You want more living space at home but can’t afford to move. The children are larger and louder than you ever imagined they could be. You work from home in the spare bedroom, so can’t invite friends or family to stay. Do you dream of a loft conversion, or are you considering the newest trend of an office or guest room in your garden? Lynn Fotheringham, as a director of Gordon Smith Architects, who regularly design loft conversions and also of InsideOut Buildings who design and build bespoke garden offices and garden guest rooms, looks at the pros and cons of both.
Loft conversions have been popular for fifteen or twenty years and are a great solution for some houses.
The advantages.
1. Extra living space without having to move that adds value to your home.
2. A safer home. By law you must install smoke alarms and fire escape windows.
3. A warmer home. You will have to upgrade your roof insulation to current Building Regulation standards. Not all roofs have deep enough roof timbers to be able to upgrade easily.
The disadvantages.
1. The mess. Months of builders, building materials and tools tramping up and down stairs plus continual hammering.
2. Ceiling alterations. To get enough headroom in the conversion, your bedroom ceilings may have to be lowered.
3. Expense of fireproofing. The bedroom ceilings/loft floors have to be fireproofed and self-closers must be added to every door on the hall, stairs and landing.
4. Loss of space. To put in the loft staircase you loose space on the first floor to gain space in the loft.
5. Limited headroom. Loft conversions often have limited headroom, with only a small central area where you can stand up straight.
6. A Party Wall Agreement will be necessary if your house adjoins your neighbours.
7. Building Regulations. You may need planning permission and will definitely need Building Regulations Approval. You will not be able to sell your house without Building Regulations for your loft conversion.
8. Not all lofts can be converted. The space may be too small or, if have a truss rafter roof, the whole roof would have to be removed and replaced with a traditional roof structure.
But there is a real alternative. People are looking in their garden for the extra space they need. Outbuildings are fashionable again. It is now possible to invest in a specially designed, fully insulated garden building built to the same standards as a new timber-frame house, complete with an en-suite.
Garden buildings for living and working.
The advantages
1. Extra living space without having to convert the loft. A fully insulated and double glazed timber frame building can be constructed in your garden in two weeks or less.
2. All the building work is outside. No builders, mess, disruption or dust inside your home.
3. Privacy. An office in the garden rather than the house separates your working life from your home life. An extra guest room in the garden provides privacy for you and your guests that doubles as a teenager’s den, hobby room or library.
4. The design, look and style of the building are not constrained by the size and style of your house as it is with a loft conversion.
5. Planning permission. In many circumstances it won’t need planning permission.
6. Under a certain size, a garden building won’t need Building Regulations – unless it is to be used as a bedroom.
7. Won’t need a Party Wall Agreement.
8. Adds value to your home.
The disadvantages.
1. A garden building is not attached to your house!
Whichever solution is right for you, consult an experienced professional. Use an architect to design your loft conversion to ensure that the best possible use is made of the space available. An architect will also make sure that all the necessary Building Regulations are adhered to.
Choose a bespoke outbuilding company such as InsideOut Buildings whose buildings are architect-designed to your particular requirements and constructed to the standards you would expect of a good quality building project.
Resources: For loft conversions – obtain a list of local architects from your district planning office. For highly insulated and double glazed garden office buildings starting at £16,400 plus vat contact Insideout Buildings on 01524 737999 or visit www.iobuild.co.uk
Lynn Fotheringahm is a working from home expert and director of www.iobuild.co.uk who design and build highly insulated and double glazed garden office buildings. http://www.iobuild.co.uk
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