Ideas for increasing space and gaining more light
WORDS PAULA WOODS
Move on up
When converting the loft, roof windows are cost-effective, while a dormer adds usable floorspace and headroom.
Visit the Planning Portal for planning and Building Control guidance (planningportal.co.uk).
Waters Ellipse bath, L1,760xW820xD540mm, £2,695, Spillo Tech X floorstanding bath-shower mixer, £4,073, Spillo 300mm round showerhead, £449.50, IdeaGroup Cubik vanity, £POA, Vogue Pearl dual radiator, £1,226, Boost Grey tiles, £60 per sqm, Adana Bianco tiles, £48 per sqm, CP Hart (cphart.co.uk)
Design to extend
Consider taking space from an adjacent room, corridor or built-in cupboard. Search the Architects Registration Board database (ARB; arb.org.uk) for an architect or consult a designer to assess options, cost and work involved.
Full bathroom remodel incorporating landing space and separate loo, £15,000-£20,000, York House Designs (yorkhousedesigns.com). Iva concrete basin, £POA, Kast (kastconcretebasins.com). Oska Navy porcelain tiles, £56.10 per sqm, Mandarin Stone (mandarinstone.com)
Take the tube
Fit a windowless room with a sun tunnel extending from ceiling to roof at a distance of up to 6m. Rigid reflective tubes offer greater brightness, or go flexible for less than straight routes.
Flexible and rigid 350mm diameter sun tunnels, from £324 for sloping roofs, £320 for flat roofs, Velux (velux.co.uk)
Gain extra height
If increasing your room’s footprint isn’t feasible, make it look bigger by raising the ceiling height.
Bathroom design by Simply Bathrooms Ltd (simplybathroomsltd.co.uk). Painted acrylic boat bath, L1,580xW750xD646mm, £2,480, BC Designs (bcdesigns.co.uk). Parisian Café porcelain tiles in Tri Black, £90.90 per sqm, Ca’ Pietra (capietra.com)
Capture maximum sunlight
Roof windows let in much more light than vertical glazing. Standard skylights are relatively simple for professionals to install, but complex designs may require a structural engineer.
Visit The Institution of Structural Engineers (istructe.org).
Loom glass-effect porcelain tiles in Laguna, 60x240mm, £79.20 per sqm, Stone & Ceramic Warehouse (sacw.co.uk)
Make it glide
Swap a hinged door for a sliding or pocket design to free up floorspace. Pocket options glide into the void of a stud or false wall, whereas sliders are surface mounted.
Aurelius bath, £6,049, BC D
