06/08/2026
Is your loft suitable for conversion?
Many homeowners decide that if they are going to go through the disruption of a loft conversion, they want to maximise the space that they have. What they will do is removal and rebuilding the existing roof so that they can get the most from the footprint of the loft space. This enables them to have much bigger bedrooms with maximum headspace. This type of conversion will require planning permission.
The first thing to check is the head height. Take a measurement from the bottom of the ridge timber to the top of the ceiling joist; the usable part of the roof should be more than 2.2 m.
Pitch angle: The higher the slope of your room, the higher the central head height is likely to be. If you want to increase the floor area available, dormers are used or the roof is redesigned.
It is likely that you are going to want to remove items that are in the loft, such as water tanks or chimney breasts.
For these types of conversions, you will also need to factor in the additional costs of architect’s drawings, structural calculations, planning permission as well as building control.