Sounds like good advice, planning a Loft Conversion-need an architect so pick up the phone, ask a friend, get an architect in.

Wrong!!!    Not that the architect will close his door you, quite the contrary, they will happily take your money and promise you that you are in safe hands.

stressed out

Architects have suffered “big time” with the current economic downturn.   As housebuilding and investment has dried up architects have lost work and are desperate for income.

This didn’t stop them in the good times, they still lapped up customers, do drawings that don’t make any sense to proffesional Loft conversion companies like Touchstone Lofts.

So what’s our gripe, what is getting us so stressed about a generally well respected proffesion- well its simple, bad design and a lack of undertstanding staircases, and plumbing in Loft Conversions for a start.

Almost all the the drawings we inherit from our customers who have architects drawings are seriously flawed.

Problems include general bad design- incorrect stair location and staircase type. On many the staircase designs are not Building regulation compliant.  Bad dormer design and in many cases planning permissions have been applied for to generate income for architects when the jobs are “permitted developments.”

What is so disapointing is that the customers have put a lot of faith, not to mention “wonga”,  (and the bill  has normally been settled)  into a respected proffesion, and we turn up and have to tell them the drawing is not worth the paper its printed on.

Recent such projects have included-

• a staircase that did not have correct head height to satisfy building regulations
• spiral stairs design put forward where a normal staircase would work
• ensuite located incorrect location
• structural calculations that don’t work
• dormer design poor, size not maximised
• dormer set too far back from wall plate
• stairs located in wrong location taking up valauble room in first floor
• general bad  loft design, not maximising space
• not maximising headroom in loft room

So why does this happen, the answer is simple- lack opf experience and expertise.

As proffesional Loft Conversion experts, we not only design, build and finish Loft conversions daily, we innovate.

Our recent innovations mean we finalise stair design on site, so we can add room, improve design as we build.

We also keep our customers fully involved in the final design and layout throughout the project.

Our initial designs benefit from our experience and expertise. Our designers are experts in Loft conversion design and don’t just do a mixture of jobs that come along like the typical architect.