On Nov 20, 11:49*am, 2Bdecided wrote:
We're about to buy a house, and _next_ _door_ the neighbour has
"converted" his loft. He's a roofer, his father is a builder. I don't
know them from Adam.

The conversion (and the loft!) isn't very tall - it's about 6ft tall
along the very middle, but move 1 ft either way and you bang your
head.

He's using it as his main bedroom - though he said that, if sold, the
room couldn't be counted or listed as a bedroom because of the reduced
head height, though it would probably be valued as one.

The bizarre thing is that in this 1973 terraced house, he claims not
to have strengthened the roof, rafters, etc because "it was already
strong enough". He's used kingspan+plaster board, added a velux window
at the back, the stairs are accessed via a door, and the whole thing
looks very nice. Other doors in the house are new, but I've no idea if
they would survive a fire for 30 minutes.

The thing is, I would like to convert the loft of the house we're
buying (next door!) in a similar way. I want a habitable room (not a
loft). I don't care if it doesn't count as a bedroom due to the
height, but I certainly _do_ care that it's safe (they'll be some
records kept up there - they're heavy!), and wouldn't impair a future
sale of the house.

I've searched this group for "loft conversion" stories, and found that
some people seem fine with "attic rooms that aren't really bedrooms",
while others find problems getting a mortgage due to rooms without
building control approval.

So, two questions:

1. how has the neighbour got away with it (or how does he think he'll
get away with it when he comes to sell)?
2. what should I do?

Cheers,
David.

Over the years I have come across many loft conversions that do have
building regulations and/or planning permission. You can spend £1000's
on a loft conversion and it will add no value at all if it is non
compliant. In fact, this would devalue a property. You should call in
a loft conversion expert and they will provide a free survey and
quote, although if you haven't exchanged there maybe an admin fee.