Domestic & Commercial Builders · Tyne & Wear
Loft Conversions
Dormer, hip-to-gable and Velux: a proper room, not an afterthought in the roof.
A loft conversion is the cheapest square metre you will ever add to a house, but only if the staircase, the head height and the fire regulations are worked out before anyone lifts a tile. We build dormer, hip-to-gable and Velux conversions across Tyne and Wear, and the finished room feels like part of the house, not a boarded attic.
Dormer, hip-to-gable or Velux
A Velux conversion keeps the existing roof shape and adds rooflights. It suits a loft that already has good head height at the ridge and is the lightest-touch option. A rear dormer builds a flat-roofed box out of the back slope, giving full-height space across most of the room; on a Victorian or Edwardian terrace it is usually the right answer. A hip-to-gable extends a hipped roof out to a full gable end, which is what a 1930s semi normally needs to make the loft worth converting, and it is often combined with a rear dormer for a bedroom and en-suite.
We recommend one of the three at the free survey, based on your roof, the floor below and what you want the room for. Bedrooms with en-suites, two bedrooms out of one roof, a home office, or a bathroom with a freestanding bath under a vaulted window: all of these are jobs we have built.
What is included
Structural calculations and steelwork, so the new floor carries a bedroom rather than boxes. A staircase that lands where the house can take it, not where it wrecks a bedroom below. Fire safety to current Building Regulations: protected escape route, fire doors where needed, linked alarms. Insulation to the roof slopes and dormer, so the room is warm in January and not an oven in July. Rooflights and dormer windows sized for real daylight. First and second fix electrics and plumbing, plastering, and the finish.
Building Control is involved from the start on every loft. The work is inspected and signed off as it progresses, and you get the completion certificate you will need when you come to sell. If the roof itself needs replacing, we can run the re-roof and the conversion together so the house is only opened up once.
Where we work
We convert lofts across Tyne and Wear and the surrounding towns: Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland, Washington, South Shields, Jarrow, Hebburn, Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North Shields, Wallsend, Cramlington, Cleadon, Boldon, Whickham, Low Fell, Heaton and Jesmond. The terraces, Tyneside flats and semis of the region each ask a different question of the roof, and the free survey is where we answer it.
Every loft conversion we build is fully insured and carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Common questions
Asked about loft conversions.
Is my loft suitable for a conversion?
Most lofts in Tyne and Wear are. The three things we check at the free survey are the head height at the ridge, the roof structure, and where a staircase can land on the floor below. Victorian and Edwardian terraces usually have generous roof voids; 1930s semis and later houses often need a dormer to win full head height. We tell you honestly before you spend money on drawings.
Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion?
Usually not. Most rear dormer and Velux loft conversions fall within permitted development, so they need Building Regulations approval but not a planning application. Front dormers, conservation areas and flats are the common exceptions. We advise on the route at the survey.
Dormer, hip-to-gable or Velux, which do I need?
It depends on the roof you have and the room you want. A Velux conversion keeps the roof shape and suits a loft that already has good head height. A rear dormer adds full-height space and is the usual answer on a terrace. A hip-to-gable extends the roof out to a full gable end and is the usual answer on a semi with a hipped roof, often paired with a rear dormer. We recommend one at the survey and explain why.
Do you handle Building Regulations?
Yes, on every loft. Structural calculations, fire safety, the staircase, insulation and the Building Control inspections are all part of the job. The conversion is inspected and signed off as it progresses, so you get the completion certificate you need when you come to sell.
Can you fit a bathroom or en-suite in the loft?
Yes. An en-suite shower room or a full bathroom is one of the most common things we build into a loft, and a freestanding bath under a vaulted window is one of our favourite rooms. It needs the plumbing runs and the floor structure planned from the start, which is why we design the whole room before the first joist goes in.
What does a quote cost?
Nothing. We come out, look at the roof and the stair position properly, and give you a written quote. No obligation either way, and every loft conversion we build carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Planning loft conversions?
Quote, advise, or sound it out before you commit. The first call costs nothing.