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| Q
“I want to convert my loft to a bedroom but haven’t got
room for a proper staircase.
Can I just use my existing loft ladder?”
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A
No, you can’t use a retractable loft ladder to a loft
conversion, although Building Regulations do allow a fixed
ladder with handrails on both sides for a loft conversion of
just one room if you are short of space.
However, there may be other options such as alternate
tread stairs, which take up much less space and are easier to
use than a fixed ladder – and you go down them facing
forwards like a normal stair rather than climbing backwards
down a ladder.
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| Q
“I don’t think I have enough headroom in my loft for a
useful room. What can I do to get over this?” |
A
Of course, not all lofts are suitable for conversion,
and you really need 2.3m (7’6”) of headroom over half the
floor area for comfortable use of the room.
One way to increase the useable space is to include a
dormer window in with the conversion scheme, which, as you can
see from the diagram below, will give you more room to move
around in.
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| Q
“We have a boring 70’s style staircase.
Is there anything we can do easily and cheaply
ourselves to make it look more up to date?”
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A
Yes. If
you don’t want to go to the extent of replacing your
existing stairs with a completely new staircase, how about
just replacing the banisters with something more contemporary,
like sleek steel balusters?
Or you could take out ranch-rail banisters and replace
them with attractive turned balusters and stain or paint them.
But, don’t be put off by the thought of replacing an
existing staircase, many stairs now come in modular format and
are designed for DIY installation!
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| Q.
“I’m thinking of putting a staircase up to my loft.
Can I fit it into a cupboard?”
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A.
We’re asked this a lot!
Of course, the first answer to this is another question
– “How big is your cupboard?”
A staircase leading to a single room loft conversion
can take as small a space as 60 x 140cm (24” x 55”) by
using an alternate tread staircase.
But there are a few other factors to be taken into
account for a staircase and it always helps to get your ideas
checked out first. |
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| Q.
“Can I just put chipboard flooring over my existing
ceiling joists to use my loft?”
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A.
Don’t forget that this ceiling has probably been
built as a ceiling and not as a floor!
If you only want to use your loft for general storage
(not heavy weights) then this might be ok.
However, if you want to store heavy items or use the
loft as a room, it is very likely that additional joists would
have to be installed. This
is usually a straight forward task, handled as a matter of
course for most loft conversions. |
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| Q.
“You’ve told us that we need balustrades on our
staircase – but why do we see stairs in magazines and on TV
which are completely open at the sides?”
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A.
We’d like to know the answer to this, too!
In fact, the Building Regulations are quite specific
for things like this. They
insist on balustrades of a certain height and with a maximum
gap between the bars and strong enough to prevent you from
falling through. However,
it is not unknown for people to alter their stairs after they
have been approved. We
definitely don’t recommend this course of action – these
regulations are there for your safety but we have seen many
examples of this in glossy magazines, including architects’
journals!
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