Devil’s in the details

With a loft conversion (finally) underway, style editor Anna Morley is getting down to what’s important

Style editor Anna Morley shares her loft conversion journey

It was back in 2018 when we first made contact with A7 Conversions after being struck with envy at the results they’d achieved with our neighbours’ new loft bedroom.

So, after a fair amount (two years!) of deliberation and a chat with the bank to increase the mortgage (eek!), we can at last say we have two men plus a hole in our roof. Reaching this stage has not been speedy, and it feels like only yesterday we were debating some pretty grandiose options. The first question, ‘To dormer or not to dormer?’ is a biggie. Huge, in fact. Built into the side of the roof, dormers add head height and space – but they also loom over the garden (and the neighbours’ garden, who were NOT keen when we mentioned it). They also cost more than keeping within the existing loft area – around £4.5k for two separate windows or £6k for one running the length of the roof. We didn’t need planning permission for either, so were left to weigh up the pros and cons. Disgruntled neighbours aside, we still chose not to have a dormer. Why? Well, our main goal is to increase the value of the house, and adding an extra bedroom was key to this. The dormer was an expense that wouldn’t have bought any financial returns. Budget savvy points here, please!

The next detail to firm up was what the new space would be used for. For us, it’ll be a guest room (hello babysitting grandparents) combined with a living/playroom – which, I’ve been told, will incorporate a ‘huge

TV’. I can’t say I’m thrilled about this, but at least it won’t take up too much floor space (unlike my fiancé, Michael, does). Anyway, when we come to sell the house, this room will be billed as a fifth bedroom, which is why an en suite was essential rather than just a WC. And no, we didn’t want an open-plan bathroom. Definitely TMI in this household.

Another consideration was storage space. Our loft was essentially our store room and this will obviously be taking a huge hit. So I was relieved to learn that we’ll gain some ingenious built-in storage both within the eaves and under the new staircase.

Next, to the all-important windows, and we’re opting for the more the merrier approach with 10. This is both to gain that prized natural light, and because they provide more head height as each one is about 15cm above ceiling level. We’ve a choice of splayed or boxed in versions – splayed being a more open style with the window surround cut at an angle (yes please!), or boxed, with just straight lines.

Finally, at the back of the house, we’ve added another two windows underneath the main Veluxes in the hope it will create a design feature while also maximising the views. Plus, we realised you can only see out of a roof window when you’re standing up, so want to ensure we can look out while sat on the sofa – if we can ever tear our eyes away from the massive TV, that is.

It definitely feels like we’re all systems go now. If anyone needs me, I can be found browsing Pinterest while wearing ear plugs.