Do the regulations allow me to brick up my back door?

[uptown47]

Hi all

(See drawing below).

We're just planning a new kitchen and one of the ideas we've had is to put a partition wall in the kitchen to create a small section that will be a "utility room". This small section will also contain the existing back door and so I wondered if I could brick this up to give me more wall space in the utility room?

I would still have access outside via a patio door (which is just of type of two glass doors where one door slides sideways across the fixed door - not the swing door type as shown in the drawing).

I just wondered if this was allowed under the building regulations or if there was some rule that would put the kybosh on this?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[tony1851]

Perfectly acceptable, as long as it is just a utility room.

 

[uptown47]

Thanks Tony. I assume it wouldn't be acceptable if it was going to be a bedroom or something? Is that correct?

 

[^woody^]

It would only potentially be an issue if the property was a house three storeys or higher, or a flat.

 

[uptown47]

Ok, that's great. Do I need to tell anyone I'm doing it? Request permission from anyone etc??

We own the house but didn't know if I needed planning permission etc?

 

[tony1851]

Thanks Tony. I assume it wouldn't be acceptable if it was going to be a bedroom or something? Is that correct?

You would be forming an 'inner room' (ie one only accessible from another room). This is only acceptable if the inner room is a bathroom or utility or suchlike, or - if a habitable room such as a lounge or bedroom - it has an escape window.
Planning permission not needed (assuming it is a normal house and not a flat).

 

[uptown47]

That's brilliant Tony. Yes, it's just a normal house (upstairs and downstairs).

Thanks Tony/Woody for all your help on this. It is very much appreciated

 

[Diver Fred]

Me, I'd wait on bricking up the doorway until you've used it for a while. You may find the benefits outweigh the loss of storage. See the comments in https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/which-configuration.495526/

 

[uptown47]

Me, I'd wait on bricking up the doorway until you've used it for a while. You may find the benefits outweigh the loss of storage. See the comments in https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/which-configuration.495526/

Yep, food for thought there. Thanks. I quite like the idea of an area to take off dirty shoes etc when going to/from the garden... hmmm.... will think carefully about it. Cheers

 

[Nige F]

An excellent point from wgt52 Having owned houses both with and without "utility" access to the garden - it's a no brainer