Loft conversion Advice (drawings included)

[andymarshal]

Hi everyone, having just purchased and recently gutted a c 1880 end terraced house in birmingham, i have been a visitor of this site, although i have found many answers by searching. although my questions for this topic are quite specific.

After removing all the celings from my property i noticed the potential for a loft conversion so i callked in a local architect (sp) to take a look and come up with some plans, i had initially thought that he best way to do this is like this:

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_fullsize.html?c_photo=36494572

the red stairway leads up to the loft, which will have to be newly built, the windows in both rooms provide a suitable means of escape.

the architect agreed with me although he says that beacuse the stairs downstairs exit into the living room like this:

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_fullsize.html?c_photo=36494581

he said that i would have to build a partion wall like this (red wall):

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_fullsize.html?c_photo=36495114

as you can see this reduces the size of the living room quite a lot.

I wonder if anyone has experience with this problem as the architect said that building regs require this, which i can understand why, but the hallway wounldnt lead to a final exit anyway so you would still have to enter a room to get to the exit. The house is of traditional brick construction.

Your comments and help would be appreciated as i a m in a real dilemma.

Thanks In advance.

Andy Marshall

Sorry, i missed a bit, i want to know if i have to build this hallway or will it be ok without it.
----------------------------------
Moderator,

Welcome to the forum and see Rules 10a

 

[masona]

Links not working unless it's me

 

[andymarshal]

Sorry - see this gallery:

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1975561

The first image is the upstairs, the second image shows the required wall in the lounge and the third image shows the existing downstairs lay out,

Thanks

 

[chappers]

not only will you have to build that one wall then but you will basically have to create a fire safe corridor from your loft room all the way down to the exit , without going through a habitable room, these include kitchens bedrooms and reception rooms.
You will either have to build this corridor or provide a full smoke/fire alarm and sprinkler system

 

[andymarshal]

thanks for the reply, the architecht has suggested that if i knock another door out at the bottom of the ground floor stairs and create a landing at the bottom of this then you will be able to exit into either room directly form the stairs. he thinks this will pass?

thanks
andy

 

[chappers]

that is ok provide you have either final exit from both of those rooms or fire safe passage without going through any other habitable rooms, you can of course have final exit from one and fire safe passage from the other.
Building regs are at www.odpm.gov.uk you need to look at part B which has regs on fire safety.

 

[andymarshal]

again, thanks for the reply- does it make any difference if you have two escape veluxes in the roof. also i am starting to doubt the architecht - he said i can use heavey duty joist hangers in between the mortar of the bricks by grinding out the mortar and replacing it?, the jopists will be 200mm x 75x 4000mm long. will this pass?

thanks

andy

 

[chappers]

Having two escape veluxes will make no difference, you will still need to make the provisions for escape down the stairs and out.
Using joist shoes into the raked out mortar joints is perectly acceptable and your timbers seem plenty strong enough for a 4m span.
Hope that puts your mind at rest.