Ratby is a commuter village of about 4,300 people, and for most of its history it was a small farming place with a few farms and open fields until enclosure in the 18th century. Its oldest known settlement was the Iron Age camp at Bury Camp, on the edge of the village. The houses we look at are a good deal younger, though some cottages in the village date back several centuries.
The older cottages are the ones that ask for the most care. Low ceilings, small windows and thick walls mean that rooms sit deep from the glass, and a roof window is sometimes the only way to give the first floor a working light. A low roof can also limit the headroom, which changes the choice between a pivot and a top-hung unit.
Beyond the old core, the village has grown with newer homes. Roofs here vary, with lofts of different depths. Some have been converted already and the bedroom is warm and dim. Others still have a boarded loft above a landing that never sees the sun. Each is a different answer. A roof window serves a converted bedroom, a sun tunnel serves a landing, and a replacement unit serves a bathroom whose old window has misted.
What a particular street holds only shows on a visit. The survey is where the answers come from. We climb into the loft, check the rafters and the covering, stand at the spot and measure. Then the quote is written and fixed. On paper you get the unit, its position, the lining, the access and the finish, and nothing in it moves once work begins. Should the loft hold a surprise, that is ours to absorb, not a new line for you to sign.
Planning a bedroom in the loft? Start with the loft conversion roof window notes, then book a survey. Tell us the room, the spot and what bothers you about it. That is all we need to start.
The same applies to a kitchen or utility room at the back of a newer house. A newer kitchen with a flat roof at the back can take a flat rooflight over the worktop, and a small lantern suits the dining end. We ask which end of the room you actually use before we draw anything.
