Three storey Victorian Terrace question

Calidad

Thanks for all the advice.

Just to clarify, there are three exits - one at the back of the house, (kitchen to the garden) and then two at the front - street level and lower street level.

So if there was a fire on the lower level, you have two exits and if on one of the the other two levels, there is an exit on at street level too. So three exits in total.

Re stairs: Conversion was not done by current owner and they have an indemnity in place. They have said they have no problems regarding insurance. But it seems the owner at the time (2007) did not obtain building reg permission when they converted the lower ground floor.

I would plan to put a rail in however regardless.

need_an_answer

Are you going to be living there on your own?

I still cant help but think this isn't a property where you would have children in,or indeed overnight guests.I'm thinking its not even a place I could invite my parent to...simply because of the layout of those stairs.

If im thinking out loud like this a potential purchaser might well do the same when you come to sell.No amount of indemnity policies or building regulations would even tempt me or anyone of sane mind to not do something drastic to encase those stairs. I don't even look at the fire hazard I'm just looking at it from a special awareness point of view...even a night out when you might come home just a little wobbly and theres nothing to encase you should you stumble when you just pop downstairs for a glass of water!

The current owners haven't been there huge amounts of time since 2016 from what I see...and they've not done much other than a few coats of paint in a lot of areas to brighten and lift things

Calidad

need_an_answer wrote: »

Are you going to be living there on your own?

I still cant help but think this isn't a property where you would have children in,or indeed overnight guests.I'm thinking its not even a place I could invite my parent to...simply because of the layout of those stairs.

If im thinking out loud like this a potential purchaser might well do the same when you come to sell.No amount of indemnity policies or building regulations would even tempt me or anyone of sane mind to not do something drastic to encase those stairs. I don't even look at the fire hazard I'm just looking at it from a special awareness point of view...even a night out when you might come home just a little wobbly and theres nothing to encase you should you stumble when you just pop downstairs for a glass of water!

The current owners haven't been there huge amounts of time since 2016 from what I see...and they've not done much other than a few coats of paint in a lot of areas to brighten and lift things

Me and my girlfriend.

Two points:

I will be putting a rail up - probably a glass one either side. This I want to do for practical reasons and I would do so as soon as I move in.

2) When you enter at street level, you enter the front reception room. You then have a landing with a bathroom on the other side and a stairway (encased within two walls) up to the bedrooms. That’s perfectly conventional.

The stairway that you and others are rightly highlighting is between the ground floor and lower ground floor (which contains the kitchen/separate dining area).

Cakeguts

Calidad wrote: »

Me and my girlfriend.

Two points:

I will be putting a rail up - probably a glass one either side. This I want to do for practical reasons and I would do so as soon as I move in.

2) When you enter at street level, you enter the front reception room. You then have a landing with a bathroom on the other side and a stairway (encased within two walls) up to the bedrooms. That’s perfectly conventional.

The stairway that you and others are rightly highlighting is between the ground floor and lower ground floor (which contains the kitchen/separate dining area).

I am assuming that there is no downstairs toilet? So if you are in the kitchen you need to go up 1 floor to go to the loo?



It has effectively got a downstairs bathroom which puts a lot of buyers off. The reason being that you have to go downstairs if you need the loo in the night.



I know I don't have to live there but I wouldn't buy it under any circumstances because it has all the problems that put most buyers off with good reason.



If you have visitors do they sit in the sitting room? Or the dining room? What if they are in the sitting room? Unlike a normal house you have to go down a flight of stairs to make them a cup of tea?

Calidad

Cakeguts wrote: »

I am assuming that there is no downstairs toilet? So if you are in the kitchen you need to go up 1 floor to go to the loo?



It has effectively got a downstairs bathroom which puts a lot of buyers off. The reason being that you have to go downstairs if you need the loo in the night.



I know I don't have to live there but I wouldn't buy it under any circumstances because it has all the problems that put most buyers off with good reason.


If you have visitors do they sit in the sitting room? Or the dining room? What if they are in the sitting room? Unlike a normal house you have to go down a flight of stairs to make them a cup of tea?

Correct. But what you have to remember is that a large proportion (I would say comfortably the majority) have bathrooms downstairs, often as an extension onto the back of the kitchen.

Thanks for your feedback. It’s appreciated. Food for thought.

need_an_answer

Calidad wrote: »

Me and my girlfriend.

Two points:

I will be putting a rail up - probably a glass one either side. This I want to do for practical reasons and I would do so as soon as I move in.

2) When you enter at street level, you enter the front reception room. You then have a landing with a bathroom on the other side and a stairway (encased within two walls) up to the bedrooms. That’s perfectly conventional.

The stairway that you and others are rightly highlighting is between the ground floor and lower ground floor (which contains the kitchen/separate dining area).

I can see the floor plan and yes that's exactly as I saw it,a bathroom on the middle level with a reception room.
If you want a drink or food then its down those dangerous stairs to the kitchen.

You and your girlfriend...ok...so your of an age where a family may at some stage be considered....


You may love it but I think you'll tire of the place quickly once you start to live with the layout
not the house for children!

Owain_Moneysaver

AdrianC wrote: »

It doesn't need to meet current BR.

Did it at the time it was installed/modified? I have no idea. But one thing's for sure, there's no enforcement going to be possible against it unless it was very recently done.

It didn't need to meet current regs when modified provided that the work done was not less compliant than the existing.

Which clearly is not the case.

And enforcement action against a staircase with no guarding is possible without limit of time as it is dangerous. The cost of that may be covered by an indemnity policy, but broken legs won't be.