My son, who is single, has just bought a 1960's ex-council house in a quiet cul-de-sac. It is a two-storey, end of terrace house, generally in good condition and has fairly large rooms, so he is very pleased with it.
However, it has one odd feature. The loft has been converted to what was obviously intended as a children's playroom. There is a staircase that looks properly installed above the original staircase so that it does not compromise the landing in any way. It is boarded, carpeted, has power sockets and a radiator. It also has two velux windows that look as though they have been professionally installed.
The surveyor that he employed said that it looked like a DIY conversion and would never pass building regulations for two reasons. Firstly, it seriously lacks headroom. At 5ft 7in I can just stand up but only in the centre. It then slopes with the roof down to about 2ft each side. Secondly, the surveyor doubted that the roof beams had been strengthened in any way.
He was not duped by the sellers who correctly advertised it as a two bedroom house with a loft storage area. Now I realise that there is no economic way of making this loft conversion into a habitable room, i.e. a third bedroom, because of the the height problem. My questions, is there a not too costly way of strengthening the beams under the floor without sacrificing any more height and could it then be properly advertised as being a child's playroom rather than just a storage area.
Thank you for any help and advice.
However, it has one odd feature. The loft has been converted to what was obviously intended as a children's playroom. There is a staircase that looks properly installed above the original staircase so that it does not compromise the landing in any way. It is boarded, carpeted, has power sockets and a radiator. It also has two velux windows that look as though they have been professionally installed.
The surveyor that he employed said that it looked like a DIY conversion and would never pass building regulations for two reasons. Firstly, it seriously lacks headroom. At 5ft 7in I can just stand up but only in the centre. It then slopes with the roof down to about 2ft each side. Secondly, the surveyor doubted that the roof beams had been strengthened in any way.
He was not duped by the sellers who correctly advertised it as a two bedroom house with a loft storage area. Now I realise that there is no economic way of making this loft conversion into a habitable room, i.e. a third bedroom, because of the the height problem. My questions, is there a not too costly way of strengthening the beams under the floor without sacrificing any more height and could it then be properly advertised as being a child's playroom rather than just a storage area.
Thank you for any help and advice.