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Attic Conversion (Read 5225 times)

Hopeful Newbie Offline I love YaBB 1G - SP1! Posts: 3 Total Thanks: 0 For This Post: 0	Attic Conversion Dec 15^th, 2005, 10:54am My attic is 2.37, apex height and 5.8 m wide and 7.5m long. Is this suitable for a non-dormer attic conversion? Can anyone help please?
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CWatters

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #1 - Dec 15^th, 2005, 6:49pm

I don't think the Building Regulations specify a minimium size for rooms but...

A Building Control Application has to be made for a new habitable room.

You will need to provide a means of escaping fire if the only door/stairs are blocked. You would probably need to fit an opening window and some means of getting down to the ground. I think a rope rope ladder might be OK

The floor will have to be fire proof and that might mean replacing things like downlights with fire rated models.

The stairs to the new room will also need to meet the Building Regs - I don't think a ladder would be acceptable.

You may also need planning permission but I guess you know that.

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jasonB

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #2 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 7:40am

Your head room will also be reduced by the time proper floor joists, chipboard flooring and floor finish have been added you will loose 100-125mm. Also the slopes will have to be insulated and boarded which may add 50mm to the slope which equates to around 75mm off the ridge height. Total head loss could be 200mm.

As you can't practically use the floor area once the slope gets down to 1100-1200mm this will give a usable width of around 3.4m.

Jason

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BobProperty

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #3 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 11:17am

I recently looked at a property which had a "loft room" but which had not been legally converted. i.e. had no building regulation approval. The list of what was missing was something like as follows:
Hard wired fire alarm system.
Fire door and precautions, mainly floor and separation of room from landing.
Strengthening floor joists.
Insulation in walls and ceiling.
Electrics in accordance with rules.
Fire escape window, i.e. one with minimum size of opening and max height off ground. (Veluxes in roofs are usually too high)
Head height and space around stairs.

I think there is a minimum height for a room around the 2m mark but I can't find it at present. Starting from 2.37m, I think you'll be very close to the limit.

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Hopeful

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #4 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 11:50am

Thank you all for your comments. They are helpful.

The room is intended for use as a childs bedroom / playroom, so hopefully the headroom will not be such an issue, provided it is legal.

It had been mentioned to me that there are some rules regarding min headroom a) over the stairwell and b) as a proportion of the whole room. I can find them for the USA on the net, but unfortunately not in Scotland (where I live).

I live in a one storey cottage, which I was hoping would allow for a fire escape velux window (perhaps with a rope ladder, as suggested).

The obvious solution would be to put in dormer/s, however, I'm reluctant to do this as the house is one of 2 and to alter ours would look very out of place. Apart from the added expense.

When we do go ahead with this, we do intend to do it by the book via an architect. I have seen some illegal conversions and even to an untrained eye, they look frightening.

Thanks again for your comments / advice. Any more would be appreciated.

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BobProperty

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #5 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 12:05pm

Unfortunately, the info I gave related to a house in England. I'd contact your local authority for the equivalent of Building Control (which, knowing my luck, will be called Building Control) and discuss it with them. I would share your concern over dormer windows in a single storey cottage as you would need to get them in character with the property. If the property was in England, I would suspect that Planning Permission would be needed because of the character and location of the property.

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TIMBA-WOLF Board Moderator Offline Timba-Wolf..... Var@*sh, should be banned!! Posts: 7158 Total Thanks: 15 For This Post: 0 KENT,(under a tree!!!!) United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Joiner	Re: Attic Conversion Reply #6 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 2:52pm not that it adds much , but under my LA control all the houses in my road, that have had attic/loft converts, with dormers, have all had to have the dormer to the rear of the property to allow the facades to remain the same!!
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Hopeful

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #7 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 3:19pm

That would work fine & not spoil the aspect.

Only problem is that we have another "wing" coming off the back bang in the middle of the above attic. This is apex roofed, but at a much lower height (I'm hoping to make it a crawl in cupboard).

I don't think that this roof can be messed with much as it has a (working) chimney breast coming up through it.

Thanks though.

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CWatters Super Member Offline "Daddy fick it" says James Posts: 5150 Total Thanks: 58 For This Post: 0 Gender:	Re: Attic Conversion Reply #8 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 6:29pm Min headroom over stairs (in England) is 2 meters except for loft conversions where it's 1.8 meters See Diagram 2 and 3 in Part K http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1161544
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splinter

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Re: Attic Conversion
Reply #9 - Dec 16^th, 2005, 8:11pm

I think there is nothing illegal puttig in flooring and plasterboarding the underside of the roof,put in eletrics ect.
Ihave done this for a inlaw as a tempary stopgap to house his ever increasing family.
But and it a very BIG BUT, this is tempary solution, do it that way and you find when you sell the house with that work done in the attic it will still be a attic and not a room.
As JasonB has pointed out the room size will be small and I doubt if the money you spend would make it worth you're while.
Possibly a ground floor exstension might be more feasible?

« Last Edit: Dec 16^th, 2005, 8:12pm by splinter »

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MarkS GDPR opt-out Total Thanks: 58 For This Post: 0	Re: Attic Conversion Reply #10 - Jan 8^th, 2006, 3:48pm I remember being told that 2.3m is the requirement in building regs for room height. Never looked it up to check though.
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