Over garage extension questions

Jonah01

Hi guys,

We are considering extending our 3 bed semi by adding a 4th bedroom over the garage.

First question. Our stairs go up to the first floor on the right hand side of the house and bend left onto the landing for the 3 bedrooms and bathroom.

We would be looking to have the stairs also bend right to go out over the garage into a 4th bedroom. Have attached a photo.

https://goo.gl/photos/nZWwVD7JEigWKTJH7

Are there new restrictions for stairs as our neighbour has had this extension done and was forced to move the entire stair case to create a flat landing at the top of the stairs. We really don't want to move the stairs as it would disrupt the existing house and also take space from the already small box room upstairs.

Also what order do I do things?

Architect first or builder first?

Thanks

Doozergirl

Architect.

They'll know the stair regulations. All stairs need a decent landing at the top and bottom but the issue is your kite winders to the left. You can't physically do the same to the right and make it safe. You either need to
a) leave stairs and have a hallway that leads round into the extension
b) extend the staircase straight forward with the landing at the top to go left/right (uses the same space as 'a' but costs more
c) you have a landing on the third step down and have two sets of stairs leading safely to the left and to the right if that is acceptable to building control. That will use more space to the left and right - may not be possible with the position of the doorway at the top of the stairs.
d) I can't see the bottom of the stairs, but a new staircase with winders at the bottom may help reduce the extra space needed by a) or b)

If you are extending, could the box room not become an open landing study area or made smaller to form an ensuite to one of the back bedrooms?

Any way you look at it, you're going to lose some floor space.

Jonah01

Thank you for such a detailed reply.

I have put some more images on this link.

https://goo.gl/photos/35qYZ5gTRDDV7wW18

I suppose I was hoping for some magical solution so that the staircase wouldn't have to be moved which would then disrupt the box room, the door into the lounge and the under stairs cupboard.

I'm going to have a look at some other houses in our street to find out how they did it.

We were thinking of having a bedroom and en suite above the garage with the en suite backing onto the existing bathroom to pick up the plumbing easily.

Thanks

Doozergirl

It's your bathroom that would be affected, not the bedroom. You can't move the stairs forward because headroom. You can't wind the bottom because lounge .

I suspect you'd have to lose the shower.

Jonah01

So create a landing out of part of the bathroom that would lead round to the new extension?

Doozergirl

Yes. 10 characters:o

phill99

This academic if your foundations for the garage are not adequate for a 2 storey extension. If the garage foundations are only designed to support a single storey garage, it will need to be knocked down and rebuilt with higher spec foundations.

Jonah01

Hi,

I suspect the foundations aren't adequate.

Behind the garage is our kitchen so I probably would rather move than demolish it all.

A neighbour is having a similar extension and they have put in 2 steels inside the garage to support the timber second floor. Hopefully the same can be applied to mine.

Back to the stairs. If we use some of the bathroom surely we would lose all of the bathroom as the current door to it would become the walk way though the shower cubicle. I'm not very good at visualising these things

System

The only way you'll know exactly what you would lose or what the options are for a compliant stair would be to get someone to sit down and draw it out in detail

Jonah01

I think the best solution will be similar to my neighbours.

Bring the stair case back towards the front door and redo above that by eating in to a small section of the box room as to maintain the head room.

This will then go onto a flat landing where we can immediately have a door to the right into the new bedroom.

Just means changing the door and walls near the lounge as the stairs will start earlier.