The process (continued)
Once the plans are with the Council he will arrange a date to commence work. Before work starts the neighbours will be notified that we will shortly be starting a loft conversion by issuing them with a “Party Wall Notice”. This is a legal document that will tell them that if any damage is caused to their property, 1st Choice Loft Conversions will put matters right at no cost whatsoever to them.
Day one: The Surveyor will call at 8am and introduce the three-man fitting team and the Project Manager to you. At this meeting and before they leave at 10.30 they will explain to you the exact works programme and what will be happening. Access to the house will be required until 10.30 in order to erect scaffolding at the back. After this meeting the fitters leave and arrange for materials to be delivered on site.
The fitting team will return at 8.00am on the Wednesday to receive delivery of all building materials, which will be lifted by crane onto the front scaffolding. The fitters will be with you from 8.00am–5.00pm Monday to Friday for six weeks: they will be working in the loft and do not need to enter the main house for approximately four weeks until the stairs are fitted. At the end of each day all rubbish will be cleared and put into a skip.
Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to your family life during construction.
During week one we install the structural steel beams that will support the new suspended floor and dormer roof extension. The Building Control Officer from the Council now makes the first of his visits. He will check the plans and ensure that work to that stage complies with the Building Regulations.
In week two: we build the dormer, soundproof your bedroom ceilings and install the new suspended floor. We move any water tanks and run pipes into position for the central heating and shower room fittings. Again the Building Control Officer will call to check the work and give the go-ahead to continue.
In week three: all external roofing work is completed, gutters are fixed and the windows fitted. Inside the loft all cables are positioned for lights and power points. Telephone and television sockets are located and an extractor fan and shaving point are positioned in the shower room. In the hallway provision is made for three mains-operated smoke alarms. The Building Control Officer calls again to pass all work up to that stage.
In week four: we insulate the entire loft conversion on all exterior facing walls and ceilings. This stage is important and the Building Control Officer calls again to ensure that it complies with the Building Regulations. We next install the interior walls to form the shower room, stairwell and storage area.
In week five: the stairs are installed. We make an opening in the ceiling to form the new stairwell. The stairs have already been made to measure and are fitted in a day. The loft is now open to inspection from the house. The plasterers arrive and spend three days completing their work. The Building Control Officer calls again to check the stairs for compliance with the Building Regulations.
Week six: is the final week, when the electrician returns to fit lights and sockets and the plumber installs shower room fittings and connects the radiators. We fit the doorframes, hang the doors and fix the skirtings. The handrail and spindles are fitted to the stairs, fireproofing is checked, the gutters tested and the job is finished off.
At the final inspection the building control officer will check all the works to ensure that everything complies with Building Regulations and Fire Regulations. He signs off the work and authorises the issue of the Building Regulations “Completion Certificate”. This will be issued by your local council. The scaffolding is taken down, the windows are cleaned, the loft and garden cleared, the skip taken away. Everything is left clean and tidy.
Our Project Manager will meet again with you to check over the loft conversion and answer any questions you may have. He will ensure that everything is completed to your complete satisfaction.
Finally we issue you with our Ten Year Guarantee. This warranty covers you against faulty materials or poor workmanship of any description. We give a freephone telephone number and should you have a problem at any time it will be dealt with within 24 hours.
If you would like a colour brochure, either phone, email or visit our online form for more details.
