Loft conversion drawings & plans, fixed price.

Head-height feasibility

Is your loft tall enough?

Before anything else, we run a head-height feasibility check. As a rule of thumb you want around 2.2 metres of clear height at the ridge to make a comfortable conversion once the new floor and ceiling are built in. If your loft is borderline, we'll tell you honestly before you spend a penny on drawings.

Turnaround times

How long it takes.

Your 3D Home Scan survey is usually booked within 3–7 days, and once we've scanned we complete your plans in roughly 3–6 weeks. Because the whole process is remote, there's no waiting weeks for site visits and no travel charges.

Permitted development & planning

Planning permission for loft conversions.

Most loft conversions don't need a full planning application — they fall under permitted development. In England, a roof enlargement can add up to 40 cubic metres to a terraced house, or 50 cubic metres to a semi-detached or detached house. A few points catch people out:

• The allowance is cumulative — it includes any previous roof enlargements, not just the one you're planning now.
• Nothing can extend beyond the plane of the existing roof slope on the principal elevation fronting a highway, so a front dormer usually needs full planning permission.
• Permitted development rights don't apply to flats or maisonettes.
• They're also removed on designated land such as conservation areas, national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
• These volumes apply in England. In Wales the permitted development rules differ, so we always confirm what applies to your specific address before we draw.

For the full rules, and what to do when your project falls outside them, see our loft conversion planning permission page. When your loft does need a full application, we prepare the planning permission drawings your council needs and submit them for you.

Building regulations

Building regulations: more involved than extensions.

Every loft conversion needs building regulations approval, and lofts trigger fire-safety rules that extensions don't. In England, once your new floor sits more than 4.5 metres above ground level, Approved Document B expects a protected stairway — an enclosed escape route from the loft down to an outside door, which usually means fire doors on the rooms opening onto the stair. Below that height, an escape window can be acceptable instead. Our building regulations drawings set out how your conversion meets each requirement, so Building Control can sign it off without surprises on site.

Structural calculations

Will I need a structural engineer?

Almost certainly. A loft conversion puts new loads on your house — new floor joists, and usually steel beams to carry the dormer and the cut roof — and Building Control will want calculations to prove it all works. Calculations are included in our Standard and Premium packages, so for most loft projects there's no separate engineer to find. If you only need calculations on their own, we can quote for that too. Not sure where you stand? Read our guide: do I need a structural engineer?

Do you need an architect?

Do I need a loft conversion architect?

What a loft conversion actually needs is architect-designed drawings, because that's what the approvals hang on: planning drawings for the council, building regulations drawings for building control, and the structural calculations for the new floor and steel beams. Get those right and the rest follows.

So when people ask whether they need a loft conversion architect, the honest answer is that they need the drawings and approvals — not necessarily a full architect's service with concept design, site visits and project management on top. For a standard dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard or L-shaped conversion, the drawings are the part you can't skip.

That's exactly what we do, at a fixed price from £1,698 (or £94 a month). You get the same architect-designed drawings a local practice would produce — we've done 2,000+ loft and extension projects since 2008, with a 94% planning approval rate — without paying for a service most loft conversions don't need.

Loft conversion FAQs

Loft conversion questions, answered.

Do I always need drawings for a loft conversion?

If your conversion changes the roof shape (a dormer, hip-to-gable or mansard) you'll need drawings for building regulations at a minimum, and often for planning too. Even a simple rooflight conversion needs building regulations drawings to be signed off.

Can you do it without visiting my home?

Yes. We work remotely for homeowners across England and Wales, using a 3D Home Scan of your property to survey the roof structure, internal layout and floor levels accurately.

What does it cost?

Fixed prices start from £1,698, or £94 a month. You'll see the full package price up front, with no hourly billing.

Will you help if the council pushes back?

Yes. Where a project needs full planning permission we prepare and manage the application, and our track record is a 94% approval rate.