Stairs "non-habitable" loft - create problems later?

bezzersbabe · 15 January 2010 at 7:44PM

Spoke to a Bristol building control officer today. He says we can put a load bearing floor down but we couldn't put a velux window up there, even if we retained the loft ladder as access, because a window would be viewed as a sign of "habitable use" and is not necessary for storage purposes. I am pretty upset about this - it's my house and I would like a window even if it's just in the attic!
In the same conversation he admitted that what I do in my own attic is a household decision and none of their business....so I said what if I want to potter about up there on my load bearing floor sorting out my storage items and be able to admire the view, save on lighting, or open a window if it's really hot up there in summer? He insisted a window meant habitable use even without a staircase.
I guess that's that then?!

poppysarah · 15 January 2010 at 8:21PM

The BCO knows once there's a window in there someone's going to be sleeping and potentially burning to death in there.
He doesn't want it on his watch .. so to speak.

If you want it as a room do it properly.

bezzersbabe · 16 January 2010 at 7:47PM

Thanks for your concern, your point highlights the difference between fire regs, there to protect everyone, and common sense and parental responsibility, which we rely on to protect ourselves and our children.

I do not accept that putting a window in my unconverted attic, with the only access being a pull down ladder, means it is assumed I will be allowing people to sleep up there. This is absurd.
For comparison, consider my garage. This is unplastered, full of junk, freezing cold and obviously not suitable for living in. However, it was built with full regs, has electricity, electric sockets and a window. It also, more importantly, is more accessible than my loft because it has direct access via a normal fireproof door to the rest of my house. Nobody suggested having a window in there would make it a habitable room. I can access it whenever I like to potter about and sort out my junk and I don't need a BCO to tell me whether this is safe or not!

Mumof4 · 17 January 2010 at 7:55AM

My ex husband converted our loft 16 yrs ago, he got planning permission, but no building regs. This room is being used as a bedroom.

The house has been on the market since August with not one single viewing :mad: After speaking to my ex BIL, who was an estate agent for 25 yrs, he said no one will touch it due to the description mentioning the conversion not having building regs (the estate agent has to do this by law).
We are now in the process of having to have work done so we can get a Regularisation certificate which will make the bedroom 'legal'.
Yesterday we had to have the arch way blocked up and a fire door fitted, we need a hard wired smoke alarm installed and door closures on all the habitable rooms on the first floor!

So my advice would be, do everything you need to do to ensure the room meets the current legislation, or it will come back and bite you in the butt, just like it has with me!!

HTH