Structural work
Loft Conversions
A loft conversion buys you a bedroom and a bathroom without giving up any garden, which is why it remains the best value per square metre of anything we build. The engineering is unforgiving though: floor loads, head height, staircase geometry and fire escape all have to resolve at once, and a compromise in one shows up in all the others.
We survey the roof structure before quoting rather than after, so what we price is what gets built. That includes the honest conversation about head height — if a conversion will not give you a usable room under the regulations, we would rather say so at the survey than halfway through.
What this includes
- Structural survey of the existing roof and floor
- New floor joists or steel beams sized to engineer’s calculations
- Dormer construction, hip-to-gable rebuild or rooflight installation
- Insulation to current building regulations, warm or cold roof build-up
- Staircase design, manufacture and installation
- Fire-rated doors, protected escape route and interlinked alarm system
Head height checked first
We measure from the existing ceiling joists to the ridge on the first visit and tell you what type of conversion the roof will actually take.
Fire safety built in
Protected escape routes, fire doors and interlinked alarms are designed in from the start, not retro-fitted to satisfy an inspector at the end.
Staircase that works
The stair is the hardest part of most conversions. We set it out early so the landing below keeps its proportions and you do not lose a bedroom to it.
Scope of works
What a full job covers.
- Structural survey of the existing roof and floor
- New floor joists or steel beams sized to engineer’s calculations
- Dormer construction, hip-to-gable rebuild or rooflight installation
- Insulation to current building regulations, warm or cold roof build-up
- Staircase design, manufacture and installation
- Fire-rated doors, protected escape route and interlinked alarm system
- En-suite plumbing, waste runs and extraction
- Electrics, lighting design, heating and radiators
- Plasterboard, skim, eaves storage and fitted wardrobes where specified
- Full decoration and building-control completion certificate
Programme
How the job runs, stage by stage.
- 01
Survey and design
1–2 weeks
Roof and floor survey, head-height check, staircase set-out, and a written quotation against a drawn scheme.
- 02
Structural phase
2–3 weeks
Scaffold, new floor structure, dormer or gable construction, roof covering and windows. The loft becomes weathertight.
- 03
Staircase and first fix
1–2 weeks
Opening formed, staircase installed, services run, insulation and fire protection completed.
- 04
Finishing
2–4 weeks
Plastering, en-suite installation, joinery, decoration, and building-control sign-off.
What drives the price
Why two similar jobs quote differently.
We do not publish fixed prices, because a number without a survey behind it is a guess that somebody has to pay for later. What we can tell you is exactly which variables move the figure.
Bring these to the survey and the quotation will be far more accurate.
- 01Conversion type — a rooflight conversion is a fraction of the cost of a full rear dormer or hip-to-gable
- 02Existing head height, which determines whether the floor can be lowered or the ridge raised
- 03Whether an en-suite is included and how far it sits from existing soil pipes
- 04Staircase specification and how much of the floor below has to be reworked
- 05Scaffolding requirements and access to the rear of the property
- 06Roof covering — matching existing tiles on a period property costs more than a plain re-cover
How much head height do I need?
Does a loft conversion need planning permission?
Can the new room legally be called a bedroom?
Will I be able to stay in the house?
Often combined with