Recommended Reading

You would expect with a topic like this there would be a large selection of books out there, however it seems not. However there are a few that I have found that you may find useful:

For learning about the background and management aspects of doing any home extension (even if you are not planning to do the actual work yourself), Paul Hymers' book "Home Extensions: The Complete Handbook" would be a very good first read.

There are a couple of books that deal specifically with loft conversion, and these are: "Loft Conversions: Planning, Managing and Completing Your Conversion" by Laurie Williamson, and the more detailed and probably more useful "Roof Construction and Loft Conversion" by C.N. Mindham (note there will be a revised edition published in July 2006 here)

Understanding an applying the information in the various building regulations documents (see the links page), is essential if you want to get your building work done safely and without needing to rework things later. There is a guide published to help with this: "The Building Regulations: Explained and Illustrated".

If you want to get more into the details of how to do structural calculations etc, there is the Structural Engineer's Pocketbook that I found quite handy (and already mentioned in the introduction page), and there are also a number of other similar titles that I have seen recommended during my various searches (although these come with no particular personal recommendation since I have not read them!): Structures for Architects, Timber Designers' Manual

One of the more interesting jobs during the build was construction of the stairs. There is actually a book available specifically on this subject: "Building Stairs (For Pros, by Pros)".

Finally, if you need to get planning permission for your conversion, then the following may help: "A Practical Approach to Planning Law"