DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Currently enjoying a bit of a discussion with local planning department. We have found out that the builders who did the loft conversion had a history of non-compliance with regulations and have since disappeared.

The major issue is that the escape window is very slightly over the 1700 max distance from the eaves, meaning that a rescuer on a ladder would be unable to reach someone hanging out of the escape window.

However, the ground floor has a small extension with pitched roof, meaning that to clear this, a ladder would have to be placed further out from the bottom of the wall to rest on the eaves of the first floor and consequently would reach further over the eaves towards the loft than would normally be the case.

Does anyone have any advice/precedents for this? have we got a case to argue???

Where abouts are you? As in England and Wales the requirement for an escape window to a loft conversion was removed 3 years ago and you now need to have a "protected route" internally - ie all doors onto the hall stairs and landing are to be 20 minute fire doors and lead directly to out side (or protected 2 alternate routes at ground floor level).

The issue I'd have with the ladder is question at what angle the ladder needs to be as if too steep that that could be an issue for falling.

We are in England. Conversion was done in march 2006 so don't know if that predates new regs? Inspectors certainly haven't raised the issue of protected routes.

A builder friend told me that a standard rule of thumb is 1 metre out for every 4 up?