Designing loft conversions in Newcastle

Posted by Johny Dean on August 16th, 2013

Many house owners, after building their house, leave the attic space for dust, instead of utilising it. But the attic can be used as master suite, home office, library, children’s room, or guest room. So why not take advantage from the walls, floor, and ceiling that are already in position and add a room or more to your already existing rooms?

Before contacting some builders Newcastle, determine what kind of room you will create in the attic. This has to be known from the very beginning, because some rooms require a sink, plumbing, heating, and other facilities, and others do not. Consult electricians and plumbers before finalising your loft conversion plan.

Then, decide where you will build the staircase. Most likely the stairs will enter the loft from the hallway down below. You need to allow everybody to access the loft, especially if it is an area the entire family can use. If the loft is meant to be a private location, the stairs could start in your own bedroom, although that would be a bit awkward.

The stairs can be placed at the exterior too, but only if they do not disturb the house owners, nor diminish the overall appearance of the house. An exterior staircase should be built from more resistant materials than an interior starircase, like stone or concrete. If the loft is included in a multi-story building, an exterior staircase is imperative, to be used as escape route in case of fire.

Another thing regarding the design of loft conversions in Newcastle is the placement of windows. Windows should be used not only for illuminating the loft, but as a fire escape too. It is wiser and cheaper to use the loft windows like this, instead of placing them in a certain location, and the escape route, in other part.

Decide what furniture you will purchase for your new room. An advice here would be to purchase small furniture to be able to move it easily from time to time, when you clean the loft. Builders Newcastle can help you in this regard and suggest you the proper dimensions of your future furniture.

Also, discuss the matter of insulation. The loft is the highest room of a house, and it is the most exposed to the elements, therefore it has to be insulated to help its inhabitants not feel the cold outside during winter. Loft conversions in Newcastle need to be very well planned in terms of insulation, since the weather in this city is highly changeable and unpredictable.

Loft conversions usually do not require permission to build, but only if the loft does not exceed the space already taken into account by the authorities. If you plan to extend the house, you need permission. Contact your local authorities to know for sure if you need to have approval or not for your loft conversion.

Professional builders Newcastle, 5-year work guarantee, well-planned loft conversions in Newcastle, free advice; if you want all that, please visit our website and come a little closer to your desire of having a recreational room, home office, bedroom, lounge area, or library in your loft.