Red zinc clad roof extension by Fraher Findlay Architects. Photo by Chris Wharton
Loft conversions can be so much more than the standard box dormers we see up and down the country and homeowners are increasingly turning to architects for something a little different.
Converting a redundant roof space is a great way of adding extra floor area. You could create a new bedroom, playroom or home office. If you own a top floor flat or maisonette a roof conversion could radically improve your existing accommodation.
In this article we share some of our favourite architect designed loft conversions for inspiration.
More:
Dormer loft conversions – an architect’s guide
Loft conversion stairs – architects’ advice and design tips
UK loft conversion costs: analysis and money saving tips
Emil Eve Architects have created a calming bedroom retreat for a couple with young children. Walls, ceilings and joinery are block-coloured in pale pink. A large rooflight floods the interior with natural light.
To satisfy the local conservation area requirements, the architects designed a low-slung mansard roof extension to minimise its visual impact.
Mansard roof extension by Emil Eve Architects. Photo by Mariell Lind Hansen
This converted loft space by Studiotwentysix in Brighton and Hove contains a bedroom suite and a private space for work and relaxation. At the rear, a dormer extension offers distant views of the sea, while a triangular recess within the front eaves provides a snug for the children.
Existing trusses were replaced with an exposed steel frame to form the lofty interior which is lined with birch plywood– a highly sustainable building material chosen for its warmth and sustainability.
Birch plywood loft extension by Studiotwentysix. Photo by Jim Stephenson
Part of a deep retrofit to the upper floors of a Victorian house, a new master bedroom ensuite is created under a highly insulated roof. The rear elevation of the new loft extension is formed in Accoya framing and a vertical composition contrasts the proportions of the existing architecture below.
The interior is finished in scalloped oak, oak veneer and shop sprayed wardrobe doors with a coffered panel design.
A coffered framed loft conversion by Proctor & Shaw Architects. Photo by Building Narratives
This Japanese-inspired loft conversion by Szczepaniak Astridge Architects forms part of a wider refurbishment to a Victorian terrace house. An open plan roof level contains a double bedroom, shower room and dressing area.Within the bedroom, a teak bath is located next to a full wall of glazing which offers extensive views over a community garden.
The interior is finished with natural materials and comprises of clay walls and ceilings, cork flooring and birch plywood joinery.
A London loft extension by Sczepaniak Astridge Architects. Photo by Edmund Sumner
Located on an end of terrace in Walthamstow, east London, this roof extension deDraft creates additional accommodation for a young family. The works include a hip-to-gable extension and new angular rear dormer which directs views away from a busy road and towards the open vista of adjacent green space
Built under permitted development, the external materials palette consists of natural slate, fibre cement, aluminium rainwater goods, and black aluminium windows. Internally, a raw-black folded staircase finished in Richlite – a compressed paper material - links the ground floor to the new loft space.
An angular slate hip-to-gable and dormer extension by deDraft. Photo by Aucoot
Tamir Addadi Architecture accommodates a new bedroom and study space within the roof void of a compact house in north London.
Access is gained by an open riser timber staircase with bookshelves integrated into the balustrade design. A large rooflight and window at either end of the stair brings in top light while the open configuration of the steps and shelving allow the light to filter down to the floor below.
A loft conversion by Tamir Addadi Architecture. Photo by Tamir Addadi
Con Form Architects converted this restricted attic space into a home office by dropping the ceiling in a room below and adding a sleek, steel-clad dormer window.
Access is provided by a folded steel stair which also serves a small roof terrace at the rear. The interior features an exposed brick chimney and side wall, oak panelling and shelving above eaves level and white painted surfaces below.
Steel and glass dormer by Con Form Architects. Photo by Ståle Eriksen
This roof extension to a first floor flat by Fraher Findlay Architects for a young client in south London more than doubles the existing floor area and creates a generously sized two-bedroom home.
