The minimum head height for a loft conversion is around 2.3 to 2.4 metres. Of course, it is entirely up to you. But building regulations use this figure as a recommendation when the room will be habitable. You need to have enough room to stand up and move around; otherwise there is little point in converting the space at all. Below are some tips and tricks that can be used when you do not have enough head room. Some may require planning permission. It depends on the extent of the changes you will be making to your home.
Minimum Head Height for a Loft Conversion : Lowering your Ceilings
If you have high ceilings in your home but little space in your loft, lowering your ceilings is one option that you have open to you. It is not however a small job. It will require new floor joist and connection to stop walls from “spreading.” Lowering your ceilings will be disruptive and you should be prepared for a home that is not livable for some time. If your ceilings are a standard 2.4 m, then lowering them really isn’t an option.
Thinning Insulation
Insulation in your loft can take up to 27 cm of space. Shaving off a few cm off the walls and floors could provide you with the extra head room you need. If you have old fashioned insulation, then new technology and new thermal insulation will allow you to increase head room without losing heat.
Minimum Head Height for a Loft Conversion : Raising the Roof
Raising the roof of your home is something that will definitely need planning permission. It is not a cheap option but it will cause less disruption than lowering your existing ceilings. A Mansard loft conversion is preferred when raising the roof; this will increase the amount of space you will have in your new rooms.
Raising the roof on your home may however not be structurally possible. If you live in a terraced or semi-detached house, you will not be granted planning permission. If you live in such a property, then lowering the ceilings will be a far better option.
When you are thinking about a loft conversion there is theoretically nothing stopping you converting the space in the way you deem fit. You will need to think about how your conversion will affect the market value of your home though. If you converted your loft for a play room with little head room, this will not be a selling point for a family whose children are already grown up.
The minimum head height for a loft conversion is the height recommended by building regulations as well as by reputable loft conversion teams. For more information on how you can make the most of your loft space, contact Bristol Builders Network. We have years of experience in loft conversions and we can put you in touch with reputable contractors who will know how to make the very most of the space you have.