Planning a Loft Conversion in Newcastle upon Tyne

A loft conversion can add a bedroom, an office or a quiet main suite without losing any garden. Many Newcastle houses, particularly Victorian and Edwardian terraces and inter-war semis, have roof spaces that lend themselves to conversion. Here is how to start planning one.

1. Check the head height

Measure from the top of the ceiling joists to the underside of the ridge at the highest point. Around 2.2 metres or more usually gives the widest range of options. Lower lofts can sometimes still work with a dormer or other structural changes, but they need more careful design.

2. Understand your roof structure

Older houses usually have traditional cut roofs with rafters and purlins, which are generally simpler to open up. Many houses built from the 1960s onwards have trussed roofs, where the web of timbers fills the space. Converting a trussed roof is still often possible, but the trusses must be replaced or supported by a new structure designed by an engineer.

3. Choose the type of conversion

• Rooflight: windows in the existing roof slope. Least disruptive, but needs good existing head height.
• Rear dormer: extends the rear roof slope upwards to create full-height space. The most common choice for terraces and semis.
• Hip-to-gable: converts a sloping side roof into a vertical gable on semis and detached houses, often with a rear dormer.
• Mansard: a more substantial rebuild of the roof shape, which usually needs planning permission.

4. Plan the staircase early

Where the new stairs go often decides whether a conversion works. They need enough head height above them and must not make the floor below unusable. In many terraces, the stairs continue above the existing flight; in others, part of a bedroom is used. This is one of the first things to look at.

5. Check the permissions

Planning permission

Many loft conversions on houses can be built under permitted development, provided they stay within limits on extra volume, do not raise the highest part of the roof, and do not extend the front roof slope that faces a road. Flats, including Tyneside flats, do not have these rights, and conservation areas such as parts of Jesmond, Gosforth and Tynemouth have tighter rules. The Planning Portal has an interactive guide, and a lawful development certificate gives you formal confirmation.

Building regulations

Building regulations approval is needed for almost every loft conversion. It covers the strength of the new floor and any steelwork, insulation, the staircase, sound insulation and, importantly, fire safety, which usually means a protected escape route through the house and suitable doors and alarms.

Party walls

If steel beams are going into a shared wall with your neighbour, the Party Wall Act may apply. Speak to neighbours early.

6. Think about how you will use the room

A bedroom with an en-suite needs a route for the waste pipe. An office needs plenty of sockets and good daylight. Built-in eaves storage makes the most of the low parts of the room. Decide these early, because they affect the structure and layout.

Questions to ask your builder

• What type of conversion suits my roof, and why?
• Where will the stairs go?
• Who prepares the drawings and structural calculations?
• How will building control and any party wall matters be handled?
• How will the house be protected during the work?

Find out more on our loft conversions page, or get in touch to talk through your loft.