"Matthew Durkin" wrote
| I have wondered for a while about convering our attic space
| into something useful - the usual, add a dorma on the back
| and roof windows on the front.
| In terms of floorspace it's pretty good (we have a 1900
| terrace so the loft covers most of the rooms below), but
| the roof is quite shallow, and at its highest point is
| only about 5'11''.
| Are there any options here? Can we even do a conversion on a
| roof this low? Could we extend the roof height?

It is going to be difficult. There is no headroom requirement for rooms per
se, but there is for staircases (which I think applies to landing space at
the head of the stairs). In any case, as you will probably lose height when
the ceiling is strengthened to fit the new loft floor, you will end up with
a room in which most adults can't stand upright even at the highest point.
In terms of usefulness (and recouping the conversion costs on future resale
of the property) it doesn't look favourable.

Extending the roof height is not an easy option; it is more usual to rebuild
the roof to a steeper pitch or include a mansard or similar style. However,
going above the existing ridge height will almost certainly require Planning
Permission, and as you're in a terrace alterations to the roof line are
unlikely to be permitted. Even dormers at the rear might be problematical,
depending on local circumstances and policies.

One option that might be available is to knock out the ceilings of the top
floor rooms and take the room space into the attic. It doesn't increase
floor area per se, but might allow you to create more area with a bed deck
or mezzanine. If the top floor rooms don't get much sunlight velux windows
in the slopey ceiling could make them much brighter too. You might be able
to do something like:


/
/
/
/ attic space |
/ |
/ |
/ bed deck |
| -----------|-- - existing ceiling level
| | |
| | |
| bedroom | hall|
| | |
|=============|=====|==


Owain