Loft
conversions
in West Hampstead, NW6

Camden's appraisal says roofscapes, especially on the hills, are characteristic of West End Green.

Before suggesting how a loft could be used, we walk the street, look over the back gardens and find the nearest higher ground the roof is seen from.

Source: Camden: West End Green Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy (adopted 28 February 2011)

South Hampstead's character depends on its varied roofs: decorated gables, Dutch gables and pediments, and steep French hipped and mansard roofs, some with original dormers.

Each roof proposal there is judged on its design, and should not add visual bulk or draw more attention to the roof slope.

Extensions and new dormers should stay subordinate to the building.

Original tiles, dormers, parapets, finials, chimney stacks and pots and expressed party walls are of particular interest.

Source: Camden: South Hampstead Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Strategy (February 2011)

Camden looks for over 2 metres of headroom, measured from the stair, before a dormer is worth proposing.

In conservation areas it wants dormers to leave more of the original slope showing than elsewhere, and favours lead, timber or hanging tiles for them.

Rooflights in a conservation area should lie flush with the roof covering.

A dormer's glass should outweigh its solid parts, with well-detailed cheeks.

Source: Camden Planning Guidance: Home Improvements (January 2021)

Turning a loft into a room you live in needs building regulations approval.

Most loft joists were never meant to carry a floor; they tie the roof and support the ceiling below.

The approval also covers the stair to the new room and fire protection of the route down, such as fire doors and mains-powered alarms.

In a flat, or a house over three storeys, the requirements can be more extensive.

Sources: Planning Portal: Is building regulations approval needed for a loft conversion?, Planning Portal: Loft conversion, building regulations: stairs, Planning Portal: Loft conversion, building regulations: fire safety

A rear dormer adds headroom across the back of the roof. On an end-of-terrace or semi with a hipped roof, a hip-to-gable extension straightens the side slope; a mansard rebuilds the rear slope steeply behind the parapet.

Each type suits a different roof, and in a conservation area each needs an application, so we compare them on the first visit and say which Camden is likely to accept.

Roof extensions in conservation areas are not permitted development and need a planning application.

Source: MHCLG: Permitted development rights for householders, Technical Guidance (September 2019)

The stair to a loft usually rises over the existing stair, which keeps the plan of the floor below intact. Where headroom is short, we move the top flight or turn it, and draw the landing to suit.

Where a full stair will not fit, the Planning Portal says a space-saving stair may be possible, but retractable ladders and similar are not acceptable for a loft room.

Fire protection of the stair is designed with it: doors to every habitable room off the stair, and a route down that is protected all the way.

Source: Planning Portal: Loft conversion, building regulations: stairs

Most of a loft conversion is built from the scaffold, so families usually stay in. The disruptive part is the new stair: the hall ceiling is opened, the flight is fitted and the landing boxed in over a short, planned stretch of the job.

We seal the top floor behind dust screens, keep the roof watertight under a temporary cover every night, and protect the stair carpet and the hall floor until handover.