These days housing prices are constantly rocketing and not everybody can actually afford to move house when they need to. The cost of relocating should be combined with the buying price of the new home plus all the extra expenses when you are figuring out the overall expenditure involved. However moving house isn't the sole alternative if you find that your family is getting too big for your present property. A fairly expensive solution is to add a brick extension to your current home to generate that additional living space, but you may not be able to get the necessary planning permission, and your home may not be suitable. You could possibly do a garage conversion, as long as you've got a garage and you aren't at present using it to park your car. Probably the perfect option is to put in a loft conversion, which will add plenty of value to your home and isn't likely to need any form of planning permission. For many of the reasons given loft conversions have become very popular over the last few years. Prior to going along this route, you will need to make sure that your property is actually suited to a loft conversion. Numerous more modern homes having trussed roofs aren't really suitable. The perfect properties for loft conversions are older ones, especially those built before the nineteen seventies. To check out the scenario with your particular loft space and ensure it is suited to conversion you will want to call in a builder. When your builder gives the all clear for a conversion you can get him to provide a quote. Get several additional quotations from different loft specialists, so that you've got a varied pick of tradespeople. When choosing the best builder for the work you should utilize your instincts and not just opt for the cheaper quote. There is a high likelihood that you won't even need planning permission for your loft conversion, as most conversions do not require it. To find out if planning permission is necessary, speak to your local planning office. Don't suppose that doing a loft conversion will be cheap, as it's quite an expensive solution. If you don't actually have the required money you can always ask the bank for a loan, which is often not too difficult because the likelihood is that your conversion will considerably add to the value of the house. As a general guide you may expect a loft conversion to cost about the same as a good size brick extension although the probability is that you will generate more additional space with a loft conversion with out raising your property's overall footprint. That type of loft conversion you can get will be determined by the design and style of your house. The various sorts of conversions comprise: loft pods, roof light conversions, hip-to-gable conversions, roof lift loft conversions, mansard loft conversions, velux conversions and dormer loft conversions. Your chosen builder or loft conversion specialist will let you know what kind is most appropriate for your home. Among the most popular types of loft conversion in recent times is the dormer style, a concept that offers decent bang for your buck, yet generates the maximum possible space. The dormer is a well-liked option with householders since it's both practical and pleasing and provides all which is likely to be required. With this layout it is even possible to include a balcony, meaning that you are creating additional exterior space as well. There are different types of dormers and these include flat roof dormers, Velux window dormers, hip to gable dormers and shed dormers. Check with a specialist to find out which one is best suited for your particular house. One of the most famous brands of roof windows, Velux, have been around for around fifty years and they can be depended on to provide you with a loft window which is both superior quality and dependable. These windows are made to fit flush with the gradient of your roof and hence do not change the look of the structure, nor do they commonly call for local authority permission plus they are reasonably economical to fit. Velux windows let in a decent quantity of daylight and in fact could even need window blinds during the summer time. If your attic has got a good amount of head space, a Velux windows may be just the ticket for your project, particularly if you've got limited funds. The time scale for a standard conversion depends on four or five variables which include the availability of required materials, the design of conversion, the climatic conditions, the trustworthiness of the building contractors and the amount of pre-planning which is done. As a rough guide it should take approximately 4 to 5 weeks to accomplish a rear dormer loft conversion on a terraced dwelling and approximately 5 to 6 weeks to do a hip to gable dormer on a semi-detached property. You'll discover countless uses to which your conversion can be put, when it's finished. Some people turn it into a home cinema, an extra bedroom or a new family bathroom. Nonetheless there's lots of purposes to which a decent loft conversion can be put, limited merely by your imagination! Loft Conversion Consultants