Are loft conversions still subject to building regs?

[ICanSmellSummerComing]

Just wondering as surely fire doors etc are still relevant?

Yes!

Yes.

But you can check on planningportal dot org dot uk.... think that's the correct site address. Hope that helps - site good starting place for enquiries and forms etc..

I'm googling,one said ...always need them another said some within certain measures don't??

I'm assuming building regs is different to plannings department?
Do you approach building regs first?

I'm worried about someone putting up a. Non regulated attic conversion in part of. Building I own and affecting me re safety and fore doors

Yes - you need Building Regs.
You probably need fire doors.
Planning makes it look nice.
Building Regs make sure it doesn't fall or burn down (generally speaking).

Ring your Local Council Building Control section.

You will FD20 doors and a safe means of escape. Building Control will need to inspect and sign off. Especially if you want to sell in the future.

Planning first. You may not need planning depending on some factors, but you will always need building regs and they are separate departments and in my experience do not talk to each other. Your council planning website will have the info, though it can be very confusing.
Once you find a builder to do the work, they may well have contacts at building control. They (or you) submit the plans (a structural engineer will do these) and the building control bod will do stage inspections and a final sign off. You MUST get this final sign off certificate for when you sell. It will prove you had the work done to the building regulations AT THE TIME. These regs are always changing. You do not have to update existing work to current regs unless you are significantly changing something.

They have spoken to a builders who said it can be done quicky? The attic? I'm conserned if would be a bodge job

We have a loft conversion. We did not need planning permission as we were not altering the roof line - no dormer windows etc.

But it's NOT just fire doors, it's head height up the stair, the type of staircase, the insulation you need and loads of other factors.

You are of course free to ignore building control and do your own thing. But if you have any notions of selling the house at all at any point in the future, it's really worth going through the correct process.

Contact your local council, it might be different in Scotland to England for instance and you didn't specify a country.

I know from looking at rightmove that there are some with loft conversion pictures showing a bed/wardrobes etc but the room cannot be listed if its not been signed off as safe. So you could spend a lot of money converting it but its ignored when you come to being valued/sell.

Building regs always have to be complied with, you just don't always need planning permission. An attic room with a moveable ladder doesn't require them, fixed stairwell does

Yes definitely and make sure you get your paperwork.

We used a local loft conversion company who didn't submit everything to the local planning department. We had assumed it had all been done until we went to sell the house. A real headache and we nearly lost our buyers!

The Planning Portal clicky house is very helpful.

Thank you and do building regs come first?

Or would it get built then ask if it meets building regs?

Our council was supposed to have inspected ours whilst it was ongoing and didn't. They then kicked off about the builder breaching the roof line with the dormer at the back which got quite tense but eventually sorted. Building regs signed off at completion finally.

Building regs comes first AND after. You have to submit your plans to the Building inspector who will say yes or no, and if it's yes, issue a Building Warrant.

You then get the work done, adhering to the plans. The Inspector may want to come out mid-build, ours did twice to look at the insulation and then again near the end to look at the head height.

Then at the end they issue a completion certificate.

The "build it and then ask" approach won't work - how are they going to know what insulation you have used when it's all covered with plasterboard and paint?

Stroop it's not me
It's someone in the building.

I guess it's building regs are needed even without a Dormer?

I'm worried about a doggy one being put in the.n degrading the value of the buildings

Thanks to everyone for the pointers and advise

Do building warrants cost money?

Warrants are only in Scotland.

My advice to you (I used to work in Building Control) is phone your local Building Control section at your Council and have a chat with them - we're generally quite friendly and don't bite They can check to see if they have had an application or an Initial Notice. IF neither have been submitted they will either write to the householder, then follow up with a visit, or call on-site if you tell them work is under construction/builders are on-site.

I'm guessing you live in a house that's been converted to flats? If so, all the necessary compartmentation for fire safety and sound will have been done at the point of conversion.

Do you own the building and are you the freeholder? Does this person lease from you? If that is the case, then surely they need your permission before doing anything of this nature anyway?

If it's a flat (in England) there are no permitted development rights under the planning legislation - they only apply to houses. So it is more likely that planning permission will be required as well as Building Regs.

Do you own the whole building or just another flat? Surely they would need permission from the owner/freeholder before doing any work regardless of planning/BR approvals?