Loft conversions often feature in the top ten ways to add value to your home.
A loft conversion can be an incredibly effective way to increase the square footage of your home, and to increase the resale value of it.
How Much Value Can it Add?
A loft conversion is often cited in surveys as the best way to add value to your home. Recent research, carried out by the Nationwide Building Society, found that a loft conversion can increase the value of your home by as much as 20%.
If you are looking at a house valued at £200,000, that’s an increase of up to £40,000. Or, if your house is as much as £400,000, a loft conversion could boost your value up to £560,000.
If you have the money to fund the loft conversion, and the patience to face the hassle it can cause, a loft conversion is indeed a worthy investment.
What Are the Downsides?
It does have its benefits, but that does not mean it is all roses. A loft conversion can cause a lot of hassle throughout construction.
It also means investing time and money to get the project going, you may need to cover things such as planning permission, building regulations, survey’s architect designs as well as the actual building work.
One of the major things to think about is access to your new top floor.
You most likely won’t already have access leading up to your loft, so you need to figure this out. There are certain regulations to comply with, such as a minimum of two metres head clearance both above and below the stairs.
Another important thing to consider is loft insulation. Building regulations are particularly strict on this part. There are certain standards of energy efficiency to meet, to ensure energy saving measures are met and maximised.
This also works in your favour, as it ensures your new loft conversion does not leak out heat which would increase your energy bill.
