Andy Bell DIY Loft Conversion

Introduction

diy loft conversion

Andy's house is a 1880's semi and while a loft conversion was always on the cards it wasn't until Andy's fourth child came into the world that the need for an extra room started to change from a 'nice to have' to a 'must have'. Being an experienced DIY'er Andy decided that he was up to the challenge and decided to embark on his very own loft conversion.

Background

Like many people Andy had a growing family and with children you can never have enough space! Andy lists his other reasons for converting the loft as:

  • I said I would/could do it, so I will.
  • The appeal of an attic room is too much for me to resist. Resistance is not an option against the combined forces of a wife and four children
  • We need a new roof anyway so why not the velux in at the same time and it'll not take two minutes to do the rest
  • When we married nearly two years ago we asked for contributions to our spiral stair fund as wedding presents

Andy decided to record the progress of his loft conversion in his blog Room Up Top, where appropriate on this page we will link to specific posts on Andy's blog.

DIY Experience

Andy's previous DIY projects include building a brick garage, moving bathrooms and installing central heating. As his day job involves sitting in front of a PC Andy finds that he enjoys the exercise and it's cheaper than going to the gym!

wood carving

Andy obviously has a meticulous eye for detail and a steady hand, just look at this fantastic piece of wood carving that Andy completed, a very nice touch that adds a level of personalisation to the conversion.

wood carving

Andy's impressive wood working skills also extend to building a DIY staircase, most people would have contracted this piece of work out to local carpentry firm, but Andy is certainly up for a challenge and decided to build his own spiral staircase. Andy even went as far as making a temporary 14 foot lathe to spin the newel post!

Challenges

Andy lists his greatest challenges as having to rely on other people to do a good job. From the pictures of Andy's work you will see he has high standards and unfortunately it would seem that some tradesmen did not meet expectations, see Andy's post here about the roofers. However, there are plenty of good tradesmen out there and Andy was very pleased with the work done by a local plasterer

Rewards

With challenges come rewards, Andy felt a great sense of achievement building his conversion and told us "Every time I went up there I would imagine what it would be like when finished. As I was building the conversion, when the insulation went in the walls and roof you could see the room for the first time"

Costs

Andy has provided a breakdown of his costs on this post and as you will see the total cost of materials came in at around £6167. This is a significant saving over getting a professional in to the job, although you should bear in mind that Andy is very obviously one of those people who is willing to put in a lot of hard work and effort. Andy's loft conversion is finished to a high standard, unless you think you match Andy's talents you may be better off leaving it to the professionals

Conclusion

Around 18 months of hard work and giving up lots of spare time has resulted in an excellent result and low costs. The room will add value to the house, especially as it is completed to a high standard. In the meantime family life will that little bit easier now that they have extra space. Please take the time to head over to Andy's Blog to find out more about his conversion and maybe even leave a comment.