Dormer loft conversions in Ashford

The roofs we work on in Ashford

Modern trussed rafter roofs dominate the newer estates, and they cannot simply be cut about. The web members carry the roof, so converting means designing a new structure that takes the load before the trusses are altered. It is entirely normal work, but it is engineering rather than carpentry improvisation. By contrast the Beaver Road and Bybrook stock has traditional purlin roofs where the space is already open and the conversion is more straightforward.

Planning permission in Ashford

Ashford Borough Council is the planning authority. Rear dormers on the estates are commonly permitted development, but estate wide planning conditions removing those rights are worth checking before you design, because they are more frequent on recent developments than anywhere else in the borough. The Ashford Old Town and Wye conservation areas are a different matter and need an application.

Planning permission explained →

Access, scaffolding and getting the work done

Access is usually good. Estate roads take a scaffold lorry and there is normally driveway space for a skip, which keeps the preliminaries sensible. On the tighter Victorian terraces near the station we scaffold from the rear where a side alley allows it and protect the neighbours' boundaries before anything comes off the roof.

The dormer that usually suits a Ashford house

The common Ashford answer is a flat roof rear dormer with two windows, an ensuite stacked over the existing bathroom to keep the drainage run short, and a straight flight stair off the existing landing. On the estate houses the structural steels usually land on the party wall and the rear wall.