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Velux lofts
The roof keeps its shape and the light comes in through the slope. The cheapest, quickest way to a room, if you have the height.
If your roof is tall enough, this is the sensible loft. Nothing changes from the street, the scaffold is up for less time and you do not need to argue with a neighbour about your dormer.
The test is simple. Go up into the loft with a tape, and measure from the top of a ceiling joist to the underside of the ridge. Under about 2.25 metres, a Velux loft will not work without lowering a ceiling. Over about 2.45 metres, it almost certainly will. In between, it depends on what is up there, and the free survey tells you. Most 1930s semis around Cardiff have the height; many terraces in Splott and Roath do not.
We put in new floor joists sitting on steel beams, which take the load off your ceilings. Insulation goes between and under the rafters, to the current regulations, and that thickness takes some of your space, so we draw it before you commit. Velux is the brand of roof window we usually fit, and it is a trade name of its maker; other makes cost much the same.
What is included
- Steel beams and a new floor structure
- Two to four roof windows, in your choice of finish
- New staircase with the headroom the rules need
- Insulation, plastering, electrics and radiators
- Building control sign-off, and the certificate at the end
What it costs
A Velux loft starts at about £32,000 on a terrace, £36,000 on a semi and £40,000 on a detached house. That covers structure, stairs, insulation, electrics, plastering and building control. Every price is on the lofts page; the checker gives a first answer on your height.
Questions about velux lofts
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not. Roof windows are normally permitted development, unless you are in a conservation area or on a listed building. You always need building regulations approval.
Is it hot in summer?
It can be, as with any room under a roof. We fit good blinds and vent windows on both sides if we can, and we use more insulation than the bare minimum.
Go up with a tape. Then ask us up.
Measure joist to ridge and try the checker. Then book a free survey: Dai or Bethan will tell you what is possible, what it costs, and whether you should leave it alone.