New Year, new hobbies in your loft

Fran Swaine

A Home for your Hobby

Hobbies come in all shapes and sizes, from crochet to photography, but chances are they will all require some space. When you’re engaged in a new passion, having to tidy everything away each time can be a pain, which is why having a place especially for your hobby can help you love it even more. A loft can be the perfect space.

You’ll want to make sure that your loft is set up to allow you to get the most from your hobby. There are lots of different types of loft conversions, and assessing your options can help you decide what’s best for you and your home.
Budgeting for Your Loft Conversion.

Whether you plan to take out a small loan or use savings to pay for the conversion, a good first step is to consider the costs of your loft conversion and map out a budget. This includes the cost of labour and building materials, as well as any furnishings. Setting realistic, yet efficient, deadlines is also crucial at this stage, as the project costs will increase every day the build extends past its due date.
When adding up the costs of your loft conversion, it is also worth considering the value this new space will add to your home. Research from 2011 found that a loft conversion was the most valuable type of home renovation, adding up to £20,000 in value to a home.

Building a Useful Space

Once you know your budget, you can start to plan. Whether your hobby requires the use of a sewing machine or a computer, the chances are you will need electricity. When you are just starting out in your hobby (and aren’t yet sure if it’s for you!) making do with a lengthy extension cable should do the trick. However, this isn’t ideal. Speaking to an electrician to get a quote for installing a few electrical sockets would be a more long term solution.

Light is also going to be important for your dedicated space. You can fit skylights or invest in some quality lamps to light your work area. If you plan to add skylights to your converted loft, there are a number of building requirements it must meet.

You’ll also want to make sure the loft is nice and warm, with portable electric heaters for the winter months (and possibly an air conditioning unit for the summer months). Thinking about temperature in your new studio is important, as loft spaces often vary wildly in temperature throughout the year.

Personalising Your Space

Once you’ve got the basics sorted – you can start planning how to use the space. For most hobbies a good size table will be required, but for others you might want the option of moving the table out of the way. There are plenty of sturdy, folding tables on the market which can be stored out of the way when not in use.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure your space suits you. Add your own personal touch to your new loft studio with simple soft furnishings, a rug and a few pictures. Search online for different examples of beautiful loft conversions  and draw on your own sense of style to create a loft that is unique to you and your family. After all, this could be a place you spend a lot of your time in and so you’ll want to ensure it feels homely and comfortable.

This guest post was written on behalf of Money Matters, the Sainsbury’s Bank blog. The views expressed in this post are those of the author and not of Sainsbury’s Bank.  Any links to Sainsbury’s Bank product pages contained within this post are there to provide information, not to directly promote financial products. Sainsbury’s Bank accepts no responsibility for the content of external websites included contextually within this post. All information in this post was correct at date of publication.