Loft Conversion of the Month - March 06
Winner: Helen Nishimura
Congratulations
to Helen Nishimura, the winner of Loft Conversion of the
month for March. Not only did Helen have a loft conversion done, but interestingly
also had roof
domes installed in her new extension.
Helen had work done in her loft a while ago, and we felt it would be interesting to feature someone who had been able to enjoy a loft conversion for an extended period. This is in contrast to last month’s winner Malcolm Sampson (see archive) who had only recently completed his.
Again, a number of questions were put to Helen, which give an interesting insight into what it means to have a loft conversion, and general improvements made to your dwelling.
How did you go about getting a Loft Conversion?
It is something we had talked about, but it was obvious that we could use
the extra space, and I really needed an 
office
as I work a lot from home. The route we took was to look in yellow pages,
but you are never really sure what you are going to get. We got 3 or 4 quotes,
which all varied, and ended up using a company called Trimloft. Actually
I had seen the vans in the area and heard good things about the company.
They were not the most expensive, but they were not the cheapest, somewhere
in the middle.
Ed: (by the way, if you are looking for a loft converter, our Loft Shop branches are able to tell you about reputable companies in your area).
What
went into getting the conversion?
To be honest once we had decided which company to use the rest is all pretty much built into the price. We had got quotes, which ranged from the reasonable to the ridiculous. It is certainly worth shopping around. The lead-time on the loft conversion was 6 months; I think this is pretty typical. There are initially plans and drawings to be done, but the quote was free.
How much was it all?
We got everything pretty much done and dusted for £25,000. I think this is pretty good value considering we got two extra bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the bedrooms doubles as my study!
How
long did it take?
Once work began, it was all finished in 6 weeks and Trimloft did work extremely hard. I think they have some typical styles that they do for different houses, so they can be quite efficient and they really know what they’re doing.
Do you think it has added value to your house?
Yes…well I would think so. The house has trebled in value in the last 10 years!! I think at worst you can expect to make your money back.
Are
there other benefits you have noticed?
Well, apart form the obvious thing that we have much more space, it also seems to have ‘de cluttered’ the house a great deal. It’s also nice to think that the space we had up there was completely wasted before. It now seems a lot warmer, especially on the top floor.
Tell us about the other work you had done
Once we had the loft conversion done we wanted to increase the amount of
space and light we had in our kitchen/ lounge area. Again we used Trimloft,
and they installed some pyramid domes, which really 
increase
the light we have available to us. One is above the dining table, and one
is above the kitchen. We got the domes from The Loft Shop, and are very
happy with the work.
We also wanted some blinds for our windows some time after the loft work was finished, so we popped down to The Loft Shop in Ilford, where they were really friendly and gave us great advice to ensure we got the blinds we wanted.
So, you would recommend a loft conversion?
Oh yes!
Our thanks go out to Helen Nishimura taking part, and our congratulations for being selected as our loft conversion of the month for March 2006.
We hope you can go on to enjoy your loft conversion, and the Loft Shop roof windows you have for many years to come
- Success story 1
Malcolm Sampson >> - Success story 2
Helen Nishimura >> - Success story 3
Dawn Smith >> - Success story 4
Jean Moy >> - Success story 5
Mr and Mrs Ford >> - Success story 6
Bill Holden >> - Success story 7
Darren Isley >>