Meeting Building Regs

KatieDee

Hi there,

After being in our house for over a year, work has finally started to make it into our home. We are starting with structural work such as the roof and guttering which is due to be completed shortly. Our next job is going to be the hideous stairs leading to the attic.

A bit of a back story - the family who owned the property before us decided to board out their loft for storage. Unfortunately, they chose to put sky lights in and wire the electricity up to it. They also decided to put an almost vertical staircase leading up to it which really isn't suitable for anything!

Ideally, we would like to do the entire thing out in line with building regulations and continue our existing staircase up to the loft, not just for aesthetic reasons but also for safety.

At the time of boarding it out, additional wooden boards were placed across the floor of the loft so there is no doubt about the structural side of things. That said, I will still be asking for these to be reviewed to make sure they don't cause further issues in the future.

So after that novel, my questions are...

What do I need to do in regards to building regulations?

Do I apply for them, or does the builder who I employ to do my loft work apply?

Does somebody come to the property to assess the final job or is it all based on plans?

Do I need to apply for this before embarking on any additional work? There is no way that the loft, as it is, will pass.

Would I be expecting to pull everything down before reapply with newly designed floor plans?

The vendors did purchase indemnity insurance for this very issue but as far as I know, it is pretty much useless and isn't causing us financial loss at this point so is irrelevant. I know this is going to be an expensive job but I want to make sure everything is done by the book, especially as we're hoping to make this our forever home

All thoughts and opinions very much appreciated.