The Client
Our client had recently moved into their dream home in Horsham, West Sussex; they realised that they would have to improve/extend when they moved in; the location was ideal, so it was worth the investment.

The loft lent itself to be converted into two bedrooms for their growing family.

Feed back from the client
They had contacted various other companies to provide estimates, and they said the same, i.e. that the layout and the stairs’ location could not be achieved; they were delighted when we demonstrated that they’re preferred 1st-floor configuration could be achieved and was more extensive than they had thought.

ABM Design, build and manage, enabling you to concentrate on the other important things in your life that simply do not stop.

Planning 

The previous owners had extended the bungalow to the elevation where the main bulk of the conversion would be built, which meant that planning would be required, as you only have permitted development to the existing dwelling when built.

 

The original design submitted to the Horsham council planning dept included a flat roof to the full-length dormer. The planning dept did not like the flat roof and requested that we change the roof design or the application would be reused. The conversion could not be seen from the road, was only to the first floor, and there were no windows overlooking the adjacent dwelling, so the objection was quite frustrating for the clients. We then set about supplying alternative designs to appease the council without impacting the room sizes.

 

The alternative roof design consisted of three gables equally placed and supported by the roof rafters that enabled the usable floor/area to remain unhindered.

The conversion

The conversion consisted of two large bedrooms along with a four-piece bathroom. The existing dining room was altered to enable the stairs to achieve access timber balustrade allowing the light to flow.

Building regulations for a loft conversion to a bungalow are different to that of a house, as you are only going up one additional floor; the main difference is fire doors/means of escape, as you do not have to achieve 30mins fire protection (further information here). The existing hip was altered to a gable style that helped maximise the usable floor/area; building up in bricks rather than tile hung enabled the gable to blend in with the existing bungalow.