Our guide to loft conversion in North London

Do you have a loft space that exists purely to store your Christmas decorations or an old hamster cage? Often the space at the top of the house is left unloved and doesn’t tend to reach its potential as a room and value increasing addition to a home.

Perhaps you work from home and treating the dining table as your work desk just doesn’t seem right? That wasted loft space could provide the perfect home office you’ve been craving.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of a loft conversion, as well as cost-effective ways to renovate your loft into a useful and functional space.

What benefits can a loft conversion provide?

Increase the size of your home

Space isn’t always a luxury that you’re afforded when you live in North London; however, if you’re lucky enough to have more than one storey at your disposal, there’s a good chance you have a loft.

Converting this space can provide a family home with so much - whether that be new office space to help separate working life from your home life, to a tranquil space for yoga or exercise, to an extra bedroom for a growing family or visiting friends.

Add value to your home

Loft conversions are also a great way to add value to your home. Converting your loft into a bedroom or en-suite bathroom can add as much as 21% to the value of your home, according to research by Nationwide - a considerable return on investment if you do consider moving in the future.

Save yourself the hassle of moving

Thanks to recent increases in interest rates, the cost of mortgage borrowing is soaring. Coupled with estate agency fees and stamp duty, the cost of moving can be very expensive. In addition, uprooting a family can cause a tremendous amount of stress as well as the time it takes to resettle elsewhere. Adding a loft conversion to your existing property is a great way to avoid these difficulties.

Improve your home’s energy efficiency

As loft conversions require adherence to building regulations, energy efficiency should be factored in to ensure approval. As such, a loft conversion can improve the energy efficiency of your house. From the insulation used to the windows selected to the type of light bulbs installed, there is plenty of room to save energy and money.

North London: an ideal spot for a loft conversion

North London is home to just shy of one million people and is comprised of seven boroughs: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Westminster.

Boasting a great variety of both historical and cultural landmarks (such as Hampstead Heath, Parliament Hill and the British Library), this area is hugely multicultural and is often considered to be an upmarket part of London.

With its fantastic transport links, North London has an average house price of over £800,000, which makes it an ideal location to continue to invest in property - and what better way than converting your loft to increase the value of your home further?

What kind of loft conversion can you typically have in North London?

Although every project will have to be assessed in accordance with planning legislation (see below), we usually see two main types of loft conversion in North London:

Dormer loft conversion

A dormer loft conversion is essentially a box-shaped extension to the front or rear roof of a property. This type of structure really does create a significant amount of space by introducing new vertical walls and a flat roof, which also increases headroom in your loft. Based on previous experience in the Haringey borough, for example, we’d typically opt to build dormer loft extensions set down from the ridgeline and up from the eaves by at least 0.5 metres.

Roof window or Velux loft conversion

One of the simplest ways to convert a loft is through the installation of Velux or roof windows. This provides an abundance of light for your new loft space. As Velux windows are installed directly into the existing roof structure, there is no need for any roof restructuring, which ultimately results in a much cheaper loft conversion than a dormer, for example.

How much does a loft conversion cost in North London?

Now that you may be considering which type of loft conversion might be right for your home, it’s important to assess the costs involved in doing so. Every loft conversion project in North London will be unique and require a detailed look at the intricacies of your building and the type of loft conversion you would like.

Broadly speaking, though, the average cost of a loft conversion in North London is between £60,000 and £100,000.

You can find out more about the factors affecting loft conversions and the price you might pay by reading ‘How much does a loft conversion cost in the UK: breakdown and tips’.

How do you get planning permission for a loft conversion in North London?

Before you start work on your new loft conversion, you will need to find out whether you need to apply for a ‘Planning Permission’ or ‘Developmental Approval’. The 1947 Town and Country Planning Act dictates that a Local Planning Authority must give permission for building development or changing of use of land.

Every London borough has its own Local Planning Authority and it’s easy to find out more information and contact details for those in North London - simply go to the website of your local borough.

Depending on the type of loft conversion you opt for, different planning permission will be required. Dormer windows are typically eligible under General Permitted Development Order (GPDO), but due to the complexity of building work, Mansard loft conversions (an extension across the entire plane of the roof) will require full planning permission. More information on the factors that need to be considered can be found on the UK Legislation site.

It’s important to note that a planning application incurs a standard fee of £238 per household application and typically takes eight to ten weeks to receive an outcome from your application’s date of validation.

How do you find a specialist for your loft conversion in North London?

According to a recent article by Which?, one of the mistakes that can result in you having to pay over the odds for a loft conversion is not getting the correct professionals to kick off the work from the very beginning.

Choosing a trusted loft conversion professional to support you is easy - both Houzz and Bark instantly let you find the best local service professionals for your project.

Resi: experts in North London loft conversion

Resi is uniquely positioned to help deliver your loft conversion to the highest possible standards, we’ve successfully completed over 1,000 loft conversion projects in the UK to date.

In North London, we have an 87% acceptance rate for planning applications, which can give you the confidence you need that we know exactly what we’re doing - from inception to delivery.

If you’d like to consider Resi to work with on your new loft conversion, check out our free quick quotation tool.