Cellar Conversions

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:33:38 +0100

Cellar Conversions

Converting an existing cellar into a habitable room is a way of extending a home without reducing the size of the garden and avoiding the hassle and cost of moving house. Popular uses for converted cellar space include, home office, or study room, playroom for the children, home cinema, hobby room, spare bedroom, even an additional lounge or utility room. The work normally falls into three stages :-

1. Structural works (demolition of partition walls, digging down to create additional headroom)

2. Waterproofing and

3. Finishing works such as plastering and joinery, electrical and plumbing works.

The cellar conversion below started out with 3ft of water on the floor and was successful due to the use of underfloor drainage and sump and pump systesm.

The basis of a successful project is getting the waterproofing system right, if this fails everything gets ruined. The industry has seem much innovation in recent years and there is a useful document 'a guide to Waterproofing existing basements' by Raymond Foulkes - published by the British Structural Waterproofing Association. The rest requires no more than traditional building skills. Be aware though, if more headroom s required, the existing foundations may require underpinning, this can be an expensive and time consuming part of the projects as it involves heavy manual work, basically putting additional concrete underneath the existing foundations - one bit at a time.

The concept of cellar conversions is one that has grown in popularity over recent years, especially with the increases in stamp duty, the requirements for home buyer packs and other obstacles that the government has put in the way of moving house. Add to this the recent difficulties of finding a buyer and obtaining a new mortgage and the idea becomes even more attractive. For many people, the need for more space is real but they like their existing home, they have put work and love into making it what they want and simply do not want to move. They may have already converted the loft and the only way now is to go down!

The more complex and expensive projects involving underpinning are more common in areas where real estate values are high, many parts of London and other up market neighborhoods in cities around the country, Leeds and Manchester in particular. However if we take into account the cost saved in not moving house it can make sense even if the added value is less than the cost of the conversion, so there has been a growth in this type of project in most parts of the UK in recent years.

So when is the best time to undertake such a project? Well, before you actually need the space is advisable. Don't wait for that baby or elderly relative to arrive, before you start the work! You may find that you have to give up some living space on a temporary basis to facilitate the work itself. Now is a good time as most specialist companies have cut their prices due to the recession and there are some bargains to be had, but this won't last forever and prices will rise again as soon as we start to come out of recession.

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Cellar Conversions