attic conversion, 3 bed end ter.

shunter1

Hello, I have just put a booking deposit on a 3 bed house, 5m/11m, I will be signing contracts in approx 2 weeks. I have the option to ask for extras/changes for a price of course
I want to ask the builder to set the attic up for an easy conversion in the further.
But i am not exacty sure what to ask for . here are a few things i am asking for, can you please let me know if there is more i should ask for???
I .e 1.for the floor can i get the ceiling joists 7X2 " instead of standard 5X2"
2. can i have the strutts in the roof adjusted to create the space (shell) during the normal build.
3, can you move the water tank and make it a closed loop pressurised system
PS. would my builder be able to provide a cert for this work.

I am hoping that making the investment early will save me alot in the long term.

thanks:)

fatboypee

shunter1 wrote:

Hello, I have just put a booking deposit on a 3 bed house, 5m/11m, I will be signing contracts in approx 2 weeks. I have the option to ask for extras/changes for a price of course
I want to ask the builder to set the attic up for an easy conversion in the further.
But i am not exacty sure what to ask for . here are a few things i am asking for, can you please let me know if there is more i should ask for???
I .e 1.for the floor can i get the ceiling joists 7X2 " instead of standard 5X2"
2. can i have the strutts in the roof adjusted to create the space (shell) during the normal build.
3, can you move the water tank and make it a closed loop pressurised system
PS. would my builder be able to provide a cert for this work.

I am hoping that making the investment early will save me alot in the long term.

thanks:)

This work will definitely save you loads of cash in the long term. I would expect however that the builder will charge you a premium for doing the work (still worth it imho). Theres never a better time than when the house is being built. The builder signs off th house at completion anyway and this will cover the changes.

If you want to go the whole hog then also think about:

1. working out what rooms you can fit up there, think about the hot and cold services for ensuite and soil pipe and ask the builder to stub these services in for you (i.e. lay the pipes etc but cap them off).

2. Ask the builder to frame the roof joists for velux windows to the back at least, could even get him to fit some at the time of roofing.

3. Think about putting a rigid staircase in or at least where it will go. if its a usual 3 bed design you will more than likely end up compromising on the box room to fit the rigid staircase in.

Before taking the plunge think about going for Planning permission for the project, it will increase the value of the house and make everything legit and above board (and you can put velux's to the front).

I did all this (except the pre-work ) and got planning. Didn't go ahead with the conversion though as found a site and sold the house but got quotes etc for a further 2 bedrooms and shared access bathroom in my place...

I got quoted 21k Euro at the time from a specialist converter (depending on the pre-work you may not need a specialist).

shunter1

thanks for the help,

At the other end of terrece, is a 4 bedroom (attic converted to a bedroom with dormer, selling for 320K), mine 285k,

In the 320k house i have been up and there is just the 1 big double room, with a rigid stairs, box room not affected, the stairs wrapped back around over the hot press (shouldn't) cause to much.

I rang the builders office today, and was told that my requested changes would other be disscussed and signed off when the contracts were signed.. is this standard..

Also what is a reasonable quote for getting a wire up in the main bath room, so that wehen i buy an electric shower and install it's just a matter of hooking up, (i dont want the builder to screw me there either).

the showhouses are on line next sunday and i would like to use that time to get a better feel for the house, is there anything i should look for.

thanks again stephen

rooferPete

Hi shunter 1,

Was the house being marketed as upgradeable to a four bedroom ?

I would take a close look at the plans and if necessary ask for working drawings, they might have already costed for an engineered truss system designed for attic conversion so take care you are not paying for the same product twice.

While everything fatboypee has stated makes sense you would not be far off the completed conversion, the builder may happy to carry out the extra work at very low prices because it will not cost him much more to do the preparation work.

On the other hand he may look at the different costs between a 3 and 4 bed house and deduct the finishing cost instead of charging for the upgrades.

I think a bit of professional advice today (if needed) could save you a lot of money as the house takes shape.

.

FX Meister

Don't forget to get the electrics sorted out. Get feeds to the attic from the board now so you don't have that hassle of it later.