The traditional loft layout is reversed with the kitchen and dining area on the upper level and bedrooms underneath. A perforated metal staircase connects the two levels and allows daylight to filter down below. Red zinc cladding was proposed to complement the existing roof tiles, while a sedum roof increases biodiversity on the site.
Red zinc clad roof extension by Fraher Findlay Architects. Photo by Chris Wharton
Widger Architecture designed a full-width, box dormer extension to maximise the flor area of a first floor flat.
The new loft level contains two generously sized bedrooms, each with their own study space. Birch plywood is used to line the walls and ceilings and forms built-in cupboards, desks, a window seat and stair balustrading. Externally, the dormer is clad in charred larch boards.
Birch plywood-lined loft by Widger Architecture. Photo by Ståle Eriksen
This loft extension by Bradley Van Der Strataen adds a new bedroom and ensuite shower room on top of an existing terrace property. A bespoke timber stair also provides built in storage and shelving on the way up to a horizontal framed view of neighbouring rooftops.
The loft domain starts at lower level and is sectioned off the landing area be a space saving pocket door. A pocket door has also been used between the bedroom and shower room to create a sense of openness and make best use of the available space.
London fields loft by Bradley Van Der Strataen. Photo by Bradley Van Der Strataen
This project by Konishi Gaffney extends a small first floor flat to create an extra bedroom. Located in a conservation area with strict planning rules in Edinburgh’s Portobello, the architects managed to gain planning approval by proposing along, low-profile dormer to reduce the visual impact.
The new structure is clad in pre-weathered zinc to complement the existing slate roof. A large picture window and aide shutter sit within a tapered recess to maximise daylight and views.
Zinc dormer roof extension by Konishi Gaffney Architects. Photo by Alan Craigie.
Architects Studio Octopi have designed an L-shaped loft extension to a London terrace to create a study and separate reading room.
A perforated steel staircase ensures daylight reaches the floor below – a precondition of the clients at the start of the project. Rooms are fully lined in spruce plywood finished with white tinted hardwax oil for visual consistency. Externally, the extension is designed to meet permitted development rules and matches the existing roof.
Spruce plywood-lined loft extension by Studio Octopi. Photo by Jack Hobhouse
Designed by Will Gamble Architects for a young couple and their growing family, the architect’s brief was to create a contemporary home that is sympathetic to the existing Victorian house.
The loft conversion accommodates an ensuite bedroom which has a large picture window providing panoramic views over the nearby rooftops. A new brick storey with sloping slate roof seamlessly extends the existing outrigger and provides space for another bedroom and family bathroom. A roof terrace, complete with frameless glass balustrading, is integrated into the new roof.
Loft dormer and outrigger extension. Photo by Building Narratives
This mansard roof extension by Studio 1 Architects forms part of a wider refurbishment to a Victorian house in south-west London, which includes a ground floor rear and side infill extension.
The mansard creates a spacious new master bedroom with its own bathroom. Recessed strip lighting illuminates the ridge and chimney breast. Colourful fixtures and fittings, including orange lamps, patterned cushions and bright artwork, offset simple white walls and grey carpeting. A large rooflight in the bathroom provides a view of the sky when bathing.
Mansard roof extension by Studio 1. Photo by Anne Schwarz
Part of a wider scope of improvement works to increase the floor area of a house in west London, this loft conversion by Studio 30 Architects contains a master bedroom, shower room and dressing area.
Floor to ceiling glazing stretching the full width of the new dormer extension and provide expansive views of nearby parkland. The interior is comprised of simple, white-painted walls and ceilings and white-oiled salvage floorboards so not to detract from the view of the outside.
Loft bedroom with wall-to-wall gazing by Studio 30 Architects. Photo by Salt Productions
Alexander Martin Architects has converted and extended a redundant attic space over an Arts & Crafts house in north west London to create a light and spacious guest suite and study.
The floor layout is dictated by the existing roof form and is arranged in a T-shape, with a living/sleeping area, shower room and study located in recesses around a central staircase. Rough sawn tongue and groove boards line the walls and sloped ceilings, lending to a beach house feel. Areas are separated by sliding panels, including a sliding bookcase of the study.
