Whilst your loft might look like a maze of timber, it is possible to convert the loft space into a usable room - a spare bedroom with en-suite or a study etc.
A truss roof is easily identifiable by the 'W' shape of the rafters inside your loft which support the roof.
Conversion of such roofs usually involves inserting steel beams down the sides of the loft, onto which wooden battens locate vertically from the corresponding truss. Once this work is done, the old w shaped trusses are removed and the space converted to your new room specification.
The weight of the roof is re-distributed on the new battens and steel beams. The steel beams themselves are usually inserted by removing several edge tiles or even corresponding bricks on the gable end, through which the beam is slid before the access hole is made secure again.
The vertical battens I mentioned earlier also form the framework for the side walls of the interior of the conversion into which access doors can be incorporated to allow storage access to that small space under the eaves of the roof. One keen DIY person I know went one step further by fabricating a moving shelf system so that he could slide the 'cupboard floor' across the eaves entrance allowing him to store more further back from the entrance without having to crawl down the cramped access way to access stored items.
And with Loft conversions being voted the home improvement most likely to add the most value to your home in a recent survey of Halifax property valuers, little touches like extra storage making use of 'dead' space will only make your conversion more appealing, quite aside from making it work for you personally.
If you thought your loft wasn't suitable for conversion, think again. Visit Loft Quoter now for a free online loft conversion quote without the need for any salesman to call on you.
This article first appeared in our weekly homeowner newsletter dated 16th May 2011. Click here to read the full home improvement newsletter.
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