Joinery for attics
From stairs through to fitted furniture, Anna-marie Desouza takes a look at these important elements of your attic project
Anna-marie Desouza advises on how to choose your loft stairs and ensure your built-in elements fit
Loft conversions can offer myriad benefits, especially in terms of adding space and value to your home. But in order to appreciate the advantages fully, there are a number of essential elements to get right, and high on this list is joinery.
Stairs
For most projects, a new flight will be required. It is worth consulting with a professional architect or builder early on so that you can assess the most suitable options. In terms of Building Regulations, a permanent staircase to an attic conversion is required for the creation of a habitable room.
Loft stairs are a habitually tricky element to plan; space for them is often tight. There are a variety of off-the-shelf designs available, but in many cases, opting for a purposebuilt flight is the best option – albeit one that comes with a higher price tag. The bespoke configuration will respond to the floorplan and ensure the design suits your style.
Consider where your flight of stairs will start on the floor below and the space you will be losing to accommodate it, as well as the headroom you need where the opening will be created. Building Regulations specify the parameters for a staircase, including the correct pitch, to eliminate any hazards. The regs state you must factor in 1.9m headroom at the centre of the stair width, which can reduce to a 1.8m on the edge of the flight. When planning a purpose-built loft staircase, it pays to have the design approved by your building control officer before anything is commissioned.
“Ideally, the best place for your new staircase is over the existing one as this minimises any loss of space from a bedroom,” says Becke Livesey, director at Econoloft. “The overall aim is to ensure the flight looks like it has always been there – a seamless blend of old and new. If you have a period home, we will use specialist joiners to replicate existing hand carved spindles and newels in the new staircase. The flight is the first impression visitors will have of your attic storey – it needs to be planned carefully.”
As part of the fire safety upgrade for your loft, your stairways should lead to a hall and an external door. If you have an open-plan arrangement where the stairs rise from a room, you may have to create a partition, add new escape routes and/or install sprinklers. “Building Regulations now require a safe, fire-resistant means of escape when loft conversions are created. This means you have to install fire doors to all habitable rooms down the escape route,” says Aidan Thorburn of Online Door Store. “You don’t have to compromise style for safety, though. Modern fire doors come in a wide range of styles to match existing doors and suit your own preferences.”
Storage
When you convert your loft, it’s inevitable that you’re going to lose storage space. This means it’s imperative to make the most of what you have. These zones can host awkward architectural features, such as sloping ceilings and beams. So you need to consider how to utilise the area without sacrificing the requirements of the room.
Built-in furniture will maximise space and make use of the eaves – as you’re insulating down the rafter line, you’ll create a warm store for your belongings. “Fitted furniture can be built directly into the apex to ensure no room is wasted, creating floor-to-ceiling storage which truly maximises potential,” says Karen Conn, furniture designer at Neville Johnson. “Whether you are keen for a secluded work space away from the chaos of family life or a second living area for the children, there is an abundance of furniture to consider, from open and closed storage solutions, glazed display units to home office desks.”