Loft conversions - costs

[Justasking]

Hi everyone. We're looking into getting our loft conversion - one large bedroom, one bathroom in an l-shaped dormer.

We're getting quotes in at the moment and of course they give you the most expensive options, which is fine.

Would a window be cheaper than a juliette balcony? Personally I don't see the point of a door going to nowhere that a child or pet might jump out of.

To those having been there and done that - any other things that turned out to be a bit unnecessary?

Thanks!

[Loz]

We have a loft conversion with windows (done by previous owner). Some summer mornings I wish I had the full length Juliet and throw open the doors. But, I wouldn't have paid too much for the privilege because it wouldn't happen that often.

What I would say is plan your room and where you intend to put things. I'd have done the layout of ours differently as there seems to be a fair bit of wasted space that could have been more useful had there been a bit more thought and better placement of the bathroom and the inbuilt wardrobes.

[Jeremy]

I really can't imagine it being more than a few hundred quid difference... UPC French doors cost, what, ?500?

[red devil]

I'm not sure initial quotes will be the most expensive options. Loft companies tend to quote on a generic design, which includes a set number of light switches, lighting/power points etc. And then there's usually their generic finishes, wall tiles, floor finishes (if provided), paint finishes etc. They maximise their profits by churning out identikit layouts and specs, so if you want anything away from the norm it will be an extra. As Loz points out, get the design right first, this will dictate the final cost. Ensure you're happy with their finishes, e.g. are they allowing for a tiled finish to the bathroom, if so, what do the tiles look like. Will it be fully/half tiled, or just splashbacks. If you want to save some money you can ask them just to provide a 'shell' finish, get your own tiler in, and ask them to finish the ceilings in standard matt emulsion, but leave a mist coat finish on the walls for you to finish off. All in all, just prepare yourself that the quote won't be the finished price...

[LondonMix]

We had our loft done and the difference in cost between a window and a juliette balcony was 700 quid. 1,200 for the french doors and balcony, 500 for the window. We opted for the window primarily for space planning reasons. Its also not the master bedroom in our house so it felt unnecessary. With the velux windows and main window open you can get a nice amount of cross ventilation and that room is always flooded with light.

We used the savings to put in an extra window in the stairwell which I initially didn't think we needed but I'm glad our architect pushed us to do so as it makes the 1st and 2nd floors much more bright and lively.

I also wished I'd installed a water softner when we were redoing the heating and plumbing systems but beyond that no regrets one way or another.

[Justasking]

Thanks everyone - good advice all round! I'm sure the costs will creep up so I'm trying to make a few savings to put towards things we want to trade up on.

[llyamah]

Can anyone say how much they actually ended up paying, all in?

[Justasking]

Resuscitating this thread - any other warnings / suggestions? We're going for an l-shaped loft conversion. We've seen examples of one company's work which we're happy with, discounted quite a few companies. The quotes came in at 45-50k - now we're wondering what extra spend we can expect.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!