Condensation

We are near completion off our loft convertions and we have descoverd quite a condensation problem behind the insulation on the roofing felt.

I just wonderd if there any easy methods to stop this or is it just a case of ventilation?

If so what woud you recomend..eg ridge tiles sofit vents or vented roof tiles?

Specification Height

I am looking at buying a house which the loft conversion ceiling height is round about 2m, this conversion has been complete for about 6 years.

Could you tell me is this legal?

Loft Conversion By Tenant

by Bob the Builder
(Rugby)

My property is tenanted and the tenant wants to use the loft for additional space e.g. study. It will not be used for sleeping.

The property was built in 1997 to the appropriate building regs, the trusses are suitable and the area is already boarded.

The tenant wishes to install ladder and lighting at their own cost in order to utilise the loft space.

The question is, as landlord, what responsibility, if any, do I have re building regs/planning permission?

Obviously, the tenant could go ahead and make these changes without my knowledge assuming he reverted it back at the end of the lease.

Internal Loft Height

by John
(Hayes)

Hi,

I want a loft conversion but not sure I have enough height in the loft.

Is there a minimum height requirement for loft conversions?

I have been told by a builder that I need a minimum of 2.4 metres but I only have 2.0 metres.

Can you tell me where to find the relevant regulation which states the internal height.

Many thanks

John

Loft conversion in a block of flats

by Quang Nguyen
(ST7 2EZ)

Dear Sir,

I live in a three bedroom duplex flat, there is a large loft space which I would like to extend into.

I could have a large bedroom or two single rooms in this space. Maybe even room for a shower.

Provided I get an architect to draw out the plans and it obeys building regulations. Do I need planning permission for this?

The roof is not facing a highway the other side of the roof is facing a private lake.

Do I need to get permission from my neighbours?

Do I need to soundproof the loft?

Many thanks for your consideration

Quang Nguyen

Roof Problems

by Andy
(Rotherham)

I have full planning permission and building regs for a 2 storey extension with an attic conversion with ensuite and a dormer window.

Im a bricklayer by trade(house basher)the extension was no problem but when the truss manufacturer came out to measure up for a full new roof they computerised it and told me that its unfesable because there's only 1.8m between finished floor and ridge height.

I've been up in the attic and from ceiling height to bottom of ridge board measures 2385mm surely, thats almost 600mm difference between these two measurements,thats high enough for roof trusses to fit into this space.

The plans are drawn to use attic trusses but what if i cant use them what are my next steps I don't want to use any steels because I've had party wall issues with the next door neighbour who wont agree with anything.

My original roof is a hip roof with purlins

Dormer

by Anthony
(Milton Keynes)

I bought my house when it already had a loft conversion.

It is a large room with ensuite - however both sides are slopped meaning that the after sized person has a limited area in which to walk in before he/she has to stoop.

Our family is expanding and we urgently need the extra space a dormer sized loft conversion will give us.

Will I have to pay much more to do this - given that all the cabling and water pipes etc are already in?

Thanks

Soundproofing

Dear Sir/Madam,

Do you have any information regarding the soundproofing qualities of vermiculite?

I have to soundproof the floor between two flats. I can access by taking up a floor board here and there.

Would I be able to push vermiculite through the joist space and would it be soundproof.

How much is it?

Regards

Brian

Truss Roof

I want to convert my loft.

I have a truss roof but I dont want to change the existing structure.

Can this still be possible by still strenghtening up the joists and putting in dummy rafters to take the adequate insulation and air flow.

Attic Conversion

by Derek
(Wicklow, Ireland)

I am converting my atic,it has one w,metal frame in centre of roof whitch suports 9x4 beams two on each side; four in all.

These beams suport rafters on w frame.ceiling joists are 6x1 and a half inches.

Can I remove w frame and beams,and replace with struts from joists to rafters,also do my joists need strentening and if so by how much?

Purlin roof

by Mr. Buckenham
(Kent)

We have 3 horizontal beams spanning the loft area between the rafters can these be removed before the top of the rafters are braced ?????

Have I Boobed ?

by Sean
(Sheffield)

Two years ago I boarded out my loft,for storage.

The loft is 20'x20',there were 3 main joists(8"x3")running in line with a ridge at 5'10"centres, with 3"x1" fastened underneath at 20" centres.

I hung independant 4"x2" between main joists at 18" centres and insulated, I only have 200mm insulation then loftboard.

Is this ok ? I only boarded middle 12', do I need to do anything else?(ventilation etc)

Simple Loft Conversion - No windows but power and good floor

by Karen
(North Yorkshire)

Dear Jeremy

I have seen adverts on ITV for loft conversions for £500.

We are having other (expensive!) work done on our home and wondered whether this kind of conversion would suit our needs.

We don't want a window - just a good floor that we can carpet and plasterboard walls that we can paint and use as a overspill room for our teenage children and their friends to sleep in when there are more than 4 sleeping over.

