Converting your cellar can often be the ideal way to add useable space and value to your property. A cellar can work wonders to transform a home that is lacking vital space for the family. Unlike converting loft space that is at the top of a property into additional, bedrooms, bathrooms or home offices, a basement can lend itself well to create additional living space. As a cellar is located close to the main living areas of a home and has greater access, it become so much more versatile than a loft conversion.
In a two storey property you could achieve as much as 50 per cent more floor area without having to increase the size of your property without having to eat into vital outdoor space. Basement conversions in those properties which have an existing cellar beneath can be completed within a matter of weeks, and simple basement conversions can cost roughly the same amount per square meter as you would expect to pay for a loft conversion. The key to cellar conversions, like with any building work, is that you’ve got to get it right!
Every cellar conversion needs to start with a site survey to assess your property to see whether or not your property can withstand a cellar conversion. During the meeting it will bring up what you want to achieve from the project and how you would like the space to function. This survey allows you to better understand what the project is likely to cost and what you will need to budget for. Plus, it typically lets you know that once you have received planning permission, your project can go ahead.
Due to the complex nature of a cellar conversion it is important that an architect and/or a structural engineer is part of the design stages. A firm understanding of what can and cannot be achieved will be brought up from these meeting, and combined with an engineer and your input your cellar conversion can begin to come to life.
In a cellar conversion it can often be the planning elements of the project that take up a lot of time and effort. However, it is important to get all the fundamental features correct before the building commences.
A simple cellar conversion can be completed in a matter of weeks. Converting and extending the cellar beneath an entire house, involving underpinning of the existing structure, is likely to take several months.
A cellar conversion really provides a family with plenty of space. Cellar conversions can be turned into pretty much anything, even a spacious and fully functional kitchen/diner. In a typical family, especially younger families tend to spend a lot more time living downstairs in the living area than in the bedrooms. So as a conventional rule, the space tends to work best as extra family living space such as a second living room, playroom or home study.
Increasing the living space in your property gives your family the opportunity to have their own space to enjoy, play or relax whilst all still being close together.
This article is written by Becky Nesbit with usefull information from Prizehouse Construction, 1 Bank Street, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.
September 6, 2016