There is a space shortage in Ireland homes, most especially in high demand city areas like Dublin. Bigger houses are expensive and not readily being built, while the cost and troubles involved in moving to a bigger house are not always bearable for the average family. As it is today, the space problem is ever-growing and finding room for a growing family can be a real challenge.
Improving, NOT Moving Looks The Best Option
Attic conversions are one of the simplest and cost-effective ways of gaining more space at home. Across the country, attic conversions are seeing more acceptance. Apparently, the ideal solution to the space shortage is not moving to a bigger house but moving upward into the attic.
If you are considering an attic conversion, you are reading this guide at the perfect time. There are many types of attic conversions. However, we are focusing our attention on a very popular type of conversion called dormer attic conversion. By the end of this read, we will take you from zero to a hundred on everything dormer attic conversion and whether it's the right choice for your home and family. Keep reading!
How Suitable Is An Attic Conversion?
First, why so many home extension adds value to your home, few do it as well as a loft conversion. There are many reasons for this; cost-effective, a plethora of design and stylistic choices to choose from, the high probability that planning permission won’t be needed, less time consuming and the family don’t have to move elsewhere during construction. For the majority of homes, the attic is just a neglected space that’s just sitting there gathering specks of dust. All the above points and more make attic conversions the go-to option for families looking to add an extra bedroom, home office, bathroom, or kitchen to their existing space.
Many Options For A Loft Conversion
There are many options to choose from as regards the loft conversion options you want to pursue. This part may be a little overwhelming for you, especially if you get bombarded with technical terms like hip-end, gable, eaves height, and eaves storage. A good way to make sense of all those lingoes is to extract info about the shapes, sizes, and budget of each type of attic conversion you’re considering. Or better still, consult with an architect at this point to get a comprehensive overview of what type of attic conversion is most suitable to meet your demands.
Some of the most popular types of attic conversions are:
· Roof Lights Attic Conversion: this is a type of attic conversion where the existing space is not altered or expanded at all. To make it a meaningful space, windows are simply added and the floors are reinforced so that they can carry whatever load that it will be subjected to.
Why it is desirable: roof lights attic conversion is the cheapest option, which can save you up to 25% of the cost of other options like mansard and dormer. Also, it is most likely to be approved if the property is in a conservative area. Generally, a roof light conversion is mostly pursued when storage space is the most important or major aim of home improvement.
· Mansard Attic Conversion: this is another popular attic conversion that involves raising the wall shared with the neighbours, with the roof remaining flat and the outer wall sloped nicely towards it. Generally, the rear of the house is chosen as the party wall. Mansards are typically found in terraced houses. Although, they are popular with other types of houses as well.
Why they are desirable: mansard are aesthetically appealing, even more so than a dormer. For that reason, they blend well into period homes. Mansard attic conversions also give you the best chance of gaining more headspace and also allowing plenty of natural light into the room.
· Hip to Gable Attic Conversion: it involves straightening an inwardly slanted end roof to achieve a vertical structure. While this may seem like a small change, it does make a huge difference in the amount of available space inside the attic. Hip to gable attic conversions is becoming increasingly popular, especially for homeowners of terraced and detached houses.
Why it is desirable: a hip to gable attic conversion can be very stunning, and they blend well into period homes. They are particularly suitable for bungalows and chalets. To achieve maximum habitable space, it can be combined with a rear dormer attic conversion.
What Is A Dormer Attic Conversion?
A Dormer Attic Conversion involves converting a pitched roof into a boxed shaped structure, thereby creating walls that are perpendicular to the floor or walls that sit at a 90-degree angle to the floor. This helps in not only increasing the headspace of the room but also the floor space, too. The resulting structure helps maximize the available space in the attic, making it more habitable. And homeowners particularly love that it allows the installation of conventional windows too.
Without a doubt, a dormer attic conversion is the most popular method homeowners prefer to make their attic a more habitable zone. It has many benefits and flexibility, allowing property owners to meet their needs amid strict requirements.
Talking about flexibility, one of the major appeals for dormer attic conversion is that there are many types to choose from. We examine some of them below:
Flat Roof Dormer: These are a very popular option with homeowners and they are designed to give maximum floor space. Flat roof dormer attic conversion is a simple structure that is added to the front or rear of the attic. It’s straightforward and increases the internal floor space and headroom of smaller houses. Also, a flat roof dormer is the least expensive option when it comes to dormer attic conversion options.
Shed Roof Dormer: this is very similar to the flat roof dormer conversion only that the roof slopes down gently at an angle. This makes the eave line parallel to that of the main roof. Structurally, a shed dormer may be constructed with different materials from the existing ones. A shed roof dormer attic conversion is most suited to homes with a gable roof.
