Cambridge loft conversion specialists CD Hood Ltd know the easiest way to tell if your loft is suitable for conversions is to see if you can stand upright at its highest point. But even if you can stand up, a dormer window extension will maximise headroom in the loft. Planning requirements often mean that this is put at the back of the house so it doesn’t change the house’s appearance from the street. For this reason, roof windows are commonly used at the front to provide light and ventilation.

A dormer is an extension to the existing roof, allowing for additional floor space and headroom within the loft conversion. Dormers protrude from the roof slope, normally at the rear of the property and can be built in a variety of styles. Internally, a dormer will have a horizontal ceiling and vertical walls compared to the normal diagonal sides of a loft conversion. Flat roof dormers tend to give the maximum amount of additional internal space although they do not look as attractive from outside the property. Gable fronted and hipped roof dormers look much more attractive but they often do not give as much internal space and will cost more to build due the extra complexity.

There are different types of dormer to check out- Gable fronted dormer - these are sometimes called a dog house dormer, Hipped roof dormer - a dormer with a hipped roof, Shed dormer - a single planed roof that is pitched at a shallower angle to the main roof.