Looking beyond the loft

The answer depends, of course, on the size of the type of property, the loft space and what you wish to have done.

Experience shows that prices start at around £17,500 for an extra bedroom.

Some loft converters will also quote just for the shell, leaving you to add the finishing details and decorate.

The upper limit is entirely up to you! There are examples of an investment of up to £100,000 for a major overhaul of a large loft space! Most projects, however, lie between £20,000 and £35,000. According to a survey by the Nationwide Building Society, the average cost of an extension is around £22,000.

The top five most popular carried out in 2005 were:
1. Conservatory
2. Over-garage extension
3. Loft conversion
4. Single storey extension
5. Extending and remodelling

The best way to find out about the cost in your own case is to use the House of Opportunities model to get some ideas and inspiration and then ask a loft conversion company for more advice and a quotation.

You can click here to find your nearest loft conversion company.

They will also be able to go through the House of Opportunities interactive model with you in your own home and help you to get an idea of what would be possible within your own budget.

This depends on the complexity and scope of the project. In the case of a fairly straightforward conversion, the main construction will take somewhere around four to six weeks.

Any finishing and decoration work will probably take another two weeks.

To find out how long a loft conversion will take in your own home, the best thing to do is to invite a loft conversion company to visit your home, see the space you wish to convert, and discuss your wishes with them.

You can click here to provide details and receive contact information for one or more loft conversion companies near you.

There are many different options for borrowing money for a loft conversion.

You may prefer to contact your present building society or bank for a quote, but generally speaking, it is a good idea to have a talk with more than one source of financing.

There are many different possibilities – a search on the Internet for homeowner loans, for example, will give you plenty to investigate.

The thing to remember, however, is that the loan will be secured against your home, and that you must be very sure of your ability to keep up the repayments.

If you are in doubt, it would probably be a good idea to have a talk with your bank manager before you take the next step.

What you should remember, however, is that nothing in life is free. Apparently attractive loan offers can turn out to be an expensive acquaintance if you do not read the small print very carefully.

The safest thing to do is to take out the loan with a reputable source of finance such as one of the major banks or building societies.