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Loft roof lift without dismantling the roof?


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Hello everybody,

 

My house has an upstairs section which has the upstairs built as a dormer.

 

is it possible to lift the roof without dismantling it in order to raise the walls so that upstairs is like a normal room with proper headroom?

 

I have seen builders renovate older houses by securing the roof with these sort of stilts then knocking out the blocks of the walls supporting the roof so that the stilts are supporting the whole roof. They then turn handles on the stilts which raises the roof inch by inch, until they can add more blocks to the walls and eventually reach the desired height. They then re-sit the roof on the now higher walls and there you have your new upstairs with raised roof heights.

 

i was wondering how difficult this process is and how costly for a section of 22 feet by 22 feet (roughly 6.5 metres by 6.5)?

 

thanks everyone

Dylan

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Those are called Acroprops.

 

It will depend on supporting the roof structure on all the points where it is already supported whilst it hangs together, then doing the change.

 

It is perhaps a specialist thing, and imo you would need advice from at least an architect and probably a structural engineer - or eat the risks yourself.

 

A modular roof may be one alternative idea, or get a specialist in. At least talk to both.

 

As Gibberish 'o' Doggerel put it once:

 

As I was planning for my toft

I met a man with a Modular Loft

Windows were installed and tiles

With insulation, floors and style

Windows, Lift, Loft, Tiles

Make an instant ancient pile!

An extraordinarily transportable loft - 

But do I want one for my toft?

 

 

IMG_1448-small.jpg

 

There's a phone number in a photo in the piece.

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Several ways to jack a structure, as above you are referring to acro props.

The lifting part is the easiest, maintaining stability during the lift and taking into account high winds etc is the hard part.

Definitely a spaecialist operation as a roof structure can act as a big sail once disconnected from the weight holding it down.

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Bonkers idea.

 

If you are making such an extreme alteration to a house to add an extra floor to make it full 2 storey, just jacking up the existing roof would give you the wrong roof for the property. 

 

I would take the opportunity to do the job properly, completely new roof designed for the new job and take the opportunity to detail it and insulate it properly.

 

The best you could hope for is to re use most of the roof tiles on the new roof if they are in good condition.

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12 minutes ago, ProDave said:

The best you could hope for is to re use most of the roof tiles on the new roof if they are in good condition.

And some of the timber if you don’t use trusses.

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2 hours ago, Dylan121 said:

Hello everybody,

 

My house has an upstairs section which has the upstairs built as a dormer.

 

is it possible to lift the roof without dismantling it in order to raise the walls so that upstairs is like a normal room with proper headroom?

 

I have seen builders renovate older houses by securing the roof with these sort of stilts then knocking out the blocks of the walls supporting the roof so that the stilts are supporting the whole roof. They then turn handles on the stilts which raises the roof inch by inch, until they can add more blocks to the walls and eventually reach the desired height. They then re-sit the roof on the now higher walls and there you have your new upstairs with raised roof heights.

 

i was wondering how difficult this process is and how costly for a section of 22 feet by 22 feet (roughly 6.5 metres by 6.5)?

 

thanks everyone

Dylan

You can split concrete block with an axe. Doesn't mean it is a good idea.

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Lol. Some of the replies made me laugh. Thanks for the replies everyone. 
 

i was asking mostly because a carpenter who doubles as a builder near me did this with a large roof some years ago.

 

maybe it would be best to dismantle the roof, build the walls up and then re-assemble the roof. I am assuming I could re-use the slates as the roof would be the same size.

 

Would I be silly asking here how much this would cost?

 

 

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13 hours ago, Dylan121 said:

Lol. Some of the replies made me laugh. Thanks for the replies everyone. 
 

i was asking mostly because a carpenter who doubles as a builder near me did this with a large roof some years ago.

 

maybe it would be best to dismantle the roof, build the walls up and then re-assemble the roof. I am assuming I could re-use the slates as the roof would be the same size.

 

Would I be silly asking here how much this would cost?

 

 

 

I don't honestly think we have enough info. Area etc.

 

I'd punt 60-120k, and can be changed by 27 different factors.

 

It won't be under 50k unless you spend a full working year of your own time on it imo, and have all the skills.

 

Remember you only get two of time, quality, or low cost.

 

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