Westerton Loft - Converting the Attic of a 1930s Railway Cottage in a Garden Suburb.
Vertical Props removed to open up space
Super insulating the roof + making mm perfect head height for a stair that complied with regulations.
Making a Nook under the stair - so that no floor space was lost downstairs
Client Barbara Macleod enjoys one of the hard fought for Velux additions in the Garden Suburb Conservation Area
This project involved easing the access to an attic space over the existing 1930’s cottage and creating a new room.out of that.
With such a high ground floor ceiling height for a small cottage APPROX 3.0 m - access to this storage space had been torturous and dangerous via a ladder.
The cottage was a stock issue English model that came "off Plan" with the railways + sporting a foreign pitch to its roof at under 30 degrees . As such it was not destined for easy conversion.
The cottage sits within the Westerton Garden suburb conservation area and any alterations would be scrutinised by a Historic Buildings Officer.
If the awkward arrangement could be converted it might largely increase the accommodation of the house .
The position of existing central props to the Trusses prevented ease of movement along the length of the space.
The alterations undertaken improved access to the space and the usability of the space by re-engineering of the Roof truss and the provision of a workable stair.
At the same time improvements to the existing roof and separating floor were completed with a view to improving the energy performance of the dwelling.
Within very limited parameters and budget we made practical use of what we found and added an extra 60% of the footprint of the cottage
Basic ergonomic data and Building standards had to be adhered to.
Joy and ease in movement of people up the stair and within the attic room were achieved.
Further Improvements were made via Additional day lighting, improved electrics, smoke alarming etc.
The crafted metal and hardwood stair detailed below was instead carried out in MDF at the behest of the contractor.... gggrrrrr
The tiny budget did not allow for the aspired Manhatten Loft to flow further via a large dormer.
However the clients DJ son in law, was able to work the Decks without much interruption till his mother In Law suggested another House in the neighbourhood .
And they all lived happily everafter.
With such a high ground floor ceiling height for a small cottage APPROX 3.0 m - access to this storage space had been torturous and dangerous via a ladder.
The cottage was a stock issue English model that came "off Plan" with the railways + sporting a foreign pitch to its roof at under 30 degrees . As such it was not destined for easy conversion.
The cottage sits within the Westerton Garden suburb conservation area and any alterations would be scrutinised by a Historic Buildings Officer.
If the awkward arrangement could be converted it might largely increase the accommodation of the house .
The position of existing central props to the Trusses prevented ease of movement along the length of the space.
The alterations undertaken improved access to the space and the usability of the space by re-engineering of the Roof truss and the provision of a workable stair.
At the same time improvements to the existing roof and separating floor were completed with a view to improving the energy performance of the dwelling.
Within very limited parameters and budget we made practical use of what we found and added an extra 60% of the footprint of the cottage
Basic ergonomic data and Building standards had to be adhered to.
Joy and ease in movement of people up the stair and within the attic room were achieved.
Further Improvements were made via Additional day lighting, improved electrics, smoke alarming etc.
The crafted metal and hardwood stair detailed below was instead carried out in MDF at the behest of the contractor.... gggrrrrr
The tiny budget did not allow for the aspired Manhatten Loft to flow further via a large dormer.
However the clients DJ son in law, was able to work the Decks without much interruption till his mother In Law suggested another House in the neighbourhood .
And they all lived happily everafter.
