Minimum height for living space?

ellectrastar

Is there a minimum height that a room can be classed as liveable space? I have a place where there is a second floor that has proper stairs leading to it and a bed there but it's being claimed it's not a second floor because you can't stand up? You can in the central area but the roof is pitched so head height is reduced. But it's still a liveable space?  

user1977

"It's being claimed" by whom? It's pretty commonplace for rooms to have areas with restricted headroom, it doesn't mean the whole room is deemed not to be a habitable room. What's the context here - are you selling, or what?

DullGreyGuy

Its complex, ironically since the regs were simplified in 1985.

There is only a prescribed height above stairs which is 2m. For the rest it comes down to the percentage of the floor needing to be certain heights. So for the whole property 75% must be above 2.3m (or 2.5m London) but areas under 1.5m dont count as floor space. For individual rooms then at least 2m for 50% 

Obv regs change over time but generally you only need to have been compliant at time of building/conversion not at all times. 

Herzlos

If you can't stand up in it you can't really call it a living space. It may be fine for a bed but it'd almost certainly need to be classed as a loft space.

stuart45

The regs for ceiling heights only apply to new builds. When building an extension you often need to match an existing ceiling height. Some old cottages are less than 2000mm. 

user1977

Herzlos said:

If you can't stand up in it you can't really call it a living space. 

OP says "you can in the central area" though. Which is pretty commonplace for top floors.

stuart45

Estate agents and surveyors have their guidelines to follow for ceiling heights when it comes to advertising the property. There's no Building regs as such for ceiling heights. Even on new builds there's only national standards. Obviously, no house builder is going to build with 7ft ceilings, but for a self build there's no regs to stop someone going lower than the standard 2400mm.

RHemmings

stuart45 said:

Estate agents and surveyors have their guidelines to follow for ceiling heights when it comes to advertising the property. There's no Building regs as such for ceiling heights. Even on new builds there's only national standards. Obviously, no house builder is going to build with 7ft ceilings, but for a self build there's no regs to stop someone going lower than the standard 2400mm.

I thought that for current day loft conversions, that there was a minimum of 2.2m. 

https://the-loftroom.com/our-top-tips-for-low-ceiling-small-loft-conversions/

What ceiling height is required for a loft conversion?

The average ceiling height in the UK is 2.4m (8ft) meaning the issue of a low ceiling doesn’t apply to most. That said, there are still many properties that have lofts that fall below the minimum height for a loft conversion.

Building regulations for a loft conversion require a minimum ceiling height of 2.2m (7.2ft) to comply with health and safety standards. If your ceiling height in the loft space is less than this, it may not be possible to convert it into a living space.

stuart45

RHemmings said:

stuart45 said:

Estate agents and surveyors have their guidelines to follow for ceiling heights when it comes to advertising the property. There's no Building regs as such for ceiling heights. Even on new builds there's only national standards. Obviously, no house builder is going to build with 7ft ceilings, but for a self build there's no regs to stop someone going lower than the standard 2400mm.

I thought that for current day loft conversions, that there was a minimum of 2.2m. 

https://the-loftroom.com/our-top-tips-for-low-ceiling-small-loft-conversions/

What ceiling height is required for a loft conversion?

The average ceiling height in the UK is 2.4m (8ft) meaning the issue of a low ceiling doesn’t apply to most. That said, there are still many properties that have lofts that fall below the minimum height for a loft conversion.

Building regulations for a loft conversion require a minimum ceiling height of 2.2m (7.2ft) to comply with health and safety standards. If your ceiling height in the loft space is less than this, it may not be possible to convert it into a living space.

It depends how people interpret the regs. For example this one says there is no minimum.
What’s the UK’s standard ceiling height for houses, extensions and loft conversions? (designsindetail.com)
To be realistic on a loft conversion you would need that height at least to make it practical, but I can't see it written in the regs in my book, apart from the 2000mm headroom for the stairs.