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Some roof spaces are more easily converted than others and a full assessment requires professional help. But the untrained eye can often work out the basics. Go up into your loft space and take a look around.
Is there enough headroom at the centre under the ridge? You ideally need 8ft (2.4m) clearance, although you may find that you can still get a useful room from as little as 7ft (2.1m). A quick check with a tape measure will suffice.
Also try to assess whether your roof was built using trussed rafters or purlins, as the latter is much easier to convert into usable loft space.
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 |  | Traditional (pre 1965) rafter and purlin roof construction
This type of roof, pre 1965, is ideal for loft conversions as it usually has a reasonably steep pitch and relatively clear spaces between the supporting framework.
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 | | Modern (post 1965) trussed rafter construction
This type of roof, used widely in houses in Britain since 1965, usually has a shallow pitch and more struts. As a result they are more difficult to convert. Look out for thin sections of wood (typically 75mm or 3 inches deep) and tell-tale rectangular metal plates used to join the timber together.
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