A few questions, if anyone can help-

How far retrospectively does "old" conversion work have to be undone/re-done
to meet Building Regulations if upgrading an existing loft conversion?

We have a conversion done by a previous owner of the house, at least 20 yrs
ago. They didn't get consent or certification, but it was probably up to the
standards of the time. The floor is sound, the walls are plasterered and
papered, and there are 13 amp sockets. There are Velux windows, but over 2
metres from the roof edge. The floor does not contain fire-proofing and new
joists were placed at 90 deg to the old, to support the floorboards.

However, if we "change the use" of this loft space, we have been told we
will have to strip out the entire space including replacing the original
floor joists (so also the ceilings attached to them), moving the Velux
windows, boxing-in the top of the stairs etc to meet current building regs.
The problem is that because the owners in 1985 didn't register the work ( ie
to the Council, we have a "virgin" loft), *anything* we do is a change of
use.

The fact that we've replaced the old staircase which was way too steep and
had no headroom, with a safe staircase meeting modern standards of angle,
bannister and headroom means we can now use the rooms up there much more
easily, and would like to insulate the roof to keep them warmer. But it has
been suggested that I'm already in deep trouble for even daring to use my
loft rooms, and that any further work must include changes to the whole
house (door closers on all internal doors and mains fire-detection systems
have been mentioned) as well as the total gutting of the loft mentioned
above. All I wish to do is make an EXISTING conversion a bit more
comfortable, so is all or any of this correct?? and if I just use my loft as
it always has been used, what if anything can the authorities do?

Duncan

On Tue, 6 Sep 2005 23:14:23 +0000 (UTC), a particular chimpanzee named
"Duncan"  randomly hit the keyboard and
produced:


>We have a conversion done by a previous owner of the house, at least 20 yrs
>ago. 

<Snip>

>All I wish to do is make an EXISTING conversion a bit more
>comfortable, so is all or any of this correct?? and if I just use my loft as
>it always has been used, what if anything can the authorities do?


The local authority cannot take any enforcement action under the
Building Regulations for any work carried out more than 12 months
previously.  There is a theoretical chance that an injunction could be
brought for a dangerous building, but the chances of that happening
are slightly less than being struck by lightening whilst going to
collect your lottery jackpot.  A 'Regularisation Certificate' cannot
be applied for work carried out prior to November 1985.

Why would you need to strip out the existing floor if it's
structurally sound?  Or do you mean that the joists are resting on the
existing ceiling joists?  If the latter, then you should be aware that
they will not be adequate to support anything more than their own
weight.

As for the requirements for fire safety, do a Google Groups search for
loft conversions, and the desirability of having a habitable room on
the second floor with no fire resisting enclosure. Building
Regulations requirements are (mostly) there not for bureaucratic
reasons, but for life safety.
-- 
Hugo Nebula
  "If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
   just how far from the pack have you strayed?"