Building A Loft Conversion

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When converting the loft the success of the build is very much linked to your project management skills.

With planning documents, tradesmen, contractors and deliveries to keep on top of it is little surprise that successful loft conversions need to be well managed by the homeowner; materials need to be delivered on time, paperwork filed promptly and invoices paid on schedule.

Even for those homeowners doing none of the work themselves just managing the project and ensuring everything goes smoothly is a huge task and one that will leave you exhausted (though hopefully delighted with the results).

Good planning and project management can be the difference between a job that is beset with problems, delays and rising costs or a great job carried out smoothly, efficiently and to time and budget.

Of course, even the best project managers or dedicated homeowners, will encounter problems, both those could have been foreseen and the inevitable unexpected crisis.

The trick to dealing with these problems is to plan in advance, keep a good working relationship with your loft conversion company and look for common sense solutions.

Most builders don’t want delays they just want to get the job done so they can move to the next one.

Good project management whilst building a loft conversion will ensure the builders finish the job to the standards you expect before they leave the site.

The homeowner / project manager must however be very careful not to overstep that fine line between overseeing and interfering.

If you have chosen a good team of builders there will be no need for you stand over them while they are working; interfering and meddling in areas that you have little or no expertise will only cause resentment and inevitable delays and rising costs.

That said it’s your home and your money. You have every right to manage the project and to ensure a good job is done.

Things To Consider When Building A Loft Conversion

*Ensure all costs are budgeted for and add an extra 10% for the inevitable extras that will crop up during the build.

*If using a single specialist building company make sure you get testimonials from previous customers.

*If using teams of different contractors make sure you check their references.

*Make sure the build proceeds on schedule and apply common sense to any problems that may arrive.

*Don’t compromise on quality in terms of both labour and materials but, by the same token, keep costs under control and don’t indulge in un-necessary or wasteful extravagancies. Keep to budget!

Working With Your Builders

Building a loft conversion inevitably leads to disruption, noise and mess. But, by careful advanced planning in conjunction with your builder, those problems can be minimised.

If there are young children in the house the building schedule needs to be arranged around sleeping times and school-runs etc. If elder children are studying for exams or doing homework provision needs to be made so that noise is kept to a minimum during study times.

Make sure a routine is agreed for waste disposal. An overflowing skip outside your home can lead to problems with rubbish in the streets which won’t please either your neighbours or the local council.

Finally, much disruption and mess to the household can be avoided by the builders initially working from outside by erecting scaffolding around the house. Reputable specialist builders will always work this way so make sure that is agreed before starting any work on building a loft conversion.

For more info see the related pages below

Loft Conversion Guide

Adding A Dormer

How An Architect Can Help With Building A Loft Conversion