Mansard loft conversion in wandsworth for master suite and bathroom
It’s common knowledge that London homes are on the small size compared to many other parts of the country, which is why it’s so rare to see an entire loft conversion dedicated to a master suite. These clients, Steve and Jane, living in the London borough of Wandsworth, were lucky enough to have a big house to start with, and so could afford to have a loft purely dedicated to them. We didn’t want just an off the self loft conversion that many people seemed to be offering but something more bespoke that would be nice enough for us to want to move into the loft,’ says Steve, the homeowner. After getting quotes from numerous loft conversion companies in London, it became apparent that not every company would put in the effort to giving them exactly what they wanted. ‘We had met many other companies where doing something different seem to be pain or off topic. We wanted to spend time and effort to get the finishing just right, and we were impressed with Graham’s knowledge of design and his ideas around what was possible,’ explains the client. They couple had been to a RIBA open house event in London and seen a loft by an architect they loved, but the quote was in the hundreds of thousands. They approached London loft specialists nuspace with a good idea of what they wanted for their loft in Wandsworth, but wanting to keep the budget down and in the end they got something very similar to the award-winning loft conversion they had seen, but at a fraction of the price.
Jane works in the fashion industry, and Steve is a chartered surveyor in the banking industry, so together they had a good idea of what they wanted and an artistic streak to carry it out with flair.
The house is on a hill near the Tonsley’s with a nice elevation, and so to the back Wembley stadium can be seen and to the front they have a lovely view of St Anne’s. ‘The idea was to position the Juliette balcony and velux windows so they could have beautiful views from the bed,’ says Graham Chappell, director of London loft company nuspace. To maximise storage, Graham moved the dwarf wall forward, which also means the clients could sit up and read in bed. ‘The negative impact of this is that the room feels a bit smaller than it would usually be, but it’s actually a very efficient use of space because you wouldn’t normally utilise that area… it’d be tricky to even put a chest of drawers there so it usually ends up being dead space. The two velux windows, huge skylight and Juliette balcony with glass balustrade also ensure that the loft conversion in Wandsworth is flooded with light.
Over the back addition, loft specialists nuspace did a large luxury bathroom complete with a freestanding bathtub and walk-in wet room shower. The floor is heated so that it dries within seconds after a shower, meaning the clients don’t have to worry about scraping water down the drain or getting their feet wet in the morning. ‘The effect of a wet room is it makes the room feel a lot larger, and because the shower floor is the same material as the rest of the floor or there are no trip hazards or doors or anything else like that,’ explains Graham. nuspace tanked the entire area, putting a waterproof membrane underneath the tires to ensure that it’s entirely waterproof. The shower also features an easily accessible thermostat to allow the shower to heat up before getting in, and a tiled niche in the wall for the easy storage of shampoos.
The hallway features an open tread staircase to allow plenty of light to permeate down through the stairs to the floor below. A glass balustrade adds to the contemporary look, and a huge skylight means that the hall is flooded with light throughout the day. Because the house was already of a substantial size, the clients didn’t have to move out as all of the work was going on over and above their heads. ‘During the build the site was kept clean and tidy and the timing worked as we had been advised,’ says Jane.
‘Planning on this one wasn’t so straightforward because the bathroom at the back was going to be higher than the roof line,’ says Graham, ‘but we managed to convince the planners and get the planning application in Wandsworth approved.’ As the loft progressed, Jane and Steve were so happy with the works that they commissioned nuspace to renovate another bathroom for them on the third floor. ‘We quite often get asked to do additional works on jobs whilst there, and we’re able to accommodate that without a problem,’ says Graham.
Steve and Jane let nuspace arrange lots of viewings around their loft, remembering just how difficult it was to try and picture their loft prior to plans, so if interested please contact nuspace on 020 3405 3480. The family are now buying an even bigger place, and nuspace are currently quoting for the whole job. Steve and Jane have also recommended the London loft company to numerous friends and family.
