AIBU to think..

[CocacolaMum]

that this is suspicious?

We want some building work doing to our loft. Not a full on conversion but to open up the ceiling in ds' (small) room and create a sleeping area over the room next door which would free up ds' bedroom for lots more storage etc

Had a bloke in to give us a quote and he said (repeatedly) that as we aren't creating a new room as such, we should steer clear of going through building regs to save ourselves a few hundred quid - the first time he said it I just shrugged it off as something to think about but he must have said it 4/5 times!

DH thinks its a great idea to save money, I am a cynical sod who thinks that from a tradesperson point of view the only reason to want to avoid going through building regs and the council would be that I wouldn't want anyone official to be inspecting my work...

So, has watching too many episodes of cowboy builders led to me BU or would you be wary too?

I would be wary of him cutting corners and the room possibly not being safe.

I would be very wary.

Also, if you sell the house, a surveyor could pick up on it and you'd be expected to get it inspected and signed off before the sale went through. By that time the builder would be long gone and you'd be footing the bill for fixing anything they didn't like.

I have no idea about building regs and stuff, but isn't there someone at the council you can check with, to see if it's something which would be covered or not?

I would be very wary indeed. think about getting a second opinion and see what they say about building regs etc

Phone the Council and tell them what you are planning and ask if you require planning permission or a building warrant - you don't have to give your personal details.

I would guess you might need a BW as you are altering the structure of your property, albeit not creating a new room. If you don't look into it and get the work done, if you sell the house, a surveyor will pick the alterations up and you will have to apply for permissions retrospectively which could be a costly headache if what you have done does not comply with building regs.

Goldmantra makes a good point. A neighbour in my street did something like what you did (and she cut through some of the joists in the loft too) without any consent and it was only when she came to sell that she found out that she had to put it back to how it was because she'd rendered it unsellable. Cost a lot of money to fix.

Check your position with the Council, and get three quotes. Don't automatically go with cheapest. Be wary of people who say they'll do it for cash (no VAT), you'll get no come-back if there are any problems. Ask about references from other customers.

When we were thinking of having building work done we went and talked to a planner at the council. They were v useful and it helped us no end. Why not go to the council, explain what you want done and they can advise what permission you need.

When we sold our old house there wasn't building regs in place for our ensuite - as it wasn't required at the time. But we still had to pay for an insurance policy for our buyers should the council retrospectively decide it should have had it. Nuts!

Alternatively it could be that there's no way what you're suggesting could get building regs?

The insanity of some of the things you have to comply with may render it an unworkable solution

Disclaimer: I am not an expert but I do have a loft conversion, which had to have a fully enclosed staircase / fire doors throughout the rest of the house and suchlike