Roof window specialist campaigns to save Britain’s attics

There are 23.3 million homes in England, out of which 79% are houses, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government’s most recent report. And with Britain’s dwellings averaging the smallest floor space in Europe, at 85 m2, aren’t homeowners missing a trick by not fully exploiting the capabilities of the existing housing stock?

A roof window specialist has kicked off its campaign to help boost living space in the UK by creating awareness on the dormant potential of lofts.

Adrian Cooper of LB Roof Windows said: “We want to ‘save Britain’s attics’ from neglect or from being used for storing clutter, especially when there’s such a stringent need for more living space. Of course we have to build more houses, but we should also focus on improving the existing stock and maximise its potential.”

LB Roof Windows is a major UK distributor of the Velux, Aurora and Dakea ranges of roof windows, skylights and accessories, and supplies thousands of builders across the country with top quality products and customer service.

“Renovated attic spaces can add up to 20% to the value of a property, and it’s no surprise if we consider the results: two bed terraced houses can become spacious 4 beds, enabling growing families to create the much needed extra rooms without having to move, or spend a great deal of money,” said Adrian.

Considering that approximately 6.8 million properties in the UK are actually terraced houses (according to the same report), there is huge improvement potential to be explored.

Apart from properties located in Conservation Areas, most loft conversions don’t usually need planning permission, as long as the project is maintained within some specific size requirements. “You will still need to obtain building regulations approval from local authorities, but this is a much shorter and straight forward process,” commented Adrian.

“A relatively inexpensive way of converting lofts, provided the necessary height is available, is by the installation of roof windows and skylights, which can let in incredible amounts of natural light. There are many versions available to accommodate any requirements – a popular trend now is the sloping and vertical roof window combination, great for creating panoramic views.”

Aside from roof windows, the company also supplies Coxdome roof domes and Sunsquare flat roof windows and skylights, including walk-on and access roof windows. The supplier has also recently introduced the Atlas Roof Lantern range of glazed roof solutions to its portfolio, made from slim, but strong and energy efficient aluminium frames.