LOFT CONVERSION CONTRACT
Important legal advice, jurisdiction and formality warning
This fictional contract is a worked example, not legal advice and not a guaranteed compliant building contract. It is written for a homeowner and contractor in England and Wales. Planning permission or permitted-development conditions, building regulations, party-wall rights, asbestos, construction design and management duties, insurance, warranties, consumer cancellation rights and lender or freeholder consents must be checked for the actual project. A building-control approval is not a guarantee of workmanship, and signing this wording does not replace professional design, structural calculations or a required notice. Obtain advice from a solicitor and suitably qualified designer before work begins.
1. Parties, site and project
This contract is made on 15 March 2027 between Oliver James Bennett and Priya Anika Bennett, both of 18 Fernleigh Avenue, Oxford OX3 8JW, together called the Homeowners, and Hearthstone Buildcraft Limited, company number 15380416, of 22 Quarry Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 1UD, called the Contractor.
The Contractor will convert the loft at the Homeowners’ two-storey house, 18 Fernleigh Avenue, Oxford OX3 8JW, into one bedroom, one shower room and a small landing. The finished floor area is approximately 29 square metres. The Homeowners own the property subject to a mortgage with Wessex County Bank and have obtained the lender’s written consent dated 2 March 2027. Oxford City Council issued lawful development certificate 27/00418/LDC on 22 February 2027, and Oxford Building Control opened application BC-27-1196 on 10 March 2027. The Homeowners will serve any party-wall notices that their surveyor advises are required.
The scope is defined by this contract and the drawings prepared by Mara Ellison RIBA, drawing numbers FE-01 revision C, FE-02 revision B and FE-03 revision B, dated 6 March 2027. The drawings and the following specification are the agreed baseline; a conflict is resolved in favour of a later written instruction signed by both parties, then the specification, then the drawings.
2. Works and programme
The Contractor will provide temporary protection, scaffolding, skip hire, labour, plant, materials and supervision. It will form a new insulated stair opening, install two C24 timber joists and a steel beam designed by Dr Henry Cole CEng, fit three conservation roof windows measuring 780 by 980 millimetres, insulate the roof and dormer cheeks to the designer’s thermal specification, and construct a 1,200-millimetre-wide rear dormer with fibre-cement cladding. It will install plasterboard, skim coat, six internal doors where shown, oak-effect laminate flooring, white painted skirting, LED downlights, smoke and heat alarms, radiators connected by a qualified heating engineer, and first-fix and second-fix plumbing for the shower room.
The shower room will contain a 900 by 900 millimetre shower enclosure, thermostatic shower, wall-hung WC, compact basin, extractor fan with overrun, porcelain floor tiles and white wall tiles to 1,200 millimetres. The Homeowners selected the bathroom fittings from the supplier quotation dated 9 March 2027. The Contractor will provide a 300-watt electric shower-room towel rail and a chrome finish. It will not alter the boiler, consumer unit or roof structure beyond the designed works unless a signed variation is agreed.
Work will start on 3 April 2027 and practical completion is planned for 21 July 2027, subject to extensions for severe weather, late client selections, concealed conditions, authority delay or other events beyond reasonable control. The Contractor will work Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and will keep the site secure. It will provide a two-week look-ahead programme each Friday. Practical completion means the described work is substantially complete, safe to use, connected to services and accompanied by the building-control inspection record, but minor snagging does not prevent certification.
3. Price and payment
The fixed contract sum is £68,400.00 including VAT. It is calculated as: preparatory works and scaffold £7,800; structural opening and steel £14,200; roof windows and insulation £11,600; dormer and external works £15,300; plumbing and electrical works £9,900; plastering and finishes £6,300; and testing, cleaning and certification £3,300. The figures total £68,400.00. Each party will check VAT treatment with its adviser.
The Homeowners will pay the following against an invoice and evidence of the relevant stage: £6,840 on signing; £13,680 when scaffold, temporary protection and structural opening are complete; £17,100 when the roof windows, insulation and dormer shell are watertight; £13,680 after first-fix services and plasterboard; £10,260 at practical completion; and £6,840 after the snagging list is completed and final certificates are delivered. The first five instalments total £61,560 and the final instalment is £6,840, together £68,400. No payment is acceptance of defective work or waiver of a right.
