1 How much head height is available?
The first thing you’ll need to do is go up into the existing loft to check how much headroom is available. Measure from the underside of the ridge beam (the main timber running along the apex of the roof) to the top of the attic’s floor joists.
You’ll ideally want a clear height of at least 2.3m to get a comfortable finished room once the new floor and ceiling finishes are in place. While it is possible to convert lofts with just 2.1m of clearance, the result isn’t likely to feel like a full storey – unless you can increase the available head height (for more on this, see the box on page 92).