In 2019, roughly half of the applications made for home improvement included either loft conversions, extensions or basements, or a combination of them (Barbour ABI). With more builders likely working on loft conversions that ever, VELUX® shares some advice for creating a great loft space for your clients.
When working on loft conversion projects it’s important to plan the space so it creates the perfect indoor climate for your customer.
But how do you get the right amount of daylight right?
A badly designed project can leave your client with a space that feels cramped and dark rather than the lovely bright, airy space that’d dreamed of. As a rule of thumb, Building Regulations recommend that the glazing in a loft should be around 15-20% of the whole room’s floorspace.
Planning how much daylight your customer wants in their loft conversion early on is essential. Many people who have completed a loft conversion wish they’d used different kinds of windows and put in more windows to bring in more natural light. Ultimately, they end up regretting their choices.
A daylight solution, however, isn’t just about the amount of light that’s coming in. You can also help your customer to make the most of views, maximise the sense of space and create a room that looks and feels great, and works in just the way they want it to.
A window for every loft
VELUX roof windows come in a huge range of shapes and sizes, to help get the daylight right in a loft space – from the classic roof window, to the stunning VELUX CABRIO® balcony that transforms from a roof window into a balcony in seconds.
The new VELUX INTEGRA® electric top-hung roof windows are the ideal choice for maximising daylight in a loft conversion. Perfect for creating a balcony-like feeling with uninterrupted panoramic views. Users can easily open the roof window using the convenient wall switch, or add VELUX ACTIVE for a healthier indoor climate that can be controlled via the smart phone app.
But it’s not just daylight that you need to consider for your customer. Ventilation, as well as natural light, are vitally important for our mood, comfort and general wellbeing – which makes it a key element to consider when building a loft conversion especially as we spend, on average, 90% of our time indoors.
Ideally we should ventilate ours home 2-4 times a day and a great way to do this in a loft space is with VELUX ACTIVE smart sensors that allow customers to manage their home’s indoor climate automatically.
Working on a loft conversion? Build Aviator has ready-to-use templates for loft conversion projects, giving you a great basis to plan and cost jobs.