Material Alteration of Existing Attic Bedroom

Hi all,

Looks like this happens all the time so forgive yet another building regs post.

We have a three-storey terraced house. The house was built around 1890 and featured a bedroom in the attic and a complete staircase...none of this was added.

In January of this year, we stripped the attic and insulated it. We moved the stud wall 1m further into the main room, removed the small door to the storage room and replaced it with a full-size door. The intention was to keep it as a storage room and do something with it in the future.

Upon completing this work, we'd created an inner room with no windows but the space was actually larger and more usable than expected. We added some Velux windows and it became even more liveable.

At that point, we decided to seal up what had been the existing storage door (replaced with a full-size door) and create two separate rooms, both with access to the main staircase.

You can see images of the area and what we've done with it here: https://imgur.com/a/dmPPozQ

Having two separate rooms on the top floor, I asked the council what would be required to have the house reclassified as a four-bed but they told me my works qualified as a 'material alternation' and that I should have contacted an architect and submited a planning application.

I was told I could rectify this issue via a site visit that would cost £475 or so, but I'm not sure the space is compliant with building regs or if I even need to do anything as all we've done is rebuild a stud wall and added a doorway.

Having reviewed Part B of the building regs, I think that it is just a case of installing fire doors to all bedrooms on the first and second floor?

I've seen some other options around linked, mains-powered smoke alarms but reviewing the part b docs this doesn't seem to be a legitimate option. There is an alternative exit on the top floor onto a small flat roof but there is nowhere to go from there other than leaping onto the neighbour's flat roof. Assume this won't fly with the council?

I contacted a surveyor but they won't get involved as the work has already been completed.

It's not clear what you want to do.

If you are saying this is original from 1890, then you don's need to do anything.

So what are you actually applying to do? Are you making any alterations to the existing layouts? If not then it's hard to see what you can actually apply for.

^woody^ said:

It's not clear what you want to do.

If you are saying this is original from 1890, then you don's need to do anything.

So what are you actually applying to do? Are you making any alterations to the existing layouts? If not then it's hard to see what you can actually apply for.

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Post updated to clarify.

Top floor bedroom, storage room and stairs all built in 1890.

This year, we rebuilt a stud wall, insulated the room, added some Velux windows and installed 2x new doorways. This has converted one large room and the storage room into two rooms, both with direct access to the stairs. I'd like to know what's required so that I can insure the place and/or sell it as a four-bed.

Building regs wont apply unless you are altering (making worse) the existing means of escape arrangements from the existing room - ie if both rooms exit onto the landing its OK.

I would take the view, as it appears so have your local authority, that it is a material alteration for the purposes of Part B of the building regulations due to the increased accommodation of the second floor. The fee will be for a Regularisation certificate and you will need to satisfy B Control the work complies with the regs applicable at the time of construction. Part B would have required fire doors to the stairwell and hard wired interconnected smoke detection on all floors in circulation spaces, as an alternative they may accept the existing doors if they are solid timber and well fitting but with the addition of smoke detectors to every room opening onto the stairs.
Sticking to the letter of the law you should provide plans of the work, personally I've never asked for them but your LA may very well insist on these.
There may be other implications for structural work, thermal insulation etc though its difficult to establish from your description.

Thanks for the help guys. We've got an application in-flight due to extending downstairs anyway so could perhaps wrap up any submitted plans as part of that work.

John Peden said:

Thanks for the help guys. We've got an application in-flight due to extending downstairs anyway so could perhaps wrap up any submitted plans as part of that work.

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I don't know about your LA, but I always advise the owner just to leave everything as is until I carry out the first visit, then there is no confusion as to what may need exposing altering etc, there's no limit on the number of inspections. I've never requested plans, neither have any of my colleagues, but you may get a jobsworth, although strictly speaking they should be required in all cases.

Never had to do any applications when adapting local authority stock such as this - that's with the LA building control oversight too. Not controlled work.

You will be in for a ton of pointless nonsense if you start trying to conform to current regulations.

^woody^ said:

Never had to do any applications when adapting local authority stock such as this - that's with the LA building control oversight too. Not controlled work.

You will be in for a ton of pointless nonsense if you start trying to conform to current regulations.

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As I said some local authorities may take a different interpretation, but as the number of rooms has increased and the area of habitable floor space, I would take the view it is a material alteration for part B, it would also appear that the OP's local authority takes the same view.

Edit - setting aside any arguments on whether or not the additional room or floor space constitutes a material alteration, the addition of a door from a habitable room to a staircase directly affect means of escape, so I'm afraid on this point alone its a material alteration.

Floor space has remained the same, and as mentioned as long as the existing means of escape has not been made worse, then no app required.

^woody^ said:

Floor space has remained the same, and as mentioned as long as the existing means of escape has not been made worse, then no app required.

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I'm afraid you'll find that the installation of the door IS a material alteration. Presumably you would apply the same argument to a structural alteration and say they are all exempt,?

Really? A door, any door in any circumstance requires an application?

^woody^ said:

Really? A door, any door in any circumstance requires an application?

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No thats not what I said, if it's a material alteration where there are Part B requirements, in this case its to a staircase in a dwelling with a floor level in excess of 4.5m above ground level, therefore there is a requirement for it to be fire resistant.
Material alterations similarly apply to alterations under Part A and M so you may also ask for an app if the doorway is structural or there are Part M implications.