For many householders, who are not looking to move to a bigger house, but who require more space at home, an ideal solution may be to extend into the loft space. For a modest extension, planning permission is no longer required but you will have to make sure that you follow current building regulations.

One of the difficulties in creating space under the roof concerns the stair way. If you are creating a habitable room upstairs then a loft ladder or retractable stairs will not be deemed suitable. But to continue the stairs from your ground floor can take up much needed space and may generate the need to then construct a dormer window in the loft.

There are several types of space saving stairs available to the householder. A spiral staircase constructed of wood or metal may be the answer. A joinery firm or a competent carpenter can easily make spiral stairs and there are companies online which manufacture metal staircases to order. Overlapping paddle stairs are another solution. There is a knack to using these but they soon become easy to negotiate with practice!