Turn dead loft space into a properly insulated, Building-Regs-signed-off room. Dormers, hip-to-gables and Velux conversions delivered by one team, with a structural engineer on staff — no chasing anyone.
A plain-English overview of what the DAB team delivers, who it's for and when it matters. No marketing filler.
A loft conversion converts the roof void of a house into habitable space — most commonly a master bedroom, an en-suite, a home office, or a teenage retreat. Types include Velux (rooflight-only), rear dormer, side dormer, hip-to-gable, L-shape (rear dormer plus hip-to-gable) and full mansard.
Families needing a fourth or fifth bedroom without moving, homeowners wanting a private home-working suite, and property investors looking to add the most value per pound spent on a Surrey property — a loft conversion typically returns 15–20% on the home's value.
When you're outgrowing the ground floor, when a growing teenager needs their own space, or when you're planning long-term and want the top floor ready before the extension footprint is used up. Also when you've maxed out the rear garden and can't extend further at ground level.
Lofts look 'obviously convertible' — and then aren't. Head height, floor structure, staircase compliance, fire escape routes, party wall notices and thermal upgrade are all Building Regs items that catch DIY-managed projects. A specialist contractor gets the compliance right the first time.
The specific ways this job goes bad when it's ignored, DIY'd, or handed to the cheapest quote in the WhatsApp group.
Building Regs and mortgage lenders effectively want 2.2–2.3m over the stair and 2.1m across most of the floor. Get it wrong and the space isn't a bedroom, it's storage — with a bedroom price tag.
Lofts turn a two-storey house into three storeys under Building Regs. That triggers a fire-protected escape route: 30-minute doors, protected stair, mains-linked alarms. Skip it and the conversion isn't legal.
Under-insulated conversions with cheap rooflights are brutal — freezing in January, unusable in July. Modern insulation standards (0.16 W/m²K roof, quality glazing) are the fix.
Original ceiling joists were sized to hold a ceiling, not a bed and a person. New floor joists need to be sized and installed correctly — not just doubled up on top of the old ones.
The exact system our team runs on every job — from your first message to the certificate in your handover pack.
Site visit, head-height measurement, structural assessment. Our architect produces drawings, our structural engineer calculates new floor joists, ridge beam and dormer structure. Planning or Permitted Development route confirmed.
Detailed quote covering structure, dormer or rooflight, staircase, fire-escape compliance, insulation, first-fix and finishes. Programme with milestones and completion date.
Ridge beam or steels installed, new floor joists at engineer's specification, dormer framing where applicable, roof cut and covered weather-tight. Party wall notices served if required.
Insulation between and under rafters (Kingspan/Celotex to current U-value), plasterboard, first-fix electrics and plumbing, plaster, staircase installed, fire-doors hung, alarms interlinked.
Decoration, en-suite tiled and plumbed, flooring laid, Building Control final inspection, completion certificate issued. Handover pack with all certificates and warranty documentation.
What you actually get when you hire us for this job — measurable, provable, and reflected in every one of our verified reviews.
A well-executed loft conversion typically returns 15–20% on the property's value — often the single best investment you can make in the house.
You keep the garden. All the extra space is above the existing plan, not eating into outside space.
Ridge beams, floor joists and dormer structure calculated in-house — no separate consulting fees, no delays.
Fire escape, insulation, structural, means of escape and glazing all signed off through Building Control. Certificate in your handover pack.
£10M public liability, 15 years' experience, 5.0 rated on Yell. You're not gambling on an unknown outfit.
Architect, engineer, builder, plasterer, plumber and electrician all under one roof — one number to call when a decision needs making.
The specification-level answers the internet usually skips.
Velux (rooflight-only): the cheapest option — no dormer, just carefully placed Velux rooflights. Rear dormer: adds significant head-height and floor area across the rear roof slope. Hip-to-gable: on semi-detached and detached properties, replaces the hipped end with a vertical gable, unlocking full head-height. L-shape: rear dormer plus hip-to-gable — common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. Mansard: full roof replacement, biggest gain in floor area.
New steel or engineered LVL ridge beam supporting rafter feet, new floor joists (usually 220mm C24 or engineered I-joists) sized to span between load-bearing walls. Trimmers around the staircase opening. Dormer cheeks framed in structural timber, insulated and clad in tile-hanging, lead or zinc as the elevation allows.
New protected stair enclosure with FD30 fire doors to habitable rooms on each floor, mains-linked interlinked smoke and heat alarms, escape-Velux where a straight-run protected stair isn't achievable. All to Approved Document B.
150mm PIR between rafters plus 50mm below rafters, or a warm-roof build with 200mm PIR above the rafters where head-height is critical. Party walls insulated for acoustic performance, floors insulated with mineral wool between joists.
Most Surrey loft conversions are residential, on Victorian, Edwardian and mid-century detached or semi-detached properties. Every property is different — head-height and roof pitch drive which conversion type is achievable. We survey first, quote second.
The questions we're asked at almost every survey. Not on the list? Call 07834 974462 — the DAB team is happy to talk it through.
In Surrey, a Velux-only conversion typically starts around £40k. A rear-dormer conversion £55–£75k. A hip-to-gable with rear dormer and en-suite £75–£100k+. All fixed on a written quote after we survey.
Velux-only conversions run 6–8 weeks. Rear-dormer conversions 8–12 weeks. Larger L-shape and hip-to-gable conversions 12–16 weeks. We give a firm programme in the quote.
Many loft conversions qualify under Permitted Development, especially rear dormers within the 40m³ (terrace) or 50m³ (semi/detached) volume limits. Hip-to-gables and mansards on flats or in conservation areas usually need planning. We confirm the route at survey.
Minimum useful ridge height is around 2.3m at the highest point. Below that, a Velux conversion is unlikely to be worth the money — but a dormer can create the height where the ridge alone doesn't.
New stairs are designed to Approved Document K — riser/going ratios, minimum head clearance and landing dimensions. We typically place the new stair over the existing stair to save floor area on the first floor.
Most external work happens through a scaffolded opening in the roof — daily disruption inside the house is limited until first-fix on the new floor. Most clients stay in the property throughout.
If your loft touches a party wall (semi-detached or terrace), a Party Wall notice is required. We serve the notices as standard; if a neighbouring owner appoints a surveyor, our team coordinates the process.
Yes — loft conversions across Staines, Egham, Ashford, Chertsey, Sunbury, Weybridge, Windsor, Feltham and Kingston upon Thames as standard.
Foundations to final skim, drawings to building control sign-off. Our team builds side returns, rear extensions, wrap-arounds and full double-storey additions across Surrey — one contractor, one programme, one fixed price.
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Free on-site survey. Fixed written quote in 2–3 working days. No pressure, no hidden costs, no unknown extras. The DAB team replies personally.
07834 974462