Loft Conversion Enquiry

[mikecdowling]

Hi, I am in the early stages of planning a loft conversion. I have a new build house (small local developer) and when we brough the house he said that the basis for a loft conversion was in place. The roof for the house was hand built on site and as such there is a large area where there are no beams etc that would need cutting, the area is approx 4.5M x 4M x 2.5 (@ Highest Point) and there is a 25mm Ply floor laid out, my question is however how can I tell if the floor has been stregthend, and would not need a steels in place, the whole house is Timber Framed.

The plan of the house has also been designed so a return fligh of stairs can be easily added, and additional wiring is already run through out the house for wire fire alarms, I guess I am slighty dubious about the floor as I would have though they would of done it prior to putting the house on the market, however it was on for 18 mnths before we purchased it. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The first thing I would look at is the drawings that were submitted to Building Control and see what can be gleaned from them. If you don't have a set as its a fairly new build I would think your builder should be able to provide them although they may charge you an admin fee. Alternatively he may point you in the direction of the architects or the frame supplier both of which will be able to run off a set of drawings easily although whether will or not they will without a fee you will have to see. They would probably need the nod from whoever appointed them anyway. You'll need these drawings anyway to convince Building Control that the structural side of things has been adequately carried out. If the builder is particularly unhelpful Its quite possible that 'room in a roof' trusses were used which are designed for the job. See how you get on.

You should also check (unless you've already done so) that you don't need planning permission.