We Did Our Loft Conversion With Our Next-Door Neighbour!
Fiona and Chris purchased their 1930s-semi-detached house in Surrey with a view to having a loft conversion in the future. They had lived in the house for about four years, when, after attending a property exhibition they decided to make good on their plans to convert the loft.
“We have two young children and it was clear that our youngest daughter would soon outgrow her small room,” said Fiona. ‘We met Econoloft at the exhibition and we really liked the fact they were a family company that had a long history. We were also keen to work with a loft specialist rather than a generic builder. With such a big project like this, it’s important to have peace of mind and we had that with Econoloft.”
The plans were put on hold for a short while, when, after chatting to their next-door neighbours, they mentioned they were also thinking about having a loft conversion. It made sense to have the work done at the same time and so Econoloft was invited to look at the neighbour’s house and was appointed there too.
Sarah Livesey from Econoloft said: “We often work on properties in the same street but it’s unusual to work on neighbouring properties at the same time.
“It’s actually a really good idea because there it simplified the Party Wall Agreement and Chris and Fiona didn’t have to worry about inconveniencing the neighbours in any way. And of course, the finished project is much more aesthetically pleasing as we used the same materials for the tiles and windows.”
Although the two families were in agreement about when to have the work done and which materials were to be used externally, the actual loft conversions inside the two homes were planned individually
“We decided to have two bedrooms and a bathroom,” said Fiona, “and we also had the space to build in a really big cupboard in the hallway which is fabulous for storage. We’ve also made full use of the storage opportunities under the eaves which allows us to put lots of stuff in.
“Our two daughters have a bedroom each in the loft conversion and can share the extra bathroom, which we are sure, will be really useful as they get older. This also means that Chris and I get the middle floor of the house to ourselves and we have reconfigured that a bit to become a master bedroom, study, guest room and of course our own bathroom.”
Fiona and Chris say the whole build process was also quite painless and straight forward. “The team were really hard working and we liked the fact Econoloft would send out an area manager on a regular basis to double check that the work was on schedule and was being done to the necessary standards. The one stop shop facility offered by Econoloft was another benefit.”
Fiona and Chris have already recommended Econoloft to others and say they would happily use them again if they ever moved house. However, moving is certainly not on the cards in the near future at least, as they now have a spacious family home in an area they like.
‘One of the main benefits of having a loft conversion is that our girls Lucy and Annabel now have a fabulous flexible space they can enjoy as they grow up,” said Fiona. ‘It’s great play space for them now, it will be the perfect space for them to go with their friends when they are teenagers, and if, as young adults they find it hard to get on the property ladder, it will give them some privacy and independence. What’s not to love about our loft conversion?"
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