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Quick Guide To The Loft Conversion Building RegulationsWhen undertaking a new project the loft conversion building regulations, as you would probably expect, are very in-depth and dense. At this point it should be noted that the building regulations are not the same as planning permission and, in some cases, both the building regulations and the planning permission criteria must be complied with. To discover why your loft conversion MUST comply with the building regulations click here. The regulations are the minimum allowed standards of construction and design as laid down by the government and, for loft conversions, they fall into five main categories:
Structural Stability For anything other than light storage solutions you will need to install new ceiling joists and will more than likely have to double them up. That new room in the loft is going to have to carry some serious weight and the loft conversion building regulations insist that joists and load-bearing walls are strong enough to support that extra weight. Its likely that you will also have to install new steel beams to support those new joists. Another facet to structural stability is the roof itself and whether its structure needs to be altered to fit in your new loft design. Fire Safety It goes without saying that the loft conversion building regulations on this point are very strict and rightly so. The plans for your loft conversion must give plenty of consideration to fire safety and your design will need to include a self-closing fire door. Your new loft floors and walls must be able to resist fire for thirty minutes and glazed door panels must be made of fire-resisting glass. Escape from the loft in the event of fire must be addressed with each new room in the loft having an escape window that is at least 450mm x 450mm. You must ensure that the this escape window can be accessed from outside with a ladder – sounds obvious but not a detail to be overlooked. Mains operated smoke alarms, linked to others in the property, must also be installed. Ventilation New loft conversions need rapid and background ventilation. Rapid ventilation simply means a window which is equivalent to 1/20th of the floor area. If you are converting your loft to a bathroom then mechanical ventilation is also required which needs to extract 15 litres per second. In addition the new roof void needs to be ventilated to prevent condensation and you may also need to ventilate at the eaves level and ridge. There must also be a minimum air space of 50mm between the roof covering and the insulation though this may not be necessary in older houses with no roofing felt.
Staircases
Probably the most important element, in both an aesthetic and practical sense, of your new loft conversion. Getting the loft stairs and access right will have a massive bearing on the success of your project but the loft conversion building regulations throw up a number of things that you will need to consider when planning your staircase to the loft. Because of the importance of the staircase to your loft conversion there really is no quick way to sum up the relevant loft conversionn building regulations. So, take a deep breath, fill up the whiskey glass, get the wife/husband/partner to massage your back and click here for a detailed discussion. Insulation Again you don’t really need to be told that this is important and why would anyone go to the trouble and expense of converting their loft and then not insulate it? Nevertheless the loft conversion building regulations insist that your loft, including new internal walls, must be fully insulated. To read the building regulations (2000) and their subsequent amendments click here (opens a new window - take an aspirin before you click). Related Articles 2007 Building Regulations Update How To Obtain Retrospective Approval
Safety issues you must address before building a loft conversion
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