We wanted to partition off the area where the water tank is and have a lockable door and just use that bit for storage.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Cracks In The Bedroom Ceilings

by Karin
(London)

I am at the moment having a loft conversion (hip to gable with a dormer) and I have noticed that new cracks have appeared in the bedroom ceilings below and the existing cracks have widen.

The house was built in 1935. What shall I do with these cracks?

Is there any danger associated with it?

Karin (retired)

Totally Confused!

by Will Innes
(Glasgow)

Hi there - I have bought a top floor tenement flat and it comes with a huge roof space. It is on the second floor of a 130 year old building.

I would like to convert the loft however the big stumbling block is the fire regs. I have been told I need a secondary staircase leading onto the communal hall.

Is this correct and is there ANY way of getting round this issue ie having a fully opening window into the communal hallway.

Thanks, Will

Teenagers bedroom is now in the Loft

by Lesley Bennett
(Chester)

The loft is insulated walled and floored. Opening Window but it is not a fire escape and the Loft has a pull down Ladder, he has been using it for over 2 Years ...do you think we have covered all what would be required for fire regulations/building regulations ......We have also fitted lots of smoke alarms around the house.

Getting Freeholder Permission For A Loft Conversion

Hi Jeremy,

I own the leashold on the top flat (of 2 flats) which has the only access to the loft space. The loft is not mentioned anywhere on the leashold documents though so I think (and the freeholder thinks) that they own the loft space.

I've asked them if I can convert it and they say they want to see full architecural drawings and for me to make them an offer to buy the loft space.

Does this sound like the correct procedure? And how much should I offer (flat value is about £210k, loft is fairly large, in Tooting, London)?

Thanks,

Tom

Loft Conversion - Height

by Nick Mercer
(London)

I've measured the height in my attic and it comes in at 2.1m.

Will this immediately put a halt to any further discussions to converting the space.

Other sites say a minimum of 2.4m.

Loft Conversion Info For Bedroom

Can I convert my loft into a bedroom.

We have lath & plaster walls in the upstairs rooms.

Could you tell me how we make a strong floor for the loft please?

Loft Bedroom & Ensuite - Saniflo or Soil Pipe?

by Annabelle
(Hove)

Hello,

I am looking to convert my loft in a victorian terraced house into a master bedroom with ensuite, with a dormer at the back. We have seen various loft conversion specialists and all but one have said to install a saniflo as the soil pipe for our house is at the back. The company we want to use almost always install a standard soil pipe. Our concerns are that we may lose out on head height if we go with a standard soil pipe or that we may have to have boxed points for the rodding eyes in the main bedroom. Our roof height is 2.5mtr. Any advise please?

Also, we live in Brighton & Hove's plaanning area and i understand from the new regulations that we can no longer have a juliet balcony. In order to preserve as much light as possible we would like to have as much of the dormer glazed as possible. Under the new regulations is it possible to have 2 full length glazed panels which tilt from the base and do not open fully?

What To Do Now

by Yvonne Coward
(Middlesbrough)

I hope you can help me, we had a loft conversion done four years ago,by what we thought was a very good company, we looked at other work they had done, and the people were very happy with then.

We paid £28,000.we live in a bungelow, so the two bedrooms and one bathroom conversion seemed ideal.

The conversion lookes out over the back of the bungelow.

After only one year we started to have problems. down stairs above the back door started to leak when it rained,in the bedrooms cracks have appeared, under the windows and also across the wall, now we seem to have a black mark that comes in the corner of another room.

Now as if that is not enough we have a leak in the bathroom, that comes out from under the bathroom skirting board.

We contacted the company who did the work, but they have changed the name of the company, and say because of that it is not the same company, so wont do anything for us.

Court is not any good as we have taken advice, and know we dont stand a chance.

I would like to know who we should turn to, to do the job right for us, before it falls apart.

It seems every builder plumber, joiner or any type of workman that we have had to do any work for us just simply want to do a terrible job.

Where do I go to find someone who will come in and do all the work that I can trust. Hope you can help me.

Mrs Yvonne Coward

Is it possible to convert an attic with a low roof into a room?

We have an 1803 cottage where the max attic height is only about 1.65m.

The attic space is quite big. Is it possible to convert this space so we could stand up in it, or at least half of it?

Raising the roof will be very expensive we assume but is it possible to insert dormer windows that slope upwards so that at least half the space could be used.. or anything else you can think of.

Many thanks

Water Pressure

by Harry
(Surrey)

Hi.

I am about to have a loft conversion done and wanted to have a couple of points answered.

I have a old pipe (not 28mm)coming into the house at good pressure and serves a combi boiler in the bathroom.

This is an 28Kw boiler and does a decent job, but if 2 people use the water i.e shower and washing machine running, the person in the shower looses about 30-50% hot water.

Now if I have the loft conversion done with the boiler running to two showers this would cause considerable problems.

Is it worth therefore putting in a new (blue) 28mm pipe mains into the house and then branching one pipe directly into the new loft conversion to run an electric shower independantly of the existing system in place.

