Dormer Loft Conversion: Pros and Cons

In recent years, dormer loft conversions have become increasingly popular to create more space from an existing roof. So, if you’re thinking of getting a dormer done on your house, you need to chooose the best dormer loft conversion ideas and be aware of some pros and cons of a dormer loft conversion.

Pros of Dormer Loft Conversion

Are you planning to convert your dormer? Well, here are some of the advantages you stand to reap.

Creating Extra Living Space

This is the main reason why people love dormers so much, as they can turn the area under the roof into something usable such as storage, an office or even a spare room. Although not all lofts will be suitable for converting into another room, those with gentle slope roofs that run at right angles to the walls are often ideal for this process.

Affordable

For most basic dormer conversions, it’ll cost about £ 20,000, which is pretty good value when you consider how much you’re getting out of the loft conversion. However,  dormer conversions cost can go up to £50,000 or even more, depending on where you live and how complex the project is, so make sure you find someone who knows what they are doing so as not to cut any corners, which might result in problems further down the line.

Adding Light

People often fail to realise with loft conversions that by creating a window in one end of the dormer, they can bring loads of natural light into their home, which can be great if you live somewhere that doesn’t get the sun all day long. This is why dormers are often seen in Northern European countries like Scandinavia or Germany, where they make little use of central heating and rely on the sunlight to keep their homes warm during the winter months.

Opening out The Roof

If done right, the conversions should also enable you to create extra space within your roof structure itself. As your dormer window will be taller than it is wide, this means that you’ll have an area on either side that can be used for stashing all sorts of things. For instance, you might consider installing some skylights instead to let more light in there.

More Head Room

This is one of the most significant benefits of a dormer loft conversion as it means that you can create more room under the eaves, which will give you more headroom throughout. This is particularly true if your dormer covers 50% or more of your roof, which would enable you to run two storeys through your property instead of just one. Some people have even made use of their loft by extending out inside their roof space to create an extra bedroom upstairs too!

Cons of Dormer Loft Conversion

While there are many pros for having a dormer done on your house, they aren’t without their cons too. Here are the cons you need to keep in mind before you go ahead with any plans.

Getting the Planning Permission

This is one of the biggest cons of dormer loft conversions because while you might think that it’s just a case of adding on an extension, in most cases, this will be classed as major structural work. As such, you’ll need to make sure that your planning permission is approved by the local council, which can slow down the process and also increase your costs substantially.

Wasting Space

Another big con is that if you get loft conversions installed without careful planning, then there is a danger of wasting space either at the front or back end where they meet the roof structure itself. This means that instead of having more room under the roof after fitting a dormer, you’ll just have the same amount of space but with two little extensions stuck to the front and back.

Creation of Openings

As dormer loft conversions are not just about adding an extension, they also require you to cut into your existing roof, which means there’s a good chance that your ceiling will be weakened in various spots along its length. This isn’t always a problem, especially if your roof is fairly strong anyway, but it does mean there’s some additional risk of water damage, too, so make sure you find someone who knows what they are doing before cutting away!

Loft Access Problems

Another thing to watch out for whenever you’re installing dormers is making sure that you can still get access to yourself. While this might not sound like an issue, you should never underestimate how useful it can be to get up there to store stuff or repair things. While dormers are great for bringing in more daylight, if they make your loft access worse, then this might not be worth it!

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