Velux loft conversion drawings in Barnet

Article 4 directions: the Barnet check we run first

Barnet publishes 15, mapped as 48 separate areas, alongside 16 conservation areas. Historic England also records 651 list entries in the borough, so for many older houses permitted development cannot be assumed.

A direction can remove rights over roof alterations on the front of a house while leaving the rear alone, and the wording of each is different. So we read the actual direction for your road, not the map alone, and tell you which slope can take rooflights under the national rule and which needs an application.

On the slope where rights remain, the units have to sit close to the roof. The escape window is the other dimension that is fixed: Escape window: unobstructed openable area at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, bottom of opening no more than 1100 mm above floor.

Route and record: certificate, householder application, appeal

Where permitted development holds, we prepare a lawful development certificate pack with the roof section and rooflight schedule. Where it does not, the householder route applies. Barnet decided 1,361 householder applications in its latest year, granted 80.2 per cent and met its deadline in 95.1 per cent of cases.

Barnet's appeal record is worth knowing. The Planning Inspectorate decided 413 householder appeals here over the last five years and allowed 50.6 per cent of them. That says more about how often the council and applicants disagree than about any one roof. For a Velux scheme the practical lesson is to send the application with a clear roof section and a short note on rooflight size and number, so the officer has nothing to guess.

Size, number and position of rooflights

Rooflights are easy to overdo. Three units that each look modest can crowd a front slope, and the council's guidance on conservation areas is aimed at exactly that. We set the number from the room: one large unit above the stair, one or two over the bed and, where the rear slope allows, a pair centred on the gable below.

The orientation of the slope matters as much as the count. A rear slope that faces south gives a bright room and sometimes too much summer heat, so we show the glazing area and suggest blinds or solar-control glass where it is needed. A north-facing slope gives even light and loses more heat, which is why the roof insulation and rooflight specification are tied together on the drawings.

Inside, the stair is the constraint. We draw its landing against the ridge line so the headroom is shown on the sheet, and we mark the first-floor ceiling so the opening in the floor can be sized properly. If a rooflight cannot reach the escape window height, we move the bed.

Timing, survey and neighbours

We begin with a measured survey of the roof void and the floor below, because the dimensions of the existing joists, the ridge height and the position of the chimney breast decide what is possible. The survey takes a single visit for most Barnet houses, and the drawings are normally ready about a week afterwards.

A rooflight conversion usually does not need a party wall notice for the rooflights themselves, but strengthening the floor or cutting into a shared wall can. We say which applies when we issue the drawings, so you can speak to the neighbour in good time.

Price and what you receive

Velux loft conversion drawings in Barnet start at £695 including VAT, fixed before you commit. The set has existing and proposed plans, a roof section with stair and rooflight heights, elevations and the location and block plans. A second chartered technologist checks each sheet, and we redraw free of charge if the council asks for changes.

Wanting more headroom than a rooflight allows? Compare dormer loft conversion drawings in Barnet or the broader loft conversion drawings in Barnet. The service guide is at Velux loft conversion drawings and the local overview at architectural drawings in Barnet.