Arts and crafts loft conversion by Alexander Martin Architects. Photo by Richard Chivers
This roof extension in east London by architecture studio deDraft is clad in weathering steel to complement the red brick and tiles of the neighbouring buildings.
Adding 24 square metres of floorspace at a cost of £60,000, it contains a new master bedroom with ensuite bathroom with recessed terrace. An angled, full-height slot window within the recessed façade provides the bedroom with views over a local park, while maintaining privacy. Rooflights are strategically placed to illuminate the interior.
Weathering steel dormer by deDraft. Photo by James Whitaker
Named Two and a Half Storey House, this roof addition by Bradley Van Der Straeten sits within the shallow roofline of the house to comply with local planning restrictions that prevent a full storey dormer extension.
The interior is completely lined in birch plywood, with the exception of light-grey vinyl flooring. Cupboards, shelving, and a bed frame are all built in to maximise floor space. Large internal windows enable supervision of a children’s bedroom from first floor level, while two rooflights, one above a new plywood staircase and another in the bedroom, provide lots of natural light.
Half storey roof extension by Bradley Van Der Straeten. Photo by French+Tye
Designed to meet permitted development guidelines, this loft conversion by Checa Romero Architects is clad in larch to contrast a weathered steel ground floor extension. A large, fixed window overlooks the rear garden and London skyline beyond, while a concealed timber panel provides ventilation.
The internal layout comprises of a bedroom, large shower room and service cupboard. White painted walls and ceilings and an oak floor finish the interior.
Loft extension to a 1980s end of terrace by Checa Romero Architects. Photo by ValoStudio
Part of a wider home refurbishment called Frame House by Bureau de Change, a dark, dramatic staircase leads up to a spacious loft bedroom and ensuite shower room. Different varieties of terrazzo give each space its own character. At loft level, the stair handrail is inlaid with green terrazzo to complement dark teal walls and ceiling. The bedroom is light and airy and consists of taupe walls and pale-grey coloured joinery. White terrazzo tiles are used in the shower room.
Frame House by Bureau de Change. Photo by Gilbert McCarragher
This split level loft extension by Rise Design Studio to a semi-detached house in London is configured to provide views of the rear garden and a local copse.
The new roof addition is sized to comply with permitted development limits. Concrete roof tiles clad the exterior and match the existing roof, while an oriel window at juts out at mezzanine level and forms a reading nook. The floors are finished with Dinesen Douglas fir boards. Birch plywood panels line the windows internally.
Split level roof addition by Rise Studio. Photo by Edmund Sumner
The clients of this project sought to create a flexible interior for their growing family using natural materials, colour and texture.
A regular flat roof dormer extension, built to accommodate a master bedroom suite, is elevated by Gruff Architects and contains a bespoke staircase in dark stained timber and birch plywood storage. Cork flooring is used in the bedroom and provides warmth and sound protection.
Roof dormer extension to a 1930s terrace by Gruff Architects. Photo by French+Tye
A new roof extension by Francesco Pierazzi Architects adds precious floor area to a top floor maisonette in Notting Hill.
The lower floor contains a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining and living space. Two bedrooms and a bathroom occupy the middle floor and a further bedroom is located on the upper floor. A birch plywood staircase, complete with recessed handrail, extends through the home.
Exposed brickwork features in the hallway, living room, study and loft, where there is also plywood and red-painted steel beams. Walls are painted white. Grey vinyl tiles cover the floors.
London maisonette loft extension by Francesco Pierazzi Architects. Photo by Lorenzo Zandri
About the author: Aron Coates is an architect with over two decades of experience, encompassing projects ranging from the restoration of historic buildings to the design of contemporary homes.
The information provided in this article is intended for general guidance and educational purposes only. At Designs in Detail, we advise you appoint a skilled residential architect to provide specific expert advice for your project.
