricey
Wow thats a grande job done so well –
Our bedroom is a loft conversion and i love the sloping roof and quirky features that you can only get in a converted attic space. I would advise that you get some sort of air conditioning. This summer with the high temperatures, it was almost unbearable sleeping up there and even with the windows open it was stifling. Good luck with your plans 🙂
Thank you, I’m at a stage when I always need a fan on at night anyway so your idea of the air conditioning is spot on.:)
wow, we were thinking about having this done, photos please when it’s finished? thank you x
It looks like your loft conversion is creating interest on the Blogger’s Pit Stop, so we will feature it on the next Pit Stop. I so love the photo at the top with the cute sparrow, so good.
Kathleen
Blogger’s Pit Stop
great extra space and looks amazing well worth it
It can feel overwhelming at the start but worth it n the end
Wow, your loft conversion looks gorgeous!
Always a good way to add a room if you can afford it.
Extra space sounds good to me and extending upwards sounds perfect
This looks fantastic x
We are nearing the end of a major renovation that involved half of the roof coming off, then a new higher roof structure being added. Most of this part happened last winter, so we were under tarpaulin for several weeks. And it did rain, quite heavily at times. We managed to stay mainly dry, but there were some hairy moments when my husband found himself at 2am trying to push the tarp up with a broom to stop the water pooling and everything collapsing!!! Not to put you off though, we ended up with a loft too, which is lovely. Not sure what it will be used for yet – potentially a “den” and craft area for me – we still have to complete the fit-out. The cost-benefit ratio for us made it worthwhile, as we already had high ceilings in the rest of the house, so we didn’t actually have to increase the height of the walls that much to get a whole extra large room up there. I say go for it!!!
Thanks so much for that insight. There is a lot to take into account and it is still going on for us. I really hope it happens as I keep getting excited about the extra space.
This is the second time I have read your excellent post. I also thought it was about £25k for a basic loft conversion so am disappointed to read that it now costs much more. The extra space is probably worth it in the end, though.
Looks fabulous!