Loft conversion vs Extension

[psd99]

Hi, is there much of a price difference between a loft conversion and an extension?

If so which one tends to be more expensive and why?

 

[psd99]

so thinking of the other thread if we suggest that an extension is around £1500 to £2750 per sq meter. (I appreciate that this price includes foundations concrete etc)

what would that equivalent price be for a loft conversion in the south east? (yep I know I am probably comparing apples and eggs here but I do struggle to understand why a loft conversion with a dormer can cost 30k-40k) which sounds is on par with an extension quote

 

[psd99]

Depending on your roof structure, the whole thing may need to come off and be rebuilt, or at least be significantly structurally altered (e.g. with our loft there are beams across it at chest height, fine for sticking a few boxes up there, but no good for living space).

yer the roof definitely needs to come off and be rebuilt - so would tiles, new wood mortar etc actually be more expensive than say bricks + a concrete foundation? talking about material costs here not labour

 

[psd99]

Well with one you are boarding the loft space, and the other you are building walls and roof, not rocket science is it

yer not rocket science but then if say someone quotes 40K for an extension and then 35K for the loft - how can the loft really be that expensive?

 

[psd99]

We were quoted £30k for a loft conversion which was a Velux conversion with hip to gable for the landing, that included toilet off the landing, stairs, all electrics and plumbing. Everything but carpet/decorating.

Just posting if it helps at all, obviously yours could be a completely structure/cost

did that include things like radiators, windows, doors etc?

If not what kind of costs did u finish up with there? Where are u based?

 

[psd99]

That was everything except carpet and decorating

Manchester

It's dawned on me I've made a mistake here, the toilet was additional £4k so it was £34k

I've just looked at the quote again which we received last summer and it was definitely £34k Inc the toilet

yer that's probably the going rate imho somewhere between 30 and 40k.

 

[psd99]

Having had two houses with loft conversions, already in when we got them(although current one is not an official building-regs room, despite fixed stairs), Just be aware that they tend to be quite cold in the winter and rather hot in the summer.

In neither case have we used it as a bedroom, current one is a kids' playroom, but I wouldn't fancy sleeping in them in hot weather.

yep but perhaps having AC in there would help that's potentially one of my plans

 

[psd99]

so first couple of quotes coming in have surprised me..... for a loft conversion hip to gable.

first quote is 49K and that doesn't include the bathroom parts, windows, doors or radiators. - these people did a job for me in the past they were excellent but that just feels too high for my liking

second quote was 45k but didn't feel comfortable with the builders attitude.

so far the quotes have been between 40-50k to get this done in the south east. seems Steep but when I actually read all of the parts I can see how it is this expensive.

 

[psd99]

Put the contractors in touch with PS they obviously haven't read his in depth nationwide study

They're obvs wrong

? don't understand

 

[psd99]

Sorry, I was being flippant at some of his generalist sweeping statements he made earlier in the thread

Honestly they don't sound too bad especially for your area / region

do u think? someone here said 34K in manchester

so nearly 16k extra for the south east area. I think by the time all other items are included im looking at an extra 3-5K on top of say 49k

 

[psd99]

perhaps the labour down here is more expensive? as I can't see why the materials would cost more here than the NW. not sure a builder would want to come down here to do the job where would they live etc.

one of the builders said that Brexit has spiked some product prices do u think it is possible?

It appears I was being overly optimistic to suggest between 30 and 40k previously for this job.

 

[psd99]

Yes true
Hopefully we are at
The tail end of
Covid...

38-40k is my target

unless one of my
Romanian/polish cousins needs a labourer like me... I would do the job for free lol

 

[psd99]

I think AC in the loft might be a sensible option then. It'll be properly warm in the summer.

 

[psd99]

nice that looks lovely- where are u based?

 

[psd99]

this is an interesting thread as i'm just in the process of getting quotes back for a loft conversion, not quite as involved as a hip to gable right enough but if I get something back 40-50k I'll be happy, the thing that's worrying is the amount of insulation required to comply with the current regs is a lot in Scotland, so that's a pain from all kinds of angles!

what kind of loft conversion are u going for?

I read hip to gable/dormer is expensive compared to velux (I guess the roof stays the same) but something called mansard lol is the most expensive.

 

[psd99]

I've got a nice loft which has all the attic trusses in place already, so I'm only adding a couple of dormers and few rooflights rather than seriously altering the structure - no doubt it will still be expensive!

well lookin at this thread the rough difference between manchester and london was about 15/20k so in theory it'll be a lot cheaper

 

[psd99]

Just a bit of an update on mine - I got a Quantity Surveyor friend to give me a cost plan for the loft conversion and his costs are a total of 58k, but he's allowed for a good bit of bounce in some items so hopeful that it's on track... Just need a contractor to agree now!

ah right thats nice to hear

i mean the more i read online and the responses on here suggest somewhere between 40-60k for these conversions is probably a reasonable price.

 

[psd99]

Been watching a few vids of loft conversions on Youtube after it came up as a suggestion for some reason, its pretty interesting how they do it so quickly but also a bit surprised by how much steelwork is put on top of the existing structure.

Seems to be a real mix of some lovely useable spaces and the other extreme which is a tiny box room you can't stand up in, the latter does seem a bit of a waste of money tbh but if you can do it properly then it can be a great way to add some extra living space. Not cheap though.

Good point about cost

but ultimately, is that cost cheaper than moving on to the next home?