Reguation covering renovating an existing loft room If you want to know how your DIY projects could be affected by building and planning regulations, click here to post questions and view answers

[James666PKR]

Hi all, I'm a newbie to this forum but think it is going to become a staple for me whilst I'm renovating my new house.

I officially move in on Friday (renovation project) which I need to insulate throughout and install new kitchen/bathroom fixtures, possibly heating etc. Whilst I've been able to find out about which renovations I am going to need to seek building regs approval for, I cannot find anything online about the following...

The terraced stone house, already has a loft room (with little, if any) insulation in the roof. It has one skylight already fitted, but I may fit another to improve the light. It has an existing stairway which leads down into the 1st floor landing (so has a direct emergency route out). It currently has more than 2.2m height from floor to centre of the pitched ceiling (so sufficient height), but quite a steep roof pitch, therefore not 'loads' of standing area before the roof gets too low at the sides.

As far as I can tell, assuming I can get sufficient insulation fitted, it would meet building regs. However, the house was not sold with it being a bedroom (just storage), and it never had building reg approval (but the vendor said that the property has had this loft room since they bought it decades ago).

To treat it as a bedroom when I sell the property, would I have to get 'retrospective' building reg approval, or can I just treat it as a bedroom as it stands?

Thanks in advance to all of you.

[stoneyboy]

Hi james666pkr
You could do what your seller has done and call it a storage room whilst it is used as a bedroom. If you want it to officially become a habitable room you will need BR’s so you will need to prove structural suitability and a fire protected escape route will be needed. There is certain to be other requirements so talk to your local BR dept.
Regards S

[James666PKR]

Thanks! Yes I was thinking that would be the case. The vendors thought the loft room had been there since it was constructed in the 1900s which I thought was pretty far fetched (I've not heard of loft rooms that old) so wondered whether I was overthinking things. But, I doubt I have after your comment.

I'll have to see what they have to say. Thanks for your response.