Or do you think that I should leave the existing system in place and branch from the mains as it is (before it reaches the boiler)into the new loft conversion to an electric shower.

Thank You.

Chimney Stack Right In The Centre Of The Roof Space

by Katherine Parrish
(Derby)

We have just bought a house and I would like to convert the loft in to a bedroom /ensuite bathroom.

The pitch is steep but the chimney stack goes right up through the centre of the space.

We have considered removing the gas fires so there is no reason to have a chimney. or could it be possible to move it?

What do you suggest?

Many Thanks

Bungalow Loft Conversion

by Rod Douglas
(Shepperton)

I have a single storey Bungalow and want to convert the loft space into a bedroom and bathroom.

As I understand the regs I will have to provide Fire Detection, can this be in the form of normal battery smoke detection placed in the loft space and the fire exit route (the stairs)As I believe a fixed alarm system is a bit overkill for a storey and a half.

Rod Douglas

Double apex loft extention

We're thinking of buying a house and would like to know if its possible to make a loft extension between the double apex/gable ends of this house; would you consider putting a flat roof between the two as OK or mad?

Converting A Trussed Loft

by James Harrigan
(Middlesbrough)

Because of the design of the truss frames my loft conversion will require a structural modification.

So can you tell me if building regs will allow for me to continue the work myself when I have never taken on a task of this size before?

Infact this loft convertion will be a challenge for me.

Do you have any starter tips and MUST DO'S

Existing Loft Conversion And A Proposed New Extension ...

by Mark
(southyorkshire)

Hello

I am writing for some advice if possible please.

I have an existing loft conversion on my house that was done by a friend of mine approximately 10 years ago.

At the time I did not go for building regs for the conversion as I was told (rightly or wrongly), that it would only be an issue if I came to sell the property.

I was told that by not having building regs that I would not be able to advertise the house as having an additonal room, and would only be able to sell the property as having additional loft space.

The conversion was done to a good standard, using 7x2 joists running along side the existing with supporting wall in between.

These were all bolted together properly with the required fixings. Interlink 240v smoke alarms were fitted to all levels, and a fixed staricase with the correct headroom was installed.

The isulation was done by using 25mm kingspan and then overboarded with plasterboard, although I am aware that this is not the correct amount.

All ceilings on the 1st floor level were overboarded and skimmed. Fire doors were not fitted to the property.

The loft is only used as a sleeping area, and there is no ensuite etc.

I am now considering having a single storey extension fitted to the property and I have submitted the plans to the building control for approval.

The propblem I now seem to have is the fact that the building inspector has noticed that there are velux windows installed in the existing roof and he is wanting to know if these are a means of fire escape for an existing loft conversion.

My main question therefore is, can the inspector make me undertake additional work to bring the existing loft conversion up to today's building regs standard, even though he is not there to inspect that part of the property.

If this is the case, and I hope that it isn't, it would mean ripping the loft to bits and basically starting again. If this is the case then I think that the extension idea may have to be dropped unless there is an alternative option.

From the information that I have provided, is it possible to give me some idea what would need to be done to bring the loft up to standard if I needed to. I know it's my own fault for not going through the building regs for the loft conversion, but at the time I took someone elses word for it. It seems that now I may have opened a can of worms !

I hope you can give me some advice on the matter.

Thanks in advance.

Vapour Barrier

Hi

I'm converting our loft into a playroom,I am fully insulating between the rafters with 50mm recticel euro sarking board leaving a 75mm air gap between the back of the board and the roof felt which is vp400 breathable.

I would like to line from the ridge down to the eaves cupboards 1.6m, do I need to use a vapour barrier under this or can I just tape the joints and over the rafters?

I've looked on diffrent sites and not had a lot of luck do you need the vapour barrier with these modern roofing felts?

Many Thanks

Low Ridge Height

by Vijay
(London)

I live in a mid terrace mid 1930 property, I am considering a loft conversion.

My concern is that the height from the ceiling joist to the underside of the ridge is only 2.050m.

Obivously, by the time the steels go in the proposed floor to ceiling height would reduce.

What other people have done in the area is 'cheekly'raised the ridge height, the only way you can tell is from side view and as most are terrace houses you can not tell immediately.

I am concerned that even under PD when the plans are submitted to planning they would rejected for raising the ridge height.

The 2008 planning laws state the the alteration can not be higher than the highest part of the original house. Can I class the chimmeny as the highest part of the house?

Converting The Loft To Ensuite Bedroom

What is the most cost effective way to go? there are just so many things and stages to consider.

I mean, is there a idiots-guide to this type of conversion or have you got a list of things I need to do from start to end of whole project?

I have spoken to an architect who has quoted his cost. But I'm so nervous and worried, dont know where to start.

I've been told I need to get architects drawings first but from this site, I read that loft conversion specialists can be just as effective.

I've never owned a house before and so never had opportunity to convert a loft. its not so much the project that worries me but the complications with neighbours as I dont know all the regulations.

Thanks