general question about designs of flats/houses

puddy

I have been known to enjoy a spot of beeny and grand designs and I remember often that the building regs or inspector bloke wouldnt ok something because it was too open plan or didnt have enough doors etc. So how is it that lots of new conversions or purpose built flats seem to have my pet hate, 'kitchen/lounge', with no doors between them?

PasturesNew

I know what you mean. I've even been watching for this and inspecting floorplans on houses for sale.

There seems to be conflicting advice and reality on what is allowed and what isn't.

Maybe with this thread we can get to the bottom of it and actually check/compare and discuss specific layouts we find online.

I love the Internet.

puddy

well its off topic but me too. when tinternet first came into being, i was a major luddite and probably still am really but now i think, my god, the power this gives me to find out exactly what i want, when i want it. i love it. i was checking up on tony curtis last night, what a career

dander

I don't have the answer, but I can agree with you - I can totally understand the builders/developers reasons for sticking the kitchen in the living room and freeing up an extra room, but I can't understand why the buyers snap them up.

I'm guessing that although those two rooms are knocked together, as long as there is a door from that room to the hallway, which can be shut to buy a few minutes of fire escape time, it's ok. Although with studio flats and the like, you have even more of a problem. Maybe it's something to do with having to have a certain number of doors per sq/ft of floorspace?

Imp

It's down to the Building Regulations. There needs to be a means of escape from all occupied parts of the building. They get very onerous if one of the floors is over about 4m (I can't remember the exact height, but basically a second floor level) as you can't jump out of a window to escape. In this situation you need to provide a safe staircase out of the building with fire doors between the staircase and all other rooms, so open plan staircases aren't allowed. Similarly, you may not be allowed to have one room leading to another room, where there is no means of escape from the second room without passing through the first room, as you would then be trapped.

The Building Regulations are worth a read, just to clear insomnia.

real1314

iirc kitchens cannot have a stairwell in them. 'Cos the fire (that is more likely to start there than anywhere else) can progress upstairs too quickly and cut off all means of escape from upper floors.
I think in many cases knock-throughs fail due to the lounge having an open-plan staircase in them?

puddy

Imp wrote: »

It's down to the Building Regulations. There needs to be a means of escape from all occupied parts of the building. They get very onerous if one of the floors is over about 4m (I can't remember the exact height, but basically a second floor level) as you can't jump out of a window to escape. In this situation you need to provide a safe staircase out of the building with fire doors between the staircase and all other rooms, so open plan staircases aren't allowed. Similarly, you may not be allowed to have one room leading to another room, where there is no means of escape from the second room without passing through the first room, as you would then be trapped.

The Building Regulations are worth a read, just to clear insomnia.

so what about old cottages or things where the staircases might be off the kitchen and also where 2 rooms might be joined onto each other, like bathroom off the main bedroom or like where there is no hallway, the front door opens straight into the living room. lots of old properties are like that

neverdespairgirl

Building regs aren't retrospective - when they change, everyone with an older house doesn't have to rush round changing it all.

Bf109

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Building regs aren't retrospective - when they change, everyone with an older house doesn't have to rush round changing it all.

It would be quite entertaining if that was the case though....

Premier_2

Habitable rooms are things like living rooms, dining rooms & bedrooms.

Bathrooms are not considered habitable rooms.

If they were, no one would be able to have an en-suite bathroom

neverdespairgirl

Premier wrote: »

Bathrooms are not considered habitable rooms.

What, it's only me who sleeps in the bath?