Building Regulations For Loft Conversions

Yes. At different stages during the loft conversion project, an official from the local building control board will likely come around for inspections. This is to ensure that you are actually following the plans you submitted and that every part of your alteration meets with building regulations requirements. At the end of the conversion, the official will come for a final inspection. If everything is in order, you will be issued with a certificate of completion. This certificate shows that your loft was converted in accordance with the building regulations requirements and so safe for the inhabitants.

In the event that you decide to sell off your house in the future, prospective buyers and their solicitors will demand to see this certificate. You may find it difficult, if not impossible to sell your house if you cannot provide a certificate of completion as it is a vital requirement in the UK.

Higher interest rates and the high cost of houses has made it imperative that home owners look for cheaper alternatives when it comes to getting a larger space for their families; and loft conversion is an alternative that provides tons of benefits. If you have a house in Brighton and want to convert your loft into the usable space you need. What better company to use that one that is known for making sure loft conversions meet with all the necessary requirements?

If after talking to your local building control authority, you find out that you do need building regulations approval, you can apply immediately to your local building control board.

If applying in person is not possible, you can visit the building control/ planning website and complete an online registration.

First find out what your project fee will be (if any) and how you can make payment. The process can typically be done in person there at your local building control office, via email, snail mail or even phone.

Your application will need to contain a copy of your new building plans for inspection.

On the other hand, you will not need to apply for building regulations approval if all you intend to do is install lights and power in an existing loft space as long as the electrical work is done by a qualified electrician who is registered with a competent person’s scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT.

If your conversion is minor and carries no detailed plans, it means there will be nothing to inspect and approve. All you need is to give notice, typically 48 hours before commencement of the project. Once your notice is accepted, you can start work.

But in the event that you have elaborate plans that have to be thoroughly examined before approval is given, it may take some time. By law, the council must give approval within 5 weeks of receiving your application unless you demand for an extension. Note the 5 weeks is usually an extreme as if it is to be approved, it will be approved in less than 5 weeks.

Note that approval for building plans or modifications typically last for three years. This means that you have within this period to commence and finish your project. If you don’t start work within this time, the council has the right to serve you a notice demanding that you submit a fresh application for the same purpose.

Understand that approval for building regulation can be rejected. There are several reasons why this can happen but the most common is that your planned modification does not meet with the technical requirements for building regulations. For example, building regulations require that the minimum head height for loft conversion should be at least 2 metres; your application could be rejected if your loft does not meet this minimum head height requirement.

There is a good chance of your plans getting turned down if it doesn’t meet the technical specifications outlined in the building regulations guidelines but your local building control officer will likely work with you to resolve the problem so that your proposed plans can meet with the needed specifications and so that you can be given approval.

However, if you building or alteration plans are rejected, the building control board will issue a list of items indicating the areas where your plan is in contravention with the regulations. You can then make the proper amendments and resubmit your plans.

In order to avoid the to and fro of submission and rejection, it is wise to work with a conversion expert from the very start who will work with you through the planning process so that your proposals meet the necessary parts of the building regulations.

If you are planning for a loft conversion but have failed to secure building regulations approval for your proposals, give us a call on 01273 257450, our experts will be happy to work with you in crafting a new proposal.

As earlier established, it doesn’t matter whether you need planning permission or not, your loft conversion has to meet with building regulations approval. This is to ensure that the work you do in your house is structurally sound and safe for the inhabitants. There are specific regulations that depend on the type and scale of your conversion but specifically, building regulations will affect the following areas:

• Fire safety – this specifies that you install fire resistant doors in your converted loft to make the room fire safe. You will also have to install smoke detectors all through the house.
• Structural integrity – this specifies that you make sure your house is strong enough to bear the extra weight a conversion will add. Of course, this extra weight will be very little considering that you are simply converting an existing loft not making an addition, but the regulations state that you check the floor and beams to see that they are strong enough for the new loft. Where the house is not strong enough to carry the extra weight, structural adjustments may be necessary.
• Access – building regulations demand that stairs be installed to provide escape in case of a fire. Ladders and retractable stairs will not work. A fire escape door will have to be installed either at the top or at the bottom of the stairs that lead other the house. This is to provide another source of escape separate from the fire escape windows in the loft.
• Insulation – building regulations specify a particular insulation level for thermal and sound. It is important that your new loft does not lose heat at the floor, wall joining and roof. It is also important that the room is properly insulated against noise in order to prevent distractions to other inhabitants of the house and neighborhood.

