A Loft Conversion can Add 20% to the Value of your Home

 As long as you don’t plan on extending or altering your roof beyond its current limits, converting your loft is a quick, easy and cost-effective way to add value to your house. In fact, you can add 20% to the value of your house, just by turning your loft into a bedroom.

However, you need to be careful that the work doesn’t value your house above the ceiling price in your area, otherwise you risk losing the money that you’ve invested in your property, rather than making a profit. So what’s the most cost-effective way to convert your loft conversion?  

Keep your loft to its current dimensions or limit the extension

If you keep your loft to its current dimensions, you don’t need to apply for planning permission. With planning permission costing upwards of £206, this is a simple way to save money. There are clever ways to manipulate light and space to make your loft conversion feel bigger than it actually is, including installing larger dormer windows and using full standing space effectively. 

If you do feel a loft extension is the only way to achieve the feel and layout you desire, you may not need planning permission if the additions to your loft space don’t exceed 50 cubic metres (or 40 for terraced houses). You should check the Government’s planning portal for specific details.

Make sure the written quote includes all the work the builder has promised

Loft conversions can end up haemorrhaging your funds if your builders don’t provide a clear breakdown of costs in the quote they’ve supplied you. This is because builders can be cheeky, and may charge extra for necessary work that wasn’t stated in the original quote. You may also want to look at things like supplying your own materials, so you don’t pay the inflated price some builders charge to increase their profit margin.

Be savvy with your plumbing

If you’re planning on converting your loft into a bathroom or bedroom with ensuite, the more complex the plumbing work involved, the more expensive the job. When designing your loft conversion, consider where your current upstairs bathroom is and how you can configure the layout of your loft bathroom so the plumbing aligns with downstairs.

Consider your stairs

When considering a loft conversion, there are several staircase options to choose from. Installing a typical staircase can get expensive, as you may have to think about reconfiguring the layout of the floor below. In fact, if you need to build a custom staircase, it can add up to £9,500 to the total cost of your build, whereas a basic ‘ladder style’ staircase can cost as little as £1,000.

Choose Croft Preservation for your Loft Conversion

At Croft Preservation, we pride ourselves on our five star service. In fact, we have an almost perfect score on Checkatrade and hundreds of reviews from happy customers, so the evidence really speaks for itself.  Speak to us today about your loft conversion, and we’ll make sure you receive a fair price – and that you remain in budget!