Building control?

[vbottles]

Hi I'm hoping someone here can help answer a question regarding a kitchen extension on our house. We want to take out a wall onto a corridor to increase the width of the room. The issue is we have a doorway leading to stairs for an upstairs bedroom coming off this corridor.
This means we would have a doorway coming off the kitchen leading to loft conversion and downstairs bathroom.
Where can I find rules for building control so I can find out what's ok and what's not?
Andrew

 

[Bobtail4x4]

what do you need to know?
Im a bco (in yorkshire)

 

[vbottles]

What are the requirements for doors coming off kitchens if they are the only means of escape for upstairs rooms?
Andrew

 

[gaz1]

would it be something like this corridor like a hallway to the stairs

my advice be careful with walls as the upsatairs floors sit on them and they are normally double beamed on some layouts the bedroom floor sits on the wall and the other side the bathroom floor sits on the wall

from the stairs corridor looking at kitchen door



inside of room to the right is the staircase left side is the kitchen



this shows a new support beam for the floor running to the outside wall



this final pic shows the wall rebuilt as the staircase has to be supported again as thats also a different supported area
beam sat on a pad stone where the hole is in the wall at top of picture

 

[Bobtail4x4]

all first floor habitable rooms should have an escape corridoor to external air, if you HAVE to go through another room, its usually ok to have escape windows to climb out of,
not the ideal situation but workable.

 

[vbottles]

Thanks Bobtail that clearly states the issues and possible solutions. Its a 1930's bungalow with a central corridor with rooms leading off, with a loft conversion added later. Will have a look at what types of windows needed for upstairs.
Andrew

 

[Bobtail4x4]

dare I ask where you are?

it may be my area....

 

[Bobtail4x4]

dont do this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/ar...rer-refused-pay-said-7-bedrooms-not-five.html

 

[indy4x]

I am no expert but do have a little experience however you should ideally talk to someone who is competent

We have a house that was originally a 2 up 2 down end of terraced property. A few years after buying it we had plans drawn up to extend on the side making it a 4 bedroom property with a new large lounge downstairs. Additionally we also had planning to do the loft conversion at the same time.

It we had completed the work to convert the loft into a habitable room then from the loft to the outside had to be a self contained corridor to external air to meet BC regs, i.e. you were not permitted to use any other room as a passage to get out (Torfaen Council). If we didn't complete the work and only had the 1st floor rooms habitable this wasn't required. We ended up doing the prep work by fitting dormer trusses, velux windows etc so all any future buyer would have to do was install the staircase to the loft (EDIT: and box in the existing stairs, reinstate the passageway to the front door that we knocked down when carrying out the original renovations back in 99)

Additionally all 1st floor windows had to be bottom opening to act as means of escape (they are tall windows to replicate what a sash window would look like) and loft gable end window was a side opener and this had to have hinges that allowed full opening of the window so it could also act as a means of escape


As you have a bungalow then 1st floor bedroom shouldn't need corridor to external air as it's no different to a house but regs are always changing so get professional advice

 

[gaz1]

all first floor habitable rooms should have an escape corridoor to external air, if you HAVE to go through another room, its usually ok to have escape windows to climb out of,
not the ideal situation but workable.

its better to have a hallway built and doors to downstairs rooms, a staircase put in for upstairs leading off to the upstairs rooms worth considering is an upstairs bathroom as well