Would you believe that this Loft Conversion is possible!
I converted Loft of a low roof 1930s Semi into a 5/6-Bedroom Family Home (Without an Extension)
This is the story of how I challenged everything I normally tell clients.
I live in a typical 1930s semi-detached house—picturesque but compact. The First floor had 2.4m height but the attic space was only 1.9m with no structural floor or roof insulation.
For years, I’ve advised clients that these houses often aren’t suitable for loft conversions due to their hipped roofs and limited head height.
But then I looked at my own home and thought: what if we tried anyway, maybe a lower ceiling in the bedrooms wont be that bad and the view to the park will compensate everything.
Why Not Extend?
Like many homeowners, we were feeling the squeeze. We’d already opened up the ground floor into a light-filled open-plan space, but with growing children and us working from home we needed more bedrooms and bathrooms.
We considered a two-storey rear extension. It would’ve been cost-effective and add one more bedroom and a little loft room with a view, but the local planners pushed back the idea of building up to the boundary line. I could reapply but meanwhile appeared the thought , how about we do the loft first , use the PD rules for hip to gable conversion and maybe later even extend. Extension now wasn’t going to happen, no matter how tightly we designed it so loft direction it was.
We went back to the drawing board—with a strict budget of £100,000 and only permitted development application in mind.
A Loft Conversion? In a 1930s low roof Semi?
It sounds unlikely. But by pushing the limits of what’s possible within permitted development, we designed a hip-to-gable loft conversion with a dormer that gave us two extra bedrooms, a shower room and maybe even a tiny office.
Yes, dormers aren’t the prettiest from the outside but one can use a more noble material to make them look sleek. On the other hand inside they are a vast floor space. The views over the garden and parkland are breathtaking on our street. One of my daughters actually chose the smaller bedroom at the back just for the peace and that view.
Challenges We Overcame:
Planning Restrictions: The two-storey extension the way we wanted it was denied, so we maximised every inch of permitted development and left the room to follow up with a bit smaller two storey extension if we or someone ever needs it.
Footprint: We added two bedrooms and a bathroom—without extending the house’s footprint.
Budget: We kept everything aiming to spent £100k by rethinking rather than over-building.
Ventilation and Build Quality: I worked closely with the builders to ensure proper cavity ventilation and good construction practice throughout and we decided to add MVHR so help out with our inner bathroom ventilation. MVHR is a very quiet solution if you want to ventilate you house and have fresh air.
The Results
From the outside, it’s still a modest 1930s house. But inside, we’ve created a five-bedroom home—within the existing footprint—that works beautifully for a modern family. It’s practical, efficient, and filled with light. It still has the extension potential if needed.
We are delighted to see the new space being built.
