Designed to Build

Designed to Build Designed to Build specializes in all types of construction work, offering a complete service

30/08/2026

Ever noticed two lofts the same size can feel completely different to stand in?

It usually comes down to choices made long before the furniture turns up. Where the roof windows go, whether the storage is built into the low sides or bought from a shop, and whether the tall part of the room is left free or filled with a wardrobe. The best loft conversion ideas start with the roof and the daylight, then the layout follows. Pale colours and mirrors help, but only once the plan underneath is right. Get that order sorted and even a small loft holds a bed, a desk and everything you need to put away without feeling packed.

If you want to know what your loft could hold, DM us the word LAYOUT.
Or visit designedtobuild.co.uk for more enquiries

Why does a finished loft still feel tight when the floor area says otherwise?Usually it is the wardrobe. The tall middle...
27/08/2026

Why does a finished loft still feel tight when the floor area says otherwise?

Usually it is the wardrobe. The tall middle is the only place you can stand upright, so that is where the big furniture lands, and the one part of the room you actually move through gets blocked. Meanwhile a whole side of the room sits empty under the slope.

Flip it. Storage goes low and follows the pitch. Furniture earns its space by doing two jobs, a desk built into the wall or a bed you can store things in. Zones get made with rugs and lighting rather than stud walls. Same floor area, twice the usable room.

Want to know what your loft could hold? DM ‘LAYOUT’ or visit designedtobuild.co.uk.

Boarding your loft or converting it. Do you actually know which one your house can take?Plenty of older properties never...
21/08/2026

Boarding your loft or converting it. Do you actually know which one your house can take?

Plenty of older properties never had the head height for a room, so a conversion was never really on the table. That leaves boarding, and this is where it usually goes wrong. Boards laid straight onto the joists flatten 270mm of insulation down to about 100mm, and the bedrooms below feel it every winter.

Lifted boarding on legs keeps the insulation at full depth and still gives you a floor solid enough to walk on. Same job, done in a way that does not work against your heating.

If you are weighing up the two, visit designedtobuild.co.uk and tell us what your roof space looks like.

15/08/2026

Ever asked a builder what your loft conversion costs and got one number with nothing behind it?

That single figure is where most projects go wrong. Loft conversions can land anywhere between £20,000 and £45,000 depending on head height, roof structure and whether a dormer is needed. Without a breakdown you have no idea which of those your quote covers. That is how homeowners end up funding unexpected structural work halfway through. The figures in the carousel come from a completed project, not a price list. Itemised from the start means the scope is fixed and so is your budget.

Ask any builder to split their quote into pre construction, structural and finishes. If they can’t, that tells you something.

Send us an enquiry or visit designedtobuild.co.uk.

11/08/2026

What do you do with the parts of a loft you cannot stand up in?

Most conversions board them over and lose the space for good. Here they get framed out properly, fitted with cupboard doors and turned into the storage that makes a loft bedroom work as a bedroom rather than a room you keep things out of.

The rest of the build follows the same logic. 150mm insulation between the rafters so the room holds its heat. Skylights on the front slope so the light does the work instead of the lighting. Joinery, glosswork, flooring and carpets to finish.

If you are planning a loft conversion and want to know what your roof space can realistically hold, send us an enquiry at designedtobuild.co.uk.

08/08/2026

How much space is actually hiding above your ceiling right now?

Most terraced houses have more up there than the owner realises. This one had the head height already, so no rear dormer and no roof alterations were needed. What it did need was structural work. A purlin support sat right in the middle of the usable floor area and five rafters were cutting through the space overhead. Both had to go, with the loads carried elsewhere before anything came out. The floor below gave something up too. A slice of a bedroom and an old closet became the new landing and hallway so the staircase had somewhere sensible to land. That trade is unavoidable in a loft conversion. Planning it properly is what stops the finished house feeling squeezed.

Thinking about your own loft? Send us an enquiry or head to designedtobuild.co.uk.

Ever asked a builder what your loft conversion costs and got one number with nothing behind it?That single figure is whe...
04/08/2026

Ever asked a builder what your loft conversion costs and got one number with nothing behind it?

That single figure is where most projects go wrong. Loft conversions can land anywhere between £20,000 and £45,000 depending on head height, roof structure and whether a dormer is needed. Without a breakdown you have no idea which of those your quote covers. That is how homeowners end up funding unexpected structural work halfway through. The figures in the carousel come from a completed project, not a price list. Itemised from the start means the scope is fixed and so is your budget.

Ask any builder to split their quote into pre construction, structural and finishes. If they can’t, that tells you something.

Send us an enquiry or visit designedtobuild.co.uk.

30/07/2026

Thinking about knocking two rooms into one? First check this.

That wall you want gone might be doing more than dividing your kitchen from your diner. If it’s load-bearing, it’s quietly holding up the floors and roof above it. Take it out with no support and you’re not opening up your home, you’re weakening it.

This is where an RSJ comes in. A Rolled Steel Joist is the beam that takes over the job the wall was doing. It carries the load across the new opening and transfers it safely into the rest of the structure, so you get the open plan space without touching the safety of the house.

Done properly, it’s never just a demolition job. It’s structural calculations from a qualified engineer, the right size beam, a clean install, and full sign-off from Building Control. We handle all of it as one team, From start to finish

Not sure if your wall can go? Send us an inquiry and we’ll tell you what’s involved.
Or visit designedtobuild.co.uk for more information

Will my roof even work for a loft conversion?The real question is which of the four types your roof shape allows. Get th...
22/07/2026

Will my roof even work for a loft conversion?

The real question is which of the four types your roof shape allows. Get that right and everything else falls into place.

There are four routes. A Velux sits flush in the existing slope and is the cheapest if you already have the head height. A dormer boxes out for flat-ceiling headroom, the most popular choice on Sheffield terraces and semis. A hip to gable squares off a sloping side roof to unlock serious space on hipped semis and detached homes. And a mansard rebuilds the slope to near vertical for the most space of any type.

The one that suits your house comes down to your roof, not just your budget. That is the part worth getting right before anything else.

Not sure which your roof allows? Send us an enquiry or visit designedtobuild.co.uk and we will help you find the best route.

17/07/2026

What does a loft conversion actually cost in 2026?

Most homeowners never get a straight answer. Ask three builders, get three vague numbers, all with room to creep up once work starts. So here is a real one. A full loft conversion for £55,000, every line laid out.

The £5,000 before any building begins is the part people skip and regret. Architectural drawings, structural engineer calculations and building control fees are what stop your loft becoming a problem later. Skip the planning and you pay for it twice.

Structural works at £9,000 are the steel and support that let your roof carry a proper room. You never see it once it is done, but it is the difference between a safe conversion and a sagging ceiling.

The dormer at £15,000 is your biggest cost and your biggest change. It turns a cramped triangle into a room with real headroom. Windows and rooflights at £3,000 bring the light in, and a staircase at £2,000 gives you a safe way up, not a ladder to an afterthought.

The rest makes it liveable. Plumbing and electrics at £7,000, insulation and fire upgrades at £6,000, internal finishing at £8,000. The work that keeps it warm in January and safe all year.

£55,000, fully accounted for. No surprise phone calls. No found problems that double the bill. A proper plan tells you where every pound goes before you commit one.

That extra bedroom or office might already be sitting above your head. The only question is whether your roof can take it, and a real builder can tell you that in one conversation.

Visit designedtobuild.co.uk to find out what your conversion would actually cost.

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