Loft conversion too much £, could I project manage it myself

[morphe]

Had some quotes on a loft conversion, £11500 for bog standard and £20000 for Dorma.
Simply cannot afford all the monies so I am asking could I manage one myself, not doing the work but simply getting tradesmen in.

How would I go about starting one off, do I need planning permission, what type of materials should I use and in which order is best to succsesfully build the conversion,

Do I get stairs fitted first, then windows, then floor strenghening etc...

Any help would be really appreciated

Thanks for looking!

 

[noseall]

loft conversions are one of the most costly ways of gaining space simply because of their logistic situation.
even if you live in a bungalow there are a lot of elements that need dealing with before the conversion can take place. you are obviously aware of the various strengthening elements involved, so must also realize that space gained per pound spent is a lot less than say a ground floor extension.
if you have a cut roof then a conversion should be viable , but if you have trusses then you might want to re-think.
conversions can also hinge on wether stair access is available, bearing in mind that you need 2m headroom throughout your ascent or descent.
if you have a cut roof and a decent stair location then i would consider hiring a decent architect to plan the build and provide drawings that can be submitted to planning and building control.

 

[noseall]

p.s. ^woody^ is bang on when it comes to loft cons, so ask him. i don't think he gets in from work till after eight though.

 

[markie]

£11500 for a bog standard thats cheep we charge about £20,000 for a velux job.

 

[markie]

Regarding manageing one yourself, you don't need too as long as the builders you get know whwt they are doing.

 

[morphe]

out of curosity, if we used it as a play room or storage area would i need building regs?

 

[noseall]

i guess if you're going to have a proper staircase and heat the space, then yes, you will need regs.

 

[Nerine]

All this talk about lofts has given me ideas. We had a new loft door with pull down steps put in. The guy who did it casually remarked that we could use the loft as an office. Could we have a velux window put in and board up part of the loft to make a room and do you need planing permission for this? What about the weight of a desk and computer stuff?

One more question - would the heat from the house be enough to keep office moderately warm in winter. The house was built in 1911.

Thanks in advance boys

 

[JohnD]

A 1911 house may have a big roomy loft with thick timbers (my mother's is like Wembley stadium compared to my modern house!).

Measure the roof timbers, and if you can, post some pics of the roof timber layout with the dimensions. This will help.

But as I recall, if you put stairs in, then it becomes "a room" and building regs will apply. If it is just a floored loft for storage and not a habitable room then you have to make it safe, but have not done a "conversion".

Don't do an unauthorised conversion as it will knock £££££ off the value of the house.

 

[Nerine]

erm... I'm not very good at this computer malarkey. Don't know how to put pix on here. Household nerds are away at the moment. Perhaps I should study the 500 page booklet with the digital camera!

Anyway I have looked at loft. Its a reasonable size but quite low. The bit thats tall enough would be next to chimney breast where it joins the house next door. Its 2m at its highest point nearest the chimney. At 1m from the chimney it slopes down to 1.5 so it would be quite narrow. There is quite a bit of length, about 2.6m, so I think you could squeeze a small desk and computer in. The beams are all sound about 30cm apart and 7 x 9.

Can you board over the loft insulation?

 

[JohnD]

The beams are all sound about 30cm apart and 7 x 9.

Don't believe you.

 

[Nerine]

7x9cm

 

[noseall]

2m headroom isn't enough for a successful loft conversion.