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diyhelp
Active Member
I have a 3 bedroom family home but our family is growing and I have thought of doing a loft conversion. Some say they offer good value for money while others say not - not sure what to do!
I have a 3 bedroom family home but our family is growing and I have thought of doing a loft conversi
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totallyproperty
Administrator
Staff member
Welcome to the forum!
I think it depends whether you are happy in your current home, and whether you are in a financial position to move. If you moved to gain the extra space, could you afford to buy the size of property you need? If not, it might be a better option to extend in your current property. If you did extend i'm assuming you would remain where you are for a few more years, in which case it's likely you would add value to your property and regain the money you have invested.
Have other people in your road had loft conversions do you know? Checking roofs for skylights is a good way to spot those which have been converted.
I think it depends whether you are happy in your current home, and whether you are in a financial position to move. If you moved to gain the extra space, could you afford to buy the size of property you need? If not, it might be a better option to extend in your current property. If you did extend i'm assuming you would remain where you are for a few more years, in which case it's likely you would add value to your property and regain the money you have invested.
Have other people in your road had loft conversions do you know? Checking roofs for skylights is a good way to spot those which have been converted.
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diyhelp
Active Member
Thanks for the feedback - looks so obvious when I see it written down but it has made me think. I have not noticed any loft conversions but I will check this. I cant really afford to take on a larger property at the moment and I do plan to stay put for a while yet. It might be worthwhile looking at an extension in the back garden? Is this a sensible option to consider as well?
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realdeals
Active Member
Simple answer is to ask a friendly local estate agent 
Nicholas Wallwork
Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Premium Member
Certain rear extensions are permitted development (single story and under a certain size etc) so that should make the process easier, quicker and more affordable... get some planning advice from a good local planning consultant as this will help you weigh up the two options in terms of what space you'll be able to add... after that an architect can draw up some some plans and these can then be used to get some figures from a builder to assist the costs. You'll then be well set to make some firmer decisions...
Good luck!
Good luck!
Nicholas Wallwork
Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Premium Member
Good advice as the agents can also advise on what development / extension will bring the most value uplift and hence return...Simple answer is to ask a friendly local estate agent
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diyhelp
Active Member
Thanks for the advice - I think I will ask around local estate agents first and try to get a feel for things.
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diyhelp
Active Member
After speaking with some estate agents I think I will initially go with the loft conversion and maybe look at an extension further down the line. Thanks for your help.
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realdeals
Active Member
To keep things simple it makes sense to check what is happening in your area to see whether you would likely gain planning permission for a particular improvement. If a number of loft conversions have already been approved by the Council then there is little reason why they would not approve your application.
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PostBrexitInvestor
Member
As long as your plans are not too controversial, and similar to others in the area, I do not see any problems.
