Building Regulations

upsadaisy

We have done a garage conversion. No change to exterior. And only 3/4 of the garage has been converted. Building inspector came and said we need a fire door between new room and utility bit. (Why? have no fire doors anywhere in the house) Then said floor and walls don't seem to be insulated. I'm sure he's right that the builder put the plasterboard right to the breezeblock. We know the ceiling is insulated as there's a bedroom above and one wall is as it's shared with the house. He also said the original door out to the garden has to have double glazing. We have a radiator in the room. All this doesn't seem right to me.

Anyway if we do have to insulate the walls does this mean we have to rip everything up?

lfc321

Yes, floor and walls should have been insulated. Not sure about the fire door, but presumably the inspector is right about that too. Did you check with building regs what you needed to do before you started the work?

lfc321

Sorry, meant to say - yes, you will most likely have to rip it up to install the necessary insulation.

Fire door and double glazing will presumably be just a case of changing the doors.

pipsta

Tell them to F* off. Your house you do it how you like. Really gets my goat the council sticking there nose in everyting. You just need to accept the fact that when you come to sell it maybe an issue

Owain_Moneysaver

We have done a garage conversion. No change to exterior. And only 3/4 of the garage has been converted. Building inspector came and said we need a fire door between new room and utility bit. (Why? have no fire doors anywhere in the house)

You are now required to have a fire door between an integral garage and the house, because of the higher risk of a severe fire with fuel in the garage.

Then said floor and walls don't seem to be insulated. I'm sure he's right that the builder put the plasterboard right to the breezeblock. We know the ceiling is insulated as there's a bedroom above and one wall is as it's shared with the house. He also said the original door out to the garden has to have double glazing. We have a radiator in the room. All this doesn't seem right to me.

All new external windows/doors have to be double glazed, or compensatory insulation has to be added to the remainder of the house, to comply with thermal insulation requirements. Because a garage conversion is treated as creating new habitable space you must do the work to current Building Regs, not the regs that were in force when the house was built.

Anyway if we do have to insulate the walls does this mean we have to rip everything up?

No, you can apply insulation to the inside of the existing walls and then replasterboard over it.

GEEGEE8

pipsta wrote: »

Tell them to F* off. Your house you do it how you like. Really gets my goat the council sticking there nose in everyting. You just need to accept the fact that when you come to sell it maybe an issue

What a stupid answer.. :eek:

pipsta

not a stupid answer, its not like his work is going to kill someone! Just not done to the likes of some beaurcrat. Think of the millions of homes without this. I could understand if there were a danger to life but as there is not. Nose out I say! As long the work is done properly whats the problem!

Example

I want to put some new stairs in my house (built 1800) If were to conform to new building regs they would look totally out of place. Im rebuilding them as they were originally. No town clerk is going to tell me what i can do in my own home.

It will perfectly strong and safe just maybe the uprights might be to far apart for a child to get there head stuck in.
What a load of tosh.

Sorry rant over

GEEGEE8

The work isn't done properly... that's why..

I can see what you are saying, and with a builder as a dad, I know he would quite happily cut corners, but he doesn't..

The main problem, which you pointed out, is the resale value if the building work is not up to regulations. It could de-value the property much more than it would cost just doing the work now.

Regulations are there for a reason, yes, some are stupid and pointless, but it's not up to us which ones we follow and which ones we don't.

Doozergirl

pipsta wrote: »

not a stupid answer, its not like his work is going to kill someone! Just not done to the likes of some beaurcrat. Think of the millions of homes without this. I could understand if there were a danger to life but as there is not. Nose out I say! As long the work is done properly whats the problem!

It's not being done properly. If it isn't insulated, it will be cold.

Why on earth would a builder undertakework and get Building Control to look at it when any builder would know at least some of the requirements for a new habitable space?

pipsta

GEEGEE8 wrote: »

The work isn't done properly... that's why..

I can see what you are saying, and with a builder as a dad, I know he would quite happily cut corners, but he doesn't..

The main problem, which you pointed out, is the resale value if the building work is not up to regulations. It could de-value the property much more than it would cost just doing the work now.

Regulations are there for a reason, yes, some are stupid and pointless, but it's not up to us which ones we follow and which ones we don't.

The work is only not done properly due to the latest regulations not because its a bad job. They keep moving the goal posts thats the problem...

pipsta

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's not being done properly. If it isn't insulated, it will be cold.

Why on earth would a builder undertakework and get Building Control to look at it when any builder would know at least some of the requirements for a new habitable space?

My cottage has single walls, no insulation and its not cold, Been the same for hundreds of years!

Soon we are all going to have rooms 4' x 4' due to the amount of insulation required, triple glazed windows. When will it end. see my point