Featherbed Lane, Croydon is a well-established residential area and the ideal base for families. The Athawale family has lived in their terraced house for over 10 years, however, as their extended family are frequent visitors they wanted more space.
Amit Athawale, an IT Manager, said “My wife, son and I usually manage with our two bedrooms and a box room, but ours is a busy house with lots of people coming and going and although we love having people staying with us, things do tend to feel a little cramped.”
They did consider moving house to get extra space, but found the price of a bigger house in the same area was not financially feasible and so decided that a loft conversion could give them the space they wanted at a fraction of the price.
Amit, said: “We did research online to find the most suitable loft conversion company. I asked a few to come to see us and provide a quote. We liked Econoloft right away, not just because of the price, but because their professionalism and expertise was immediately apparent.
Econoloft provided a brochure as well as showing the family plenty of images of our work on similar properties. One of the benefits of using Econoloft is that we offer a loft conversion one-stop shop, which means we build the entire conversion from planning to plaster.
“This is a terraced property and so we needed to have a Party Wall Agreement,” said Amit. “Originally, one of the neighbours was quite concerned about what the loft conversion would mean for them, but Econoloft spent time explaining the process and reassuring them. Thanks to Econoloft our neighbours were quite happy to sign the Party Wall Agreement and this was another benefit of using a one-stop-shop like Econoloft.”
The majority of the loft conversion build can be done with minimum disruption to
family life as the Econoloft team largely work on the conversion by going through the roof. “We didn’t really notice the workmen at all,” said Amit. “When we did speak to the workmen they were always really helpful and I liked them a lot.”
Econoloft completed the loft conversion in a couple of months and developed an additional bedroom with ensuite. This new bedroom is now home to Amit’s teenage son who can now enjoy a large space to relax and study. The room benefits from double aspect windows, two Velux windows at one end and a triple window at the other. The light is accentuated by the décor, which includes a light wood floor and white walls.
The bedroom is configured so that the sleeping area and clothing storage is at one end, while the other hosts a desk and computer and even a piano. There is an ensuite shower room that offers contemporary grey and white tiling.
“Our son has the best room in the house,” said Amit. “He absolutely loves having his own space in the attic and he can practice his piano without disturbing anyone else. We knew we had a large loft but even so, we were amazed at the size of the finished room, which is around 250 sq. ft. It also has plenty of storage built in –another surprise."
Now the Athawale family can look forward to visits from their friends and family and be confident they have plenty of space to accommodate them thanks to a spare bedroom which has now become available.
“We are so pleased we opted to have an Econoloft loft conversion,” said Amit. “It has allowed us to remain in the home and area we love for a fraction of the price of moving home. The whole house feels bigger somehow and we have so much more space we can all enjoy. What’s more the loft conversion has already paid for itself by adding value to our home and should we ever decide to sell, we know we have made a great investment for the future."
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