Velux vs Dormer: Which Loft Conversion for a Home Office?
More Cramlington homeowners are adding home offices to their lofts — and the first question is always Velux or dormer? Here's how the two compare on a standard 1970s Cramlington estate house.
The Key Difference: Headroom
A **Velux conversion** installs roof windows into your existing roof without changing the roofline. You keep the sloping ceiling, so headroom is limited to the existing pitch. On a 1970s Cramlington semi with a typical 35-degree roof pitch, that gives you full standing height in the centre but not at the edges.
A **dormer conversion** extends the back slope of the roof with a flat-roofed box, giving you full floor-to-ceiling height across the whole room. If you're planning to sit at a desk for hours, a dormer gives you the headroom and wall space to do it comfortably.
Cost Comparison
Velux: £18,000 – £25,000
Dormer: £28,000 – £42,000
A Velux conversion is roughly £10,000–£15,000 cheaper. If the budget is tight and you mainly need a quiet space with natural light, a Velux home office is excellent value.
Which Works Better for a Home Office?
Choose Velux if: your existing loft has decent headroom (at least 2.2m at the centre), you want to keep costs down, and you're happy with a room where the walls slope in. The natural light from roof windows is superb for a workspace.
Choose Dormer if: you want full standing headroom across the whole room, you need wall space for shelving or a full-height desk, or you might repurpose the room into a bedroom later. A dormer gives you a proper square room.
Build Time
Velux: 3–4 weeks
Dormer: 6–8 weeks
Both are manageable. We work from scaffold on the outside, so disruption inside the house is minimal until the staircase goes in.
Our Honest View
For a dedicated home office on a Cramlington semi, a Velux conversion is often the smart choice — you get a bright, quiet workspace for £18k–£25k without the cost of a full dormer. If you think you'll want a bedroom in a few years, or you're tall and the sloping ceiling will bother you, go for the dormer.
Book a free survey and we'll look at your actual roof and tell you which makes sense.