Building Regulations and Standards: Which way now?

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- CommentAuthorfinny
- CommentTimeOct 17th 2009
Looking for some advice on how to best proceed with our project..
We have been improving our slate over slate house recently and have avoided building regs by doing all the work ourselves whilst living in it..
Next big job tho will be different.. We need to re-roof and want to grow the house into the loft with a couple of rooms, bathroom and open-plan living space..
The joist are full spec floor joists with floorboards throughout, there is an existing staircase in excellent condition which is enclosed with a poor quality hallway and door, the headroom of the staircase is fine but for a pinch point at the purlin, which I know would not comply with modern regs..
The big question is..
Do I need to involve regs with the fitting out of the new loft as it is already habitable space, albeit cold and draughty and used only as a playroom and seperate darkroom..
Obviously I will need to make the new roof comply, but I would be doing that anyway to make it safe and save chucking so much wood in the boiler! but can I finish the roof-including a rack of new veluxes, get it signed off, and then fit the loft space out later?

Sorry for the length of this post but better that than loads of post tennis?
Cheers,
any help most appreciated, visitors can be put up in comfort and hot tea on tap..
Finn
- CommentAuthorjamesingram
- CommentTimeOct 17th 2009 edited
You could always phone up BC and ask them what they think .
Not 100% on this but, if the loft is a exisiting habitable space and has stairs wall/ceiling/floor finishes and you wont be changing the roof structure ( cutting purlins, strutts etc out ), all your doing is a reroof with additonal windows and adding a bathroom , you can improve the insulation of that part of the build fabric , up to or above current standards using a warmroof construction , placing insulation between and above the rafters , raising the roof finish slightly , hopefully leaving the loft room existing wall/ceiling finish undamaged.
Stair / floor is existing so not part of the new work, connection to soil pipe with the new bathroom come under builiding regs and electrics etc.
- CommentAuthorjoe90
- CommentTimeOct 17th 2009
I agree with james, it exists so no B.C. interest, apart from bathroom and velux's.
- CommentAuthorJames Norton
- CommentTimeOct 18th 2009
New windows, upgrading insulation, both equal BC am afraid.

J
- CommentAuthorjoe90
- CommentTimeOct 18th 2009
I have just arranged for my parents to have their loft insulation topped up through a government funded scheme and no B.C. involvement?.
- CommentAuthorMike George
- CommentTimeOct 18th 2009 edited
Ah, a technicality I think

If a thermal element [such as a ceiling/roof] has more than 25% of a 'layer' renovated [eg plasterboard or roof finish], then the whole of that element must be upgraded to a more appropriate level of insulation agreed with building control.

If however, you just want to add more insulation without renovating a layer then no Building Control involvement is necessary
- CommentAuthorCWatters
- CommentTimeOct 18th 2009
Posted By: finny We have been improving our slate over slate house recently and have avoided building regs by doing all the work ourselves whilst living in it.

I know what you mean but in case others get the wrong idea... If the work is "notifiable" doing it yourself doesn't avoid the need to comply with the Building Regulations or make it legal.
- CommentAuthorCWatters
- CommentTimeOct 18th 2009
You say the rooms in the loft are habitable already but some definitions of habitable include natural lighting..

http://www.merton.gov.uk/udptermsabbrev.pdf

HABITABLE ROOM

A habitable room is a room which has a minimum width of 1.13 metres (7 ft), used mainly as a living
room. Dining room or bedroom and as a kitchen when it is big enough to be considered a
dining/kitchen. A dining space which is separated from the kitchen or living area by a movable
partition would also be considered as a habitable room. However, it excludes rooms which cannot
function for the purposes for which they are intended by reason of an inadequate size, height
shape or daylight . For the purposes of the calculation of density a dining/kitchen is not
regarded as a habitable room if it measures less than 13 square metres.
- CommentAuthorfinny
- CommentTimeOct 18th 2009
Thanks for all your comments so far..
think we comply with the Merton rule as there are 3 old manky skylights up there already!
I do want to change the roof structure, specifically cutting purlins out and losing thee king post trusses as they mess up the new layout..full length new rafters ridge to wall plate is the plan..need structural engineer there.
I don't mind building regs involvement at all, we have a great BOC here who is great at seeing all the options and I am sure we can do the roof work and get along fine. My issue really is wanting to avoid having to up the existing fire spec of the house i.e enclosing the staircases to the ground floor and boosting existing ceilings to 30 min burn time..I have seen all of this demanded on other jobs and as I will install wired smoke detectors and prob a fire escape velux I don't want to mess with the rest of the house!
With regards to avoidance in the past, only done where I specifically disagree with the regs. i.e my ufh is laid in sand with the slate slab straight on top..hate cement, hate cement.and btw works a treat!

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