Loft Conversions – The Good News in Fife, Edinburgh & Perth Areas

Don’t move out, move up!

If you love where you live but just need more space, a loft conversion is a popular and effective way to convert unused attic space into an extra room or rooms.

It is often more affordable than buying a larger property, and you avoid all the fees associated with moving house: estate agents, solicitors and removal firms all demand their share! 

A loft extension will very often increase the value of your home, so it is an investment.

To gain maximum benefit, a dormer extension delivers the most extra room.

Building a dormer maximises your floor space and allows you to construct vertical walls and level ceilings.

This also allows you to fit windows and compensates for lost floor space where your staircase is.

Alternatively, you can convert your loft by fitting Velux windows, meaning that your plasterboard sheeting is fitted directly onto your rafters, thereby increasing space.

Related content:

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The Cost of A Loft Conversion Edinburgh

Dormer Loft Conversion Edinburgh – Pros, Cons, Planning and Design

Dormer Loft Conversion Fife – Pros, Cons, Planning and Design

Loft Conversion Scotland – Cost, Planning and Benefits

Loft Conversion Specialist in Edinburgh

Good News

The first piece of good news is that most lofts are suitable for conversion, subject to relevant permissions from the council (see below).

If there is sufficient head height all the way up the stairs to the loft, including at the top, and if the structural strength of the joists is sufficient for the new conversion, then the indications are good for suitability.

More Good News

LC Joinery, Roofing and Building Work can take care of everything you need to get your extension planned and approved, including architectural drawings, planning permission and building warrants.

We have extensive knowledge of Scotland’s complicated planning permission process and building regulations, so you don’t have any added stress or worry.

Or, we will liaise with your architect, if you already have one.

It Could Be a Headache…

When you think of all the professionals involved in a loft conversion and then imagine trying to project manage them all to work together, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an almighty faff.

Once you’ve got all the paperwork in order, you’d need to schedule the joiners, the electricians, probably gas engineers, maybe plumbers, plasterers, then roofers.

They all need to turn up in the right sequence, and they all need to be there in time, or else there’s a domino effect on the entire project timetable.

The Building Inspector from the council will want to make one or more site visits, too.

However, yet again, there is good news.

LC Joinery, Roofing and Building supplies all trades, so coordination and project management are built in.

We know which trades are needed on what days, and we know when they’re going to turn up, as we send them!

We will liaise with all the authorities, coordinate everyone involved, make sure that everything conforms to building and safety regulations, as well as complying with any conditions of planning permission and building warrants.

You get peace of mind, knowing that someone is in control of the details, which saves you a lot of time, trouble, money and stress.

We cover the entire construction package. We complete all the internal work as well as the exterior work required, such as the roofing.

Good News About Planning Permission?

There’s more glad tidings: you do not always need planning permission for a loft conversion, even if you alter the roof by installing dormers.

If the construction meets certain criteria, the conversion is allowed under “permitted development” – so long as you have a Building Warrant from the Building Standards department of your local council, you’re free to proceed.

A building warrant shows all the technical specifications of the loft conversion.

It is an offence to proceed to construction without one.

The next piece of good news is that LC Joinery, Roofing & Building Work can handle it all for you and will liaise with architects the council etc., on your behalf.

The Scottish Government website has helpful criteria which specify exactly when a loft conversion qualifies for permitted development:

• If it is not on the front or side of your house and facing a road
• The distance between the dormers and the boundary of your curtilage (the open space in your back garden) they face is more than 10 metres
• The development would not be higher than the existing roofline (when measuring the height of the roofline, do not include chimneys)
• All your dormers combined cover less than half the width of the roof
• The distance between the dormers and any edge of the roof is at least 30 centimetres
• It’s not within a conservation area

NOTE: You should always check with your council’s planning department to see whether you need to apply for planning permission. Even if you meet the permitted development rules, there may be other approvals you’ll need to get.

Conservation Area/Listed Buildings

If your property is in a conservation area or is a listed building, there will probably be extra conditions imposed on any permission to build or make alterations.

LC Joinery, Roofing and Building has many years of experience of working on listed buildings, so we are skilled at undertaking sympathetic construction in historic properties.

We will take care of all the regulations and considerations to satisfy the relevant authorities, so you don’t have any added stress or worry.

Any other reasons I should use LC Joinery, Roofing and Building Work for my Loft Conversion?

Reputation and Trust

We are proud of the good reputation we have built over the years and the thousands of satisfied customers we have served. As a Which? Trusted Trader, we know that honest, genuine service, is as important as value for money.

We are passionate about the work that we carry out, be it joinery, roofing or building work. Because of this passion, we produce the highest quality work possible.

We aim to meet our customers’ expectations and beyond – with the aim of exceeding them at all times.

We will always go the extra mile.

Our passion translates into our workmanship.

Accreditations

We can fully guarantee any and all work that we do, as we only ever use fully insured, time-served, qualified, experienced tradesmen.

LC Joinery, Roofing and Building Work is a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen, the Federation of Master Builders, the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme, and is a licensed asbestos removal contractor. 

Transparency

We will discuss the job with you and explain fully how we intend to proceed.

We will give you a written quote, so there are no nasty surprises or misunderstandings.

Finance Available

We can arrange finance to enable you to spread the cost.

Meaningful Guarantee

Once the work is completed, our customers have peace of mind because we have a permanent address and landline phone number.

We’ve been here since 2008 and we’re not going anywhere.

Our customers know that we’ll still be here after the job is done, so if you ever need to take us up on our standard 5-year guarantee you’ll know where to find us.

Next steps

Contact LC Joinery, Roofing and Building Work today for a chat.