Laura & Dane - A Velux Loft Conversion for a Growing Family
The Project Brief
Laura came to us with a problem that many growing families face, needing an extra bedroom, but extending outwards wasn't an option. Her loft space was sitting there unused, and she wanted to transform it into a proper bedroom without changing how her home looked from the outside or turning family life upside down during the work.
What We Did
We converted Laura's previously unusable loft space into a beautiful, fully functional bedroom. The key to making this work was building a completely independent floor system. We installed steel beams that span wall-to-wall (about 4.5 metres across), and then laid timber floor joists on top of these beams. This meant the new floor could handle the weight across the full width of the house without any issues.
We added Velux windows to flood the space with natural light and upgraded the existing roof structure to meet all the current building regulations. Laura later added fitted wardrobes herself, which really finished off the space nicely.
How We Delivered the Project
One of the biggest questions we always get is "where will the stairs go?" For Laura's conversion, we installed the new staircase directly above the existing one, which is always the most space-efficient solution. This did mean we needed to slightly adjust one of the bedroom walls to accommodate the stairwell, but the room stayed fully functional throughout; it was only a marginal reduction in size that you'd barely notice.
What really mattered to Laura was that her family could stay in the home the whole time. Over the six weeks of work, we made sure that privacy was maintained every single day by putting up temporary doors and stud walls during construction. The kids could still use their bedrooms, and normal family life carried on as much as possible.
The project ran smoothly from start to finish, from the structural work right through to plastering and the final joinery touches. There were no significant hiccups, which is exactly how we like it.
Investment and Value
A Velux conversion like Laura's typically costs around £28,000. When you're moving from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom property, you're looking at a significant increase in value - often 15-20% in many markets. In Laura's case, that means the conversion could easily add more value to her home than it cost to complete. But beyond the numbers, she now has the space her family actually needs.
The End Result
Laura was absolutely delighted with how it turned out. We have high-quality photography of the conversion on our website that really shows the transformation. The new bedroom blends seamlessly with the rest of the house. Most importantly, it gave Laura's family exactly what they needed without the stress and disruption of moving house.
