How To Turn Your Loft Into A Living Space

Too often, lofts become dumping grounds for unused possessions. But what if you could turn your loft into an office or an extra bedroom? Converting your loft into livable space could add value to your home and could be much cheaper and much more feasible than building an extension. Below are just some of the steps to take when turning your loft into extra living space. 

Clear out the clutter

You won’t be able to use your loft for any other purpose if it’s currently full of clutter. Spare yourself a couple weekends to sort through your belongings and work out exactly what you want to keep. Everything that you don’t need could be sold, donated or thrown away. Decluttering isn’t easy for everyone and you may prefer to put your items in a storage unit, giving you more time to work out what to do with them. Avoid simply relocating clutter to other parts of your home. 

Fix up the floor

Your loft may only have a basic wooden floor or possibly even exposed joists. You may want to add carpet to the area or a laminated wooden floor so that it’s more comfortable underfoot. The loft floor needs to be strong enough to withstand any furniture you may decide to put up in your loft.

Sort out the ceiling

You may also want to consider adding plaster to the walls and ceiling if it is currently exposed. In some homes, a loft roof may need to be raised if it is too low – this can make your conversion a lot more expensive, but could be necessary in cases where you cannot stand up straight. Roof insulation could also be worth looking into if the roof is currently uninsulated. 

Provide power and heat

Access to electricity and heat in the winter could also be necessary. If your loft doesn’t already have lighting or electrical outlets, consider hiring an electrician to wire these in for you. As for heating, you could opt for an electrical heater or you could pay a plumber to install a radiator. Installing vents could be another option if you have a furnace. 

Improve access

Many people have a ladder leading up to their loft. To make access more convenient and to improve fire safety, it could be worth installing a staircase. This could be an internal or an external staircase. Staircases can take up a lot of space and can be costly to install, so consider whether a staircase is feasible. 

For those with a bigger budget…

You could consider adding other features to your loft to make it more luxurious. This could include an en-suite bathroom if you’re turning it into a bedroom (this will require a lot of extra plumbing work and you’ll have to wet-proof the walls and floor). You could also consider adding skylights or roof windows to add more light or possibly even a juliet balcony. Smaller lofts may be more restricted when it comes to such features.