The Homeowners will pay each undisputed invoice within seven days. They may withhold a reasonable evidenced amount for incomplete or defective work after giving written reasons. The Contractor may not suspend work for an undisputed non-payment without seven days’ notice, and it must protect the site during any suspension.
4. Variations and concealed conditions
No variation is chargeable unless Oliver Bennett or Priya Bennett signs a written instruction describing the change, its price or valuation method, and its effect on the programme. The Contractor will provide a quotation within five working days where practicable. A variation is valued using the agreed schedule of rates: carpenter £52 per hour, electrician £58 per hour, plumber £58 per hour, labourer £32 per hour, plus evidenced materials without mark-up above 15%. The Contractor must not proceed with a non-emergency variation merely because a verbal conversation occurred.
If concealed rot, unstable masonry, asbestos-like material, unrecorded services or another condition materially affects cost or safety, the Contractor will stop the affected work, make it safe and notify the Homeowners with photographs and a costed proposal. The Homeowners may instruct investigation or omit the affected work. The Contractor remains responsible for damage caused by its failure to inspect reasonably accessible areas or to follow the drawings.
5. Quality, safety and insurance
The Contractor will execute the work with reasonable skill and care, in accordance with the specification, current building regulations and manufacturer instructions. Materials will be new, fit for purpose and of the specified grade. It will use competent tradespeople and maintain public liability insurance of £5,000,000, employers’ liability insurance of £10,000,000 and contractor’s all-risks cover for at least £68,400. Its certificates dated 15 March 2027 are issued by Redbridge Mutual, policy numbers RM-PL-44018, RM-EL-44019 and RM-CAR-44020, expiring 2 April 2028.
The Contractor is principal contractor for the purposes agreed in the project’s construction plan and will comply with applicable CDM 2015 duties. It will keep a site risk assessment, welfare facilities, a safe scaffold and a daily site record. The Homeowners will not direct individual tradespeople or carry out work in a way that creates a hazard. The Contractor will protect occupied areas, control dust, and notify the Homeowners of any incident within 24 hours.
6. Completion, defects and ending
At practical completion, the parties will inspect the loft and create a dated snagging list. The Contractor will correct reasonable snagging items within 14 days. A defects period of six months from the actual date of practical completion, anticipated to be 21 July 2027 applies to workmanship defects notified in writing during that period; if practical completion is delayed, the six-month period runs from the later actual date rather than the anticipated date. The Contractor will investigate within five working days and remedy a justified defect within 14 days or an agreed longer period for specialist parts. This does not limit mandatory consumer rights or a claim for latent defects.
The Contractor will obtain and provide the building-control completion certificate, electrical installation certificate, heating commissioning record, window guarantees, product manuals and any structural warranty arranged under the specification. A structural warranty from Cotswold Home Cover, certificate CHC-27-8821, will be issued for ten years from practical completion if the Homeowners pay the stated inspection fee of £420, included in the contract sum.
Either party may terminate for a material breach not remedied within 14 days after notice. The Homeowners may terminate immediately for abandonment, serious safety misconduct, insolvency or loss of required insurance. On termination, the Contractor will secure the site, return keys and provide drawings and records; the Homeowners will pay for properly completed work and unavoidable materials ordered under an approved instruction, less reasonable completion costs.
The parties will first meet within ten business days about a dispute and then offer mediation through Oxfordshire Construction Mediation. Nothing prevents urgent court relief or a building-control action. The contract is governed by the law of England and Wales and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to mandatory consumer rights.
Signatures
Signed by Oliver James Bennett, Homeowner Signature: ____________________ Date: 15 March 2027
Signed by Priya Anika Bennett, Homeowner Signature: ____________________ Date: 15 March 2027
Signed for Hearthstone Buildcraft Limited by Samuel Peter Larkin, Managing Director Signature: ____________________ Date: 15 March 2027