Hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings in Islington

Few houses, high values

With 16.3 per cent of households in houses and only 26.7 per cent owner-occupied, most Islington residents rent or hold a flat. Flats have no householder roof rights, so a hip-to-gable can proceed only for a single house in one ownership.

Those houses are expensive. A detached home averages £1,674,032 and a semi-detached one £1,406,430. At those prices, a loft that adds a bedroom and bathroom is a credible investment, and the drawings have to withstand scrutiny from the officer and any neighbour.

The permitted development route, where it exists

Outside a conservation area, Class B sets the limit at 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume. For this roof, Eaves-retention and 0.2 m set-back conditions do not apply to a hip-to-gable enlargement. The walls and the front remain protected: No part of the enlargement may extend beyond the outside face of any external wall of the original house (except where joining a rear or side extension roof), and No enlargement beyond the plane of a roof slope that forms the principal elevation and fronts a highway.

If your house passes, a Lawful Development Certificate in Islington fixes the position in writing. If it does not, planning drawings in Islington are the next step.

Islington's record on householder applications

The council decided 337 householder applications in its latest year. It granted 92.6 per cent and decided 98.8 per cent on time.

A quick, high-grant record is useful context, but it covers every kind of householder scheme. It tells you little about a roof.

Stairs, fire and technical drawings

Reduced headroom, where full height is out of reach, is Loft conversions where 2.0 m cannot be achieved: 1.9 m at the centre of the stair, 1.8 m at the side (half width). And as a new top storey, the loft must provide New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30).

In tall Islington houses the existing stair is already long, so the new flight and its protected enclosure take careful planning. The detail goes onto sheets covered in building regulations drawings in Islington.

Surveying a tall Islington house

A tall, narrow house has long stairs and a small roof area. Surveying one takes more care, because access to the roof may be through an existing hatch and the ridge can be a long way above the top floor. We measure floor to floor, the existing stair geometry and the roof structure, and we establish the relationship of the roof to the party walls on both sides.

On a house of this height the gable question is often secondary to the stair. Adding one more flight under the new roof can use a surprising part of the floor, and the protected enclosure for it takes more. We test the stair position on the plans early, since a layout that does not work cannot be rescued by a larger roof.

The documents we produce are existing and proposed plans, roof plan, elevations and a section through the stair. Where a conservation area applies, the set is prepared as planning drawings, and where the house qualifies for Class B the same measurements support a certificate. A second chartered technologist checks each sheet, and the quote is fixed, with VAT included.

Alternatives and the surrounding area

Where a gable is not available, a rear dormer or rooflights may do the job. See dormer loft conversion drawings in Islington and loft conversion drawings in Islington.

The neighbouring boroughs are Haringey and Hackney. The general service page is hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings, and all our local work is at architectural drawings in Islington.