Gable Fronted Dormer: also known as a dog-house dormer, is a more complicated and involved dormer attic conversion. It consists of a gable wall extension which is built upwards to meet the current ridgeline. A new sloping roof section is also extended to meet the new gable end. They are suitable for semi-detached houses and terraces. Also, they are more desirable options because they can be fitted perfectly into the roof.
Hipped Roof Dormer: this is another complex attic conversion in which all three sides of the roof slope gently from the structure, often dramatically which is quite stunning from the outside. This type of attic conversion is most suited to houses in certain styles or roof structures. And together with Gable Fronted Dormer, they make the most aesthetically pleasing attic conversions. However, a hipped roof dormer conversion typically results in less usable space than for instance, a flat roof dormer.
Is Your Home Primed For A Dormer Conversion?
Generally speaking, any property with a pitched roof and has an attic space can use a dormer. Dormer attic conversion extends vertically from the plane of an existing sloping roof, usually at the rear of the structure. Such a design creates a usable amount of floor space and headroom. This innovative this also promotes naturally sunlight into the house.
Flat Dormer attic conversions are one of the most popular types of attic conversions and are also very cost-effective. Compare to other options, it certainly provides more than the average amount of valuable space in the attic.
If your property has sufficient roof height, a pitched roof dormer attic conversion would also provide a substantial amount of usable space. When it comes to beauty, pitched roof dormer gives you the best results because they blend well into the existing roof structure, resulting in several eye-catching designs. Also, they happen to be quite resistant to changing weather conditions.
Pros Of Dormer Attic Conversions
If you’re looking to extend your home and considering whether a dormer attic conversion is a good option, know that it is a great option. There are many benefits associated with dormer attic conversions.
The first and most important benefit of attic conversion is the additional space it gives you to have an office, extra bedroom or common room. Some of the other benefits include
· Result in straight walls and flat ceilings. This makes the space look and feels like the usual or conventional room, as opposed to what is obtained from something like a roof light attic conversion.
· A dormer attic conversion lets in a lot of natural light and ventilation. With the choice of installing French windows, doors and balconies, you can let in even more air and light to the attic room.
· Certainly, a dormer attic conversion is one of the most cost-effective and efficient options to choose from.
· Suitable for most Irish homes. Also, increases the value of the property since the demand for it is strong throughout the country.
· Dormer windows provide a different, refreshing view of the outside that is widely acclaimed to be better than that from a Velux or roof windows.
· A Dormer conversion, especially that for a pitched roof, can greatly improve the external appearance of a property. Dormers add architectural detail to a property.
· Dormer attic conversion more often than not, fall under your permitted development rights. Hence you don’t need to apply for planning permission to develop your property this way.
Do I Need Planning Permission For A Dormer Conversion?
Installing a dormer is a very cheap way to turn your attic into a usable and valuable space. Unfortunately, this can not be done without the need for third-party approvals such as planning permission.
However, if you intend to raise the roof – like a dormer styled extension – or place the dormer windows in front of the property, doing any of this will materially alter the physical appearance of the house and that means planning permission will be required before you begin developing.
Also, talking about appearance, your dormer cannot be built with materials that are out of character with the original building of the house. Picking materials that are very contrasting with those of the original building will need planning permission, even when it will otherwise be within your exempted development rights.
Building Regulations and Party Wall
Building regulations should also be a part of your bucket list when you’re thinking of dormer attic conversions. While your dormer attic conversions will need planning permission, you will also still have to comply with building regulations with your locality. However, they things to ensure, for example, that your floor is properly reinforced to carry the new weight of your converted roof, that there are exist points and the staircase is functional.
Just remember; Planning permission is about seeking consent to build. Building regulations are about SAFETY and STANDARDS – which will always be required.
Do I Need An Architect?
Architects are known for their knack for aesthetics. However, designing a habitable space for your attic goes beyond that. Hiring a professional architect will go a long way in ensuring that your project runs smoothly and within budget and time constraints. They'll be charged with designing your attic conversion according to your wants and preferences, produce detailed technical drawings and specifications that other professionals like builders and structural engineers working on the project are going to adhere to.
An architect will also make sure that everything concerning your projects is done following the recent building codes. They can also help you in the process of applying for planning permission, securing party wall agreements and satisfying all building codes.
Talking to an architect before your project begins will save you a whole lot of stress in the present, and from any grave mistake in the future. If you're seeking additional space in the home, look no further, a dormer conversion may be all you will ever need.
At AtticPlanning.ie we specialise in helping people who need planning permission for their attic conversion. AtticPlanning.ie is a subsidiary of JEArchitecture which is a registered architects practice based in North Dublin, covering the greater Dublin Area.
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