Is it worth doing a loft conversion in London?

Short answer

In most cases yes. A loft conversion adding a double bedroom and en-suite typically increases a property's value by 10 to 20 percent, and in Fulham — where price per square metre is high and moving costs are substantial — the uplift usually exceeds the build cost.

The financial case rests on two numbers. A rear dormer conversion in Fulham costs £55,000 to £85,000 and adds roughly 20 to 30m² of habitable space. At Fulham values, that space is worth considerably more than the build cost, and adding a fourth bedroom moves a house into a different search bracket for buyers — often a bigger effect on price than the floor area alone.

Compare it against moving. Stamp duty on a larger Fulham house, agent's fees, legal costs and removals routinely total £60,000 to £100,000 before you have gained a single extra square metre. Against that, a loft conversion that delivers a bedroom and bathroom for £70,000 and leaves you in the same street is straightforwardly the better arithmetic for most families.

There are exceptions and we will say so. If the house is already at the ceiling price for its street, the extra space may not be recovered on sale. If the conversion would take the only bathroom off the first floor, or make the staircase unworkable, it can reduce appeal. And a conversion that eats the entire landing to fit a compliant stair sometimes costs more in usability than it gains in space.

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