This list is not conclusive as there are many more things to take into consideration when planning for loft conversion that meets with building regulations approval. You can get more information on building regulations by visiting the planning portal website, or you can call Clifton Hill & Montpelier Brighton on 01273 257450for expert advice.

It is never a good idea to proceed with a loft conversion when you have not gotten building regulations approval. In the same vein, not complying with building regulations can expose you to a lot of legal problems. For one thing, your local building council can alter or tear down the work if they judge it to be below the approved standard.

If you insist on proceeding with the alterations and consistently fail to meet with the approved standards, it can lead to legal action that may result into a fine. And in the event of a fatal accident that occurs as a result of non compliance with building regulations, you stand the risk of facing criminal charges.

Apart from planning permission and building regulations approval, there are also other permissions you may need in order to carry out loft conversion. The most common of these is known as Party Wall Agreement.

If your loft conversion or any other home improvement project you want to carry out will affect the wall you share with a neighbor, you will need to have the Party Wall Agreement. This is an agreement between you and your neighbor that specifies how the work will be done so that it does not endanger your neighbor’s property. A Party Wall Agreement contains a summary of your proposed project, copies of your plan and how long it is expected to take. This documentation will be shared with your neighbor who will give approval for the work to commence.

You can find samples of a Party Wall Agreement online or speak to our experts who can get one for you. Once your neighbor is satisfied with the terms of the agreement, they will sign their agreement. Your neighbor also have the right to get an independent opinion before signing the agreement, but you must get their approval before starting the loft conversion project.

You can get more information about the Party Wall Act of 1966 by visiting the UK government’s building planning website.

It is never a good idea to depart from the approved building regulations plan, but in a situation where this is absolutely necessary, it is vital that you discuss the proposed changes with your local building control surveyor or planning officer. You may be required to submit a new plan that contains the amendments because at the end of the day, the work must comply with the building regulations requirements.

The building regulations are made up of a series of parts or sections and each of these parts is supported by approved documents which contain the necessary requirements and technical guidelines on how to fulfill the regulations.

While you are under no obligation to follow the technical guidelines as exactly stated in the approved documents, it does give you the preferred template to work with. In addition to that, depending on the scale of your project, you may also want to refer some other important documents such as the British Standards, British Standards Codes of Practice, Technical Certificates and Approved Technical Specification, Harmonized European Standards.

That your design follows the approved documents is a show of compliance which will earn you points with the local building council but if you decide not to follow the technical guidelines, your plan has to show some other means by which the building regulations will be met.

Some of these details go beyond the purview of a layman which is why you need an expert for your loft conversion project. Experts at Clifton Hill & Montpelier in Brighton will be able to walk you through the application process so that you come up with a plan that meets with the approval of building regulations.

It is common knowledge that some form of permission is required for modifications or extensions to a property, but because loft conversion is considered to be permitted development, you may not need to get planning permission in order to have one done. However, even though you are free to carry out loft conversion in your house, it is your responsibility to make sure that the conversion process meets with the set standard for design and construction of buildings known as Building Regulations.

When you apply for planning permission, you are letting the council know that you want to carry out alteration on an existing building which will give it a different look or design from what is on the existing plans. Planning permission is important as it helps the city control the use of land, appearance of structures and how it affects the system on ground.

Depending on the type of alteration you want to carry out on your home, you may be required to apply for planning permission even if it is a loft conversion. For this reason, it is important you find out before time if you will require planning permission for your loft conversion or not.

If you intend to carry out internal alteration such as installing or modifying the electrical system, ventilation, drainage or any other modification that will affect the structural integrity of the building, you will definitely require approval from the Building Regulations. Because it can be difficult to determine which of the two you need, it is best you speak with someone at your local building control board or planning authority.