Loft Conversion - 7 TOP TIPS BEFORE YOU START - Everything to Save You Money & Time - Housing Market

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LOFT CONVERSIONS - This video will ensure that you have everything ready and that you SAVE TIME AND MONEY when dealing with builders, architects planners, building control, neighbours etc.

In this video I share top tips on:

Architect's Drawings
Structural Engineer's Plans
Party Wall Agreement
Dealing with Builders
Planning Permission
Permitted Development
Building Control
Costings

[netcalibur]

I was looking for such info for some time now as I am in the position you described here: don't know where to start. Thanks for all the info, for the time and patience you put all together step by step 👍👍👍

[hcm]

I got a quote for a typical small terrace house planning :
As an idea for costs our fees for the production and submission of the Planning Application would be £1225:00 + vat. We can also provide a fee for the Building Regulations drawing – the drawings the builders use – as a separate cost.
And I don't understand why for that figure compare to £600, fee mentioned here

[jtjvvlr]

For me it's not just the cost, but how much it will potentially add to the value of your property. My brother looked at extending his property further, but were told by estate agents that they were already near the ceiling for the street. They bought a bigger house in a nicer area instead.

[shazav]

Thanks for the brilliant video, packed with useful information!

[DanielPaprocki]

Thank you for all this precious information 😊👍🏻

[jtjvvlr]

I live in a 4 bed townhouse that's end of terrace built 2004. It's a decent sized property and there seems to be potential for a loft conversion. The footprint of the house is roughly 5m wide by 10m length; with 3 floors. The stairs are a U shape on the side/end wall of the house so new stairs could be replicated on top. I envisage either 2 extra bedrooms with a jack and Jill bathroom or a master suite with dressing room/ensuite or an entertainment floor.

EDIT: not sure about a master suite on what would be the 4th floor!?

Only issue is that no one in the street has a loft conversion and so there is no precedent.

[arunthathianthonypillai]

Thanks for the brilliant. Advice for the loft

[rehanasquire]

Thank you so much for all your tips. Great video

[liammullan]

Thanks, a helpful video. A square I can't circle is the concept of the fixed price. The problem is that once a job has been accepted by a builder at a fixed price, every penny they can save on a build goes in their pocket. That means that any corner they can cut, any little detail they can get away with that isn't specified on the drawings, or perhaps is but they know no one is going to check, that is money for them. They're not incentivised to do a good job, beyond getting it finished and signed off by building control. You may say that they won't do that because of their reputation, but in reality we only hear the good feedback - clients don't post bad feedback because they need an ongoing relationship with their builder well beyone the end of the project. On the other hand if you pay builders by the day then they're obviously incentivised to drag it out and no one wants that. Never worked out what to do. Maybe the ideal would be to have an independent surveyor/PM observing and signing off the work but that introduces another large expense and another person to deal with. Overall, better to move house if you can, rather than enter the nightmare world of extensions, in my opinion.

[HONCH]

wow, Great centre for information, Thanks

[laidbackLUKEY]

Really informative video and bloody helpful for people with little knowledge or who are “not in the trade” thank you for taking your time to share this

[m.adnanlondon]

Drawing from structural engineer.Where the stairs n how that works ..window .bathroom opening to b inuse 4 both rooms.( Heaters cupboards floor )

[pterodactylx]

Is it correct that if you use wood instead of steel, then the loft is lighter? Or is the steel so strong that you use smaller pieces for the same strength and end up with similar weight.

If the loft is small and you do not want the cost of scaffolding or lifting heavy beams up high outside, then wood is easier to get up to the loft area via the inside, and easier to saw. Do you agree?

[michaelanderson]

Have you done a video on Eco Trus loft conversations?
As these don’t use steel seams a cheaper overall cost and much faster build!

[Kg]

Thank you very helpful video. Please can you just confirm how many drawings I need? I have architect drawings already but still not sure if I need both structural engineer plans and building regulation plans? Or if the structural engineer plans are sufficient for both. Thank you

[jtjvvlr]

A neighbour of my mother's had a loft extension recently. It took 5 months! Turns out the builder didn't realise that the houses were a brick exterior but wooden framed interior, (late 70s - early 80s build). The house then needed RSJs and additional structure to transfer the extra weight to ground level. I think there are new RSJs on the ground level. Did the builder take the job without drawings from structural engineer?

[tstube]

For a simple roof light loft conversion, would you still think the cost will be minimum 40k? Or were you considering a loft with a dormer ?

[zakktaylor]

Thanks for this video. I've seen some videos on how people have saved a fortune by employing a builder on a labour only basis i.e the homeowner provides drawings (from an architect) and sources and buys all the building materials so the builder literally only charges for turning up and doing the work. Essentially I guess this is project managing the whole project yourself. One question I have in this scenario is if I were to attempt this route. How would I know which materials i need to source and how much I would need. Would the architect or structural engineer or the builder be able to provide this or are their any sources online that can provide materials lists and calculations for a dormer shell?
I just want a water tight shell and structure so my father in law and myself can build all the interior stud work and everything onwards. would appreciate any advise. Thanks!

[gurpiarsingh]

Great informative video. Drawings done for my loft conversion planning/building regs all accepted but I'm not happy with the beams/posts design. The architect/structural engineer has done spigot connections for ridge beam supporting posts. I loved your steel design for the 18 loft conversion challenge. If I wanted to change the design what would I need to do?

[fostercareruk]

Oh no my neighbour is an architect and we used him for our kitchen extension but are going with someone else for the loft conversion. Party wall agreement will be awkward