Downstairs Toilet Room

Runningfast

Hi,

My hall is large for the size of the house and as such has lots of dead space.  I have been thinking about ways to improve its functionality and one of my consideration is to add a downstairs toilet room (could really do with a second toilet to be honest).

Before I start getting quotes from builders etc. Does anyone know if there is a minimum size that the toilet room has to be?  Will I need to apply for Building Control approval?
The rough plan is to place it in the corner of the hall as you enter through the front door.  2 stud walls would need to be erected to create the room the toilet waste pipe would exit through the side of the house and join the existing soil stack which is only a couple of metres away so no new drains are required.

Anyone know if a minimum room size exists and where this project would fall under building control requirements?

Thanks

lesalanos

The project will definitely fall under building control.

From experience the council building control team are always approachable and will advise of any requirements.  Some councils I believe want the room to be accessible for wheelchair users but not all  

You will need a window or extractor fan in there for ventilation and also a sink.

Best to give them a call before filling the forms in and spending £

Runningfast

In reply to Lesalanos:

Thanks, I have actually phoned the council for advice but had no response other than an email saying fill this online form out and we will provide a quote to sign off your works  (I guess they will be working form home at the moment and that is just the admin team responding).  I'm basically at the stage of trying to research as much as I can to work out if the project is viable in terms of the space I want to allocate.

If I place it where I am thinking then there is already an openable window (currently with obscure glazing) there so that window would form part of the new room.  The other reason for putting it where I want is that the existing soil stack runs on that side of the house so it's easy to connect to the existing drains without needing to dig the drive up.

I have read Approved Document M but I am unsure how strict that is as there are new builds in this area with toilet rooms in the same place but are smaller than the rooms shown in Diagram 1.3 and 1.4 of the approved document (friends live there and have measured the room dimensions for me).

lesalanos

Its a shame you cannot speak to the bc officers before handing over your £.  From memory I think I paid around £200 for similar but I had to dig down to install new drains too.

Minimum size from Google appears to be 1.3m x 0.7 but the bc team can confirm.  Ring again and ask to speak to the officers.

Consider too the angle of the waste is sufficient too if you are joining the existing stack 

Doozergirl

Part M only applies to new builds.  There's no minimum size for you. 

As someone has said above, Building Control would check there's a sink to go with the loo and that there's an extractor fan.  They'll want a certificate from your electrician for the alterations to create the additional lighting.   You don't need a window. 

FreeBear

Doozergirl said: Building Control would check there's a sink to go with the loo

If space is real tight, you can get a space saving toilet that has a sink built in to the lid of the cistern. The water drains in to the cistern where it can be reused next time the loo is flushed. By all accounts, the sink is pretty rubbish, but it satisfies the requirement.

Runningfast

Doozergirl said:

Part M only applies to new builds.  There's no minimum size for you. 

As someone has said above, Building Control would check there's a sink to go with the loo and that there's an extractor fan.  They'll want a certificate from your electrician for the alterations to create the additional lighting.   You don't need a window. 

Thanks,   I wasn't sure with Approved Document M and whether that applied to my project.  Couldn't work out if because I was putting in a room that currently doesn't exist then that room had to comply with the guidance in the document.

Yes the room would have also have a sink.  My plan is for just a down stairs toilet and washbasin though there would actually be space for a shower too if I wanted to turn it in to a 2nd bathroom etc. As explained to the previous poster the room would naturally include an openable window just because one (with obscure glazing) is there already.  I can include an extractor also if I had to without must hassle as the house due to undergo a rewire from March/April so it shouldn't be a major hassle for the electrician to add a few things. 

Runningfast

lesalanos said:

Its a shame you cannot speak to the bc officers before handing over your £.  From memory I think I paid around £200 for similar but I had to dig down to install new drains too.

Minimum size from Google appears to be 1.3m x 0.7 but the bc team can confirm.  Ring again and ask to speak to the officers.

Consider too the angle of the waste is sufficient too if you are joining the existing stack 

Thanks.  I'll send them an email and see if I can get a reply.  It would be good for them to confirm the exact details.

The angle of the waste should be fine I've already checked that out (drew a chalk line on the side of the house from where the new waste would exit through the wall).  Also,  my drains are combined surface and foul water (all the properties are on this estate are) so the sink water is easily disposed off also as it all goes in to the same drain.

Doozergirl

Runningfast said:

lesalanos said:

Its a shame you cannot speak to the bc officers before handing over your £.  From memory I think I paid around £200 for similar but I had to dig down to install new drains too.

Minimum size from Google appears to be 1.3m x 0.7 but the bc team can confirm.  Ring again and ask to speak to the officers.

Consider too the angle of the waste is sufficient too if you are joining the existing stack 

Thanks.  I'll send them an email and see if I can get a reply.  It would be good for them to confirm the exact details.

The angle of the waste should be fine I've already checked that out (drew a chalk line on the side of the house from where the new waste would exit through the wall).  Also,  my drains are combined surface and foul water (all the properties are on this estate are) so the sink water is easily disposed off also as it all goes in to the same drain.

Sink water always goes to foul.  

Surface water is rainwater.

Again, there is no minimum size in an existing home where Part M didn't apply when it was built.  If you don't have a downstairs toilet then Part M doesn't apply because if it did, you'd already have one!  

I suspect building control will want money to tell you anything.  LA Inspectors are often keener to tell you what you've done wrong rather than offer any proactive advice, even when they're on site.   You're better off just putting the application in and getting on with it.  

Supersonos

lesalanos said:

The project will definitely fall under building control.

Why will it fall under building control?

I recently changed some rooms around - essentially swapping our utility room and downstairs toilet.  Should I have got the work checked out by the council?

Doozergirl

Supersonos said:

lesalanos said:

The project will definitely fall under building control.

Why will it fall under building control?

I recently changed some rooms around - essentially swapping our utility room and downstairs toilet.  Should I have got the work checked out by the council?

The requirements for those rooms are essentially the same, but in theory, yes, if relevant changes were required to meet regs.    We're not talking about ground breaking stuff though.