Loft Conversions: Adding Value to your Cambridgeshire Home

With space coming at a premium now more than ever, making the most of your existing space is the way to go. But if you’ve got no room to spare, what are your options? Well, look up! Odds are, your Cambridgeshire home has a loft, especially if it was built prior to 1960, and that means you have a great opportunity to convert the underutilised space into something more valuable for your family and lifestyle. 

Don’t know the first thing about loft conversion? Read on to learn more. 

Different types of loft conversions

Where you start – a dormer, hip-to-gable, L-shaped, or Mansard loft – is far less important than where you end up. With a little creativity and expertise, almost any loft type can be converted into whatever kind of usable space is ideal for your family and lifestyle. Here are a few loft conversion ideas to better utilise your space:

• Roof or skylight installation
• A guest suite
• Home office, gym, or studio
• Additional lounge or living area

For example, this South London loft conversion added not only an extra bedroom but a full luxury bathroom complete with skylights to fill the space with an abundance of natural light. 

Value of a loft conversion

The value of a loft conversion is highly subjective considering the amount of variables at play – starting value, property type, goal, investment, neighbourhood, etc. How you convert your loft matters as well, and adding an extra bedroom is typically the best choice to achieve a return on your initial investment. Of course, if an extra bedroom isn’t what your family needs, then that’s not very valuable, is it?

From a strictly financial standpoint; however, more bedrooms equate to higher value. In Cambridgeshire (at the time of writing), average home prices were:

• Two bedrooms – £325,000
• Three bedrooms – £375,000
• Four bedrooms – £575,000

While no renovation is ever a guarantee of increased value, you can see that properties with more bedrooms fetch higher sale or listing prices, making them a great use of space. Even better? A loft conversion with an ensuite. 

Key considerations when converting a loft

Planning

If there’s one step you cannot skip during any renovation, it’s planning. Being thorough in the beginning will save you time and money in the end. Whether you’re working with a loft conversion professional or managing it on your own, a good plan should take into consideration, not only the design – layout, structural considerations, insulation, lighting – but the overall process. 

Costs

Creating a detailed cost estimate is the best way to avoid budget blowout. You can expect to spend anywhere from £50,000 to £70,000+ converting your loft to a living space. 

Permissions

You may be able to execute your loft conversion under permitted development rights; however, planning permissions, listed building consent, party wall agreements, or building regulations approval could be in your future as well. When working with Refresh, we take care of all the red tape for you.   

Loft conversions with Refresh

The Refresh process was designed around you, the homeowner, with our Renovation Consultants working around your schedule, budget, and lifestyle to deliver results that are true to your personality and exceed your expectations. As your professional loft conversion partner, a dedicated Renovation Consultant will guide you through our 5-step processing, fielding your questions, coordinating the schedule, and finding the right contractors for your project to make sure your loft conversion is delivered on time and within budget. 

Leave the loft conversion to the experts

Considering a loft conversion in Cambridgeshire? Trust the experts at Refresh to get the job done. To get started, simply get in touch to arrange a free consultation with a local Renovation Consultant.