Attic / loft / 3rd storey help

[Kayleigh j]

Hello, I'm new here and hoping to get some much needed help!

Basically- we have a normal 2 storey house, with this attic room. It's a fully usable room, with electric, window, lighting, it has a ceiling and flooring already. It really is a ready made room which is just being wasted with the fact you have to pull down the stairs to get to it - it's acceable by a loft hatch so We want to put in a permanent staircase and thus convert to a 3rd storey. I get Conflicing information whenever I try to understand the legalities of it all. I here self close doors are no longer required, just fire safe doors. I get confused as to what we have to do. Obviously I will fit a fire alarm in, we have them wired throughout our house so will add to the 3rd storey. The plan was to have an open Stairway with a door at the top, opening into the room. But I now read I would have to have one at the bottom too? which would mean I can't have banisters going up the stairs, but a closed wall? Does that make sense. We plan on making the window a fire escape route as that seems to be the best solution. Could someone please outline (in the most simplist of forms) what is required of us to make this loft room legally ok. Who do we need to get the work checked with? I presume if we just go ahead and start doing it all ourselves we would have problems if/when we came to sell it if we didn't get the correct checks now. Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[bernardgreen]

The best source of advice on how to install a legal and safe stair access to the loft is the Building Control Officers at your local council offices.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

To make a loft room legally compliant (ie able to sell it as an additional bedroom and comply with your house insurance) you wil need to ensure that the structure has been adequately uprated, that is to say that the floor has been adequately strengthened, that any structure removed from the existing roof was done correctly. This will undoubtedly be the biggest hurdle both to find out and to make comply if it does not which I would bet my bottom dollar it does not!

With regards to your new stairs access, there are minimum headroom requirements, you only need one door separating the loft from the first floor hallway, that can be at the top or bottom of the loft stairs. Generally speaking nowadays you do not need an escape window but you need to fit fire doors to all other habitable rooms in the house, though closers are not required. This assumes the layout downstairs is not open plan ie the hallway downstairs allows escape from the upper storeys via an enclosed hallway rather than having to go through a habitable room or kitchen. Additional mains smoke alarms required.

You need to ensure the loft is adequately insulated and if necessary adequate ventilation for the roof is fitted. Any windows must provide the required insulation levels. The party walls will require insulating too unless your neighbours have converted their loft already.

You need to provide the bedroom with adequate background ventilation if there is none at present.

Frankly if you think that you can just pop a stair & door in and change a couple of existing doors and that will be enough to make it legal you are deluding yourself. Do you have £3K or £25K?

 

[Kayleigh j]

I didnt think I needed to worry about the roof structure. The room was built like this when the house was built, as a room. No roof structures will, or ever have been removed.

 

[Kayleigh j]

Sorry I pressed send prematurely! We did have a servayor round to confirm that when we bought the house, every house in the street have the same loft room. Does it make a difference if we don't sell it as a bedroom if we ever sell it?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Really? That seems very unusual.

 

[Kayleigh j]

Do don't have any money. We plan on getting a loan. We can change the doors upstairs that's not a problem, downstairs - you walk in the front door. To the left is the living room to the right is the kitchen and stairs are straight in front of you. We don't have any doors on the left or right entrances to the two downstairs rooms as there wasn't any when we bought it. Frankly there isn't space to open and close them without it being a pan so can see why they took them off/ didn't have any on.

 

[Kayleigh j]

I'll get a pic when I can! Maybe tonight when hubby is home.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Even if you don't get it legalized in Building Control's eyes it could still be a death trap and your insurance invalid.

 

[^woody^]

The only thing you definitely need is a proper staircase, a protected escape route down the existing landing/stairs/hall with fire doors to any rooms (except bathroom/toilet) off that route, and smoke alarm linked to others in the house.

The stairs will need to be off their own landing, and not just in an existing bedroom - so you need the space for that

You may need to upgrade the floor to the loft and insulation to the roof. How much so, will depend on its construction and condition now.

Whoever is doing the plans needs to have a proper look at it and do a good detailed design to allow the builder to understand and price the work. Otherwise you may get asked for extra money to cover unforeseen work not on the plans. And you don't want unnecessary work doing, if not needed.

You do need to plan for worst case for your budget, so assume a full lost conversion is needed.

 

[russellsmiler]

hi
Not sure how you are progressing but thought i would offer my two penneth worth!, you say it is an existing room that as floor ceilings powerpoints and fenestration, it seems the access loft ladder and the loft hatch is the only thing that is affecting your thinking in that you have a 2 storey house... to me it seeems you already have a three storey house? was the attic room as the house was constructed... was it modified by yourselves.. then already you should have developed this with building regulation adherence... if others converted this prior to your purchase .. then did your conveyancer not pick up the modifications and seek the building regulation certificate?? the answers to this I think will determine the way forward.. one thing i do know is replacing a loft hatch with a staircase may seem like a possibility, but when you have to consider the headroom scenario ect it sometimes just dont fit.
If its existing then i feel you already have a three storey house... the fact it dosent comply to current building regulations is not an issue.