Building regulations and non-compliance

dan23

We've had a loft extension and everything was fine until the building control comes around and says that for a protected fire exit, we now have to put in a wall downstairs to separate the entrance hall and stairs from our beautiful big living room, taking a lot of space away. Ouch.
The builder has suggested we could simply not comply for now and not worry about getting the job signed off by the building control inspector. If and when we want to sell the house, we could then put in the 'orrible wall, get the job signed off and sell.
Our worry is not that we don't feel safe, there's smoke alarms everywhere. But we worry that if we're not complying with the regulations and there is a fire which then spreads and causes more damage than it would have with the wall in place...we'd be in trouble with the insurance who wouldn't pay up.

Any ideas? Very worried,
Dan

Fred1_2

I'll have to check with a friend who's just had a loft conversion done and has been through the building inspector scenario, but I would have thought that something as major as that would have been picked up at the planning stage not at the final inspection. TBH, I would have expected the builder to be able to guess that the lack of wall would be a problem.

dan23

Hi, thanks. I don't know why it wasn't picked up at the early stages. But there was a phrase in the plans about us promising to "comply with the building regs." Like a blank cheque...if only we'd realized that at the time. If your friend can shed any light, would be very grateful.

chappers

Any architecht or builder who didn't make you aware of the requirement for a protected escape route really wasn't doing their job properly.
There is always the possible option of protecting the property with a sprinkler system.
As Frdv said though this should have been picked up at the planning situation .I take it your builder worked under abuilding notice rather than getting full plans approval, otherwise building regs would have picked this up right at the start.