Once you have signed the proposal and given us the go-ahead, we will pass you over to our design team. Your full measured survey will be booked and then you will work with our architect to produce a design for your project. We will then present you with clear, professional drawings, detailing the build.

As most loft extensions will not require a Full Planning Application, the architect will advise you as to how to best approach the Local Planning Authority (LPA). If you live in a listed building or a conservation area, that you would need to go through the Full Planning Application process – we are able to give full advice on this. However, you are more likely to have to make a Building Regulations Application. This is if your loft conversion is intended for use as new accommodation, for example a bedroom, study or office. Building regulations are used to ensure that any building or alteration work meets the set standards for the design and construction of buildings, mainly to ensure the health and safety for those living in or around the building.

A building owner proposing to build a Loft Conversion has to give adjoining owners notice of their intentions in the way set down in the Act. Adjoining owners can agree or disagree with what is proposed.

The Party Wall Act 1996 provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes in relation to party walls, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings. This may include:

Work on an existing wall shared with another property Building on the boundary with a neighbouring property Excavating near a neighbouring property

Our team will be able to advise on the best route forward when trying to gain your neighbour's consent for the project.

When converting an existing roof space into a loft, it is often necessary to add additional fire protection in the existing parts of the house. For example, a typical loft conversion to a two-storey house may result in the need to provide new fire-resisting doors and sometimes partitions to protect the stairway. This is because it is too dangerous to escape via windows from floors above first floor level.