Not whatever, a serious fire safety risk
Basic Loft Conversion
- Thread starter mikemcg88
- Start date
Not whatever, a serious fire safety risk
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There is always risk in whatever we do. Is the fire risk posed by relatively short term, intermittent use as great as the fire risk when used as a bedroom?
I suggest not.
I suggest not.
The risk of being trapped up there or the risk of the electrics catching fire and bringing the ceiling down at night while everyone snoozes away?
It's a nonsense saying "Well I'm only up there for a few hours". It take less than 2 minutes for a fire to take hold and fill a property with thick smoke, and flash-over in 2 1/2 minutes in an average room
It's a nonsense saying "Well I'm only up there for a few hours". It take less than 2 minutes for a fire to take hold and fill a property with thick smoke, and flash-over in 2 1/2 minutes in an average room
^woody^"Surveyor-in-Chief by appointment to the Royal Household; chief adviser to HM Government on surveying matters; inexhaustible mine of informationon all aspects of building construction said:
perhaps loft ladders should be banned, then, if they lead people into dangerous habits.
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I didn't assume that just putting down some flooring would mean that was Loft Conversion complete. I was merely asking for advice on how to proceed initially.
I am completely new to this so I am looking for advice step by step, as opposed to asking for a massively detailed full start to finish plan for the conversion....getting all the information in one massive message would be too much to take in, given the stage I am currently at.
Mike.
I am completely new to this so I am looking for advice step by step, as opposed to asking for a massively detailed full start to finish plan for the conversion....getting all the information in one massive message would be too much to take in, given the stage I am currently at.
Mike.
^woody^, you are being a bit of an old woman, I agree the OP should take some proper precautions and consider the risks in his escapades however there are thousands if not millions of people with hobby rooms etc and the like in their lofts, their ceilings have not collapsed and they have not burnt to death, when was the last time you heard of someone dying in a fire when they were in the loft playing Scalextric?
I "heard of" 3 fires in the last 12 months that did not spread to the loft because of a protected staircase and closed doors, and floors did not come down because they were properly protected from heat
And one death in 2010 when a fire spread quickly from the ground floor, up the stairs and through half of the first floor
Every one I have spoken with who has had a house fire confirmed that they did not actually plan to have one
So ban hobby rooms in lofts? 
Let's be honest, we're all, every one of us, a bit naughty sometimes. Sometimes we all bend or break the rules, even you Woody.
I bet there isn't a single person here who doesn't occasionally break the speed limit in their car, and at that point it not just themselves they are putting at risk.
I lived in a timber back garden summer house for five months while renovating the house I now live in. I never died in a fire, but I guess some of you guys would have been on the phone to the council. Just for my own protection though!
But also, a couple of fires in the space of a year does not make the risk significant, not when you consider that there are what, 25 million houses in this country.
If the OP knows the rules (and now he does) then we've done our job. He's old enough to make his own decision as to whether he is going to go down the route of a fully building regs compatible conversion, or just stick down some flooring. If he's young and healthy enough and only uses the room during the day, the chances are that even in the unlikely event that a fire does break out, he will be perfectly capable of getting down the ladder before the house is engulfed.
Also, I don't think it's up to the OP to worry about what any potential future purchaser might use the room for. If a future purchaser thinks "Oh, that would make a great bedroom for my eight year old, he'll have no trouble going up and down a ladder every morning and night", you can't really blame the OP. Any future purchaser should be informed of the room's status during purchase and treat it as what it is. Again, if they choose to ignore the rules that's their decision.
I think a bit of perspective is needed and a little bit less self righteousness
I bet there isn't a single person here who doesn't occasionally break the speed limit in their car, and at that point it not just themselves they are putting at risk.
I lived in a timber back garden summer house for five months while renovating the house I now live in. I never died in a fire, but I guess some of you guys would have been on the phone to the council. Just for my own protection though!
But also, a couple of fires in the space of a year does not make the risk significant, not when you consider that there are what, 25 million houses in this country.
If the OP knows the rules (and now he does) then we've done our job. He's old enough to make his own decision as to whether he is going to go down the route of a fully building regs compatible conversion, or just stick down some flooring. If he's young and healthy enough and only uses the room during the day, the chances are that even in the unlikely event that a fire does break out, he will be perfectly capable of getting down the ladder before the house is engulfed.
Also, I don't think it's up to the OP to worry about what any potential future purchaser might use the room for. If a future purchaser thinks "Oh, that would make a great bedroom for my eight year old, he'll have no trouble going up and down a ladder every morning and night", you can't really blame the OP. Any future purchaser should be informed of the room's status during purchase and treat it as what it is. Again, if they choose to ignore the rules that's their decision.
I think a bit of perspective is needed and a little bit less self righteousness
THe point about temperature (b....... hot in summer and b...... cold in winter has been made. Lofts are also frequently damp in winter.
Have you thought about how heavy a fiing cabinet would be, would you want it joining your kids in bed one night with part of the ceiling?
You need to strengthen the floor and insulate the space as a minimum.
Or use the dining room table as most people do.
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