Bungalow loft conversion

[LazyDozer]

Dear All,
Wanted to pick your brains.
Planning on purchasing this bungalow to convert the loft to fit every one.
Loft height is about 2.6m guess (32 red brick courses and 1 concrete block course high) 12m gable to gable and front to back 8m.
Thinking of doing a rear dormer say 10 to 11 m wide so it’s nearly 50m3 as only pd allowed. Front velux windows in roof slope.

Would the roof height be enough?

Thinking of 2 -3 bedrooms, maybe 1 with ensuite and 1 with shared shower room.

How much usable square meters do you reckon I will get under PD limit of 50m3 please.

Would I need steels?

Thank you All

 

[noseall]

Dear All,
Wanted to pick your brains.
Planning on purchasing this bungalow to convert the loft to fit every one.
Loft height is about 2.6m guess (32 red brick courses and 1 concrete block course high) 12m gable to gable and front to back 8m.
Thinking of doing a rear dormer say 10 to 11 m wide so it’s nearly 50m3 as only pd allowed. Front velux windows in roof slope.

Would the roof height be enough?

Thinking of 2 -3 bedrooms, maybe 1 with ensuite and 1 with shared shower room.

How much usable square meters do you reckon I will get under PD limit of 50m3 please.

Would I need steels?

Thank you All

A couple of steel beams located parallel and under the purlins. The stair well will take up some room so needs some clever design to maximise the space.

 

[robinbanks]

Are you planning on getting cute with the remaining slope to maximise space (putting toilets/bed heads/other "used while lying/sitting down" low items under the slope?
Do the stairs come up central so you minimise your hallway? Are you having a spiral stair?

Have you done any design/idea throwing? Might help to use a 3D drawing program like Trimble sketchup, to do a millimetre accurate render; you can add in pre made 3D models of things like toilets and beds, and add in people of various sizes, to see how the space works. A few people here have used it a lot, and can offer tips but it also has a good active help community

How much usable square meters do you reckon I will get under PD limit of 50m3 please

For the dimensions given, adding a full size dormer the entire of one side will pretty much eat up the entire allowance; your height might be 2.3 (2.6 less setback from ridge, less roof thickness), depth 3.6 (got to set the dormer back 0.2 from the eaves and the wall may end up 0.2 thick) and width 11.4 (some setback plus wall thickness) is coming in at about 95 cube, half of which is new.
In terms of usable floor space this gives you, on the dormer side, about 41 sqm, then plus whatever you can trick up from the other side - if you put up a 1.2m wall to close off the eaves (or make storage space you'd end up with about 68sqm floor area total, which should be enough for 3 bedrooms and a 1 or 2 sanitary facilities, given that around 60sqm can contain a 2 bedrooms flat with kitchen, bathroom, living and circulation spaces

 

[stevie888]

A lot depends on what your 2.6m is measured from (ie ceiling to u/s tile, top ceiling joist to u/s ridge beam or what).

You certainly do not necessarily need steels though unfortunately many designers seem to have shares in Tata. What you do need is a good designer who has experience of loft design. There are a few sneaky tricks that we can use where headroom is an issue. Are you detatched or semi?

A lot will depend on where you can get your stairs: if they can be somewhere near the middle of the house then a room either side is simple but if you have to go up one side or the other then a lot of space will be taken up by the necessary access corridor.

 

[Scally-Ho]

Yes, I fully concur with Steve above and as such I deleted what I was about to submit. .

 

[noseall]

You certainly do not necessarily need steels

My thoughts (regards steels) are what appears to be the haphazard purlin propping and the removal of, once the loft area is clear. A pair of steels beneath the purlins would be useful in that respect as well as supporting to floor joists.

 

[LazyDozer]

A couple of steel beams located parallel and under the purlins. The stair well will take up some room so needs some clever design to maximise the space.

Thank you, do you need 3 beams ? One on ridge?

 

[LazyDozer]

Are you planning on getting cute with the remaining slope to maximise space (putting toilets/bed heads/other "used while lying/sitting down" low items under the slope?
Do the stairs come up central so you minimise your hallway? Are you having a spiral stair?

Thank you !
Yes toilet ensuit towards sloping end with toilet under velux.

Stairs smack in the middle running front to back, so two large rooms, left to right and possibly a single directly in dormer off the landing. One big room with ensuite the other with Jack and Jill.

Have you done any design/idea throwing? Might help to use a 3D drawing program like Trimble sketchup, to do a millimetre accurate render; you can add in pre made 3D models of things like toilets and beds, and add in people of various sizes, to see how the space works. A few people here have used it a lot, and can offer tips but it also has a good active help community

Drew some 2 d sketches to scale on word . Thank you

For the dimensions given, adding a full size dormer the entire of one side will pretty much eat up the entire allowance; your height might be 2.3 (2.6 less setback from ridge, less roof thickness), depth 3.6 (got to set the dormer back 0.2 from the eaves and the wall may end up 0.2 thick) and width 11.4 (some setback plus wall thickness) is coming in at about 95 cube, half of which is new.
In terms of usable floor space this gives you, on the dormer side, about 41 sqm, then plus whatever you can trick up from the other side - if you put up a 1.2m wall to close off the eaves (or make storage space you'd end up with about 68sqm floor area total, which should be enough for 3 bedrooms and a 1 or 2 sanitary facilities, given that around 60sqm can contain a 2 bedrooms flat with kitchen, bathroom, living and circulation spaces

Thank you so much for all the details.

 

[noseall]

Thank you, do you need 3 beams ? One on ridge?

I doubt a ridge beam would be necessary, no. I'd have thought that would be designed out unless a new dormer is reliant upon it.

 

[LazyDozer]

A lot depends on what your 2.6m is measured from (ie ceiling to u/s tile, top ceiling joist to u/s ridge beam or what).

Thank you!
From top of ceiling joists to ridge board and by counting the bricks.

You certainly do not necessarily need steels though unfortunately many designers seem to have shares in Tata. What you do need is a good designer who has experience of loft design. There are a few sneaky tricks that we can use where headroom is an issue. Are you detatched or semi?

Detached

A lot will depend on where you can get your stairs: if they can be somewhere near the middle of the house then a room either side is simple but if you have to go up one side or the other then a lot of space will be taken up by the necessary access corridor.

Stairs will be in the middle, 2 rooms to either side, one small in front of landing.

 

[LazyDozer]

Yes, I fully concur with Steve above and as such I deleted what I was about to submit. .

Thank you!

 

[LazyDozer]

My thoughts (regards steels) are what appears to be the haphazard purlin propping and the removal of, once the loft area is clear. A pair of steels beneath the purlins would be useful in that respect as well as supporting to floor joists.

Thank you!
The new timber propping looks like to support roof where a chimney stack was removed.
So if I understood correctly, these steels will be in the loft space and not below existing ceiling?

 

[stevie888]

My thoughts (regards steels) are what appears to be the haphazard purlin propping and the removal of, once the loft area is clear. A pair of steels beneath the purlins would be useful in that respect as well as supporting to floor joists.

How are steels useful if they're not required?

 

[noseall]

How are steels useful if they're not required?

I haven't seen the design, so I can't answer.

Generally, a large open (50m³) roof structure that the OP is proposing, would be difficult without steels unless he's proposing a total re-roof with engineered attic trusses...?

Without actually seeing the GF wall layout, it's difficult to tell. But those hefty ceiling binders and the haphazard purlin propping tells me the GF walls are either scarce or not working favourably.