I'm nearing the completion of my conversion, the house is a 1936 semi.
Your type of house would be usefull!
I went for top hung Velux - you don't want to bang your head when it's open. You can go for a quilted insulation plus kingspan, which will take up much less space (depending on local building regulations).
If you have a supporting wall your new Joists don't have to span the whole distance therefore the roof may not have to come off. Sister joists can transfer sound also they might have sagged. If your ceiling is lath and plaster the new joists can be built up on packers, clearing the plaster which sticks through. If you don't take down lath and plaster normally you would have to put a mesh to stop debris if a fire occurs (regs).
Finaly, if you intend to fit "real" stairs, you would have to take down some ceiling and trim the stairwell (big hole to get your materials up through!).
Hope this was useful,
Laurie.
May 21, 2009
Answer From Our Expert by: Jeremy Wedge
Loft conversion work is a specialised process and the scope of work does require careful consideration at concept stage.
We would like to help you and review your current scheme to establish the extent of work required.
In our approach to loft conversion we try to avoid ?structural steelwork? and prefer to use ?engineered timber products, which can normally be passed through the house of through the new window openings.
If the existing roof is very old it is unlikely to have a sarkin membrane. If this is the case you will need to have the roof coverings removed and have a sarkin layer installed.
If you would like us to undertake a review of your current scheme we would be pleased to help, we normally charge a nominal fee for this kind of review.
Why not visit our website and down load our feasibility report.
Please feel free contact us and we can discuss your requirements further at info@jeremywedge.com
