Basic Loft Conversion

[mikemcg88]

Hi Guys, first post on here so be nice

I am looking to have a small office in my loft where I can run my business from. I don't have enough space in my house at the moment to accommodate any office space unfortunately and to purchase office space in Manchester would be very expensive and an expenditure I don't need.

I have done a bit of research already and planning permission is not required, but what I am looking for is some advice with regards to having some laminate flooring up there.

The joists are 3x2inches and go all along the bottom of the floor area and have new insulation in between them which is around 4-5 inches deep. (New insulation fitted 3 months ago)

Please could you advise me as to what steps I need to take before laying my laminate. Any strengthening I may need to do before I go further.

The floor space is around 20 metres squared.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Are you intending on putting a stair up to the loft?

 

[mikemcg88]

Yes I will be doing. It only has a basic steel ladder that pulls down at the moment but I would like to change to a Timber ladder like the one in the link below.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/timber-loft-ladder-and-hatch/invt/191204/

 

[tony1851]

Yes I will be doing.

Then watch this space.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

This one?

 

[grovepark]

As you will have your office up there it will need building regulations for the conversion. You will need to insulate the loft at rafter level, upgrade the floor joists and put in a proper stair (loft ladders are not allowed) you could have a alternating tread/paddle stair if you are short on space.

You will also (assuming you have ground and first floors already) need a protected route out of the building, meaning you may need to upgrade walls and ceilings and doors will need to be changed to fire doors. Smoke detectors will be needed to each floor level.

 

[tony1851]

As you will have your office up there it will need building regulations for the conversion. You will need to insulate the loft at rafter level, upgrade the floor joists and put in a proper stair (loft ladders are not allowed) you could have a alternating tread/paddle stair if you are short on space.

You will also (assuming you have ground and first floors already) need a protected route out of the building, meaning you may need to upgrade walls and ceilings and doors will need to be changed to fire doors. Smoke detectors will be needed to each floor level.

I'm sure he'll be pleased to learn this.

If he's only having a pull-down ladder, will he really need all this stuff? As long as he's not using it as a bedroom, it shouldn't be a safety issue

 

[grovepark]

As you will have your office up there it will need building regulations for the conversion. You will need to insulate the loft at rafter level, upgrade the floor joists and put in a proper stair (loft ladders are not allowed) you could have a alternating tread/paddle stair if you are short on space.

You will also (assuming you have ground and first floors already) need a protected route out of the building, meaning you may need to upgrade walls and ceilings and doors will need to be changed to fire doors. Smoke detectors will be needed to each floor level.

I'm sure he'll be pleased to learn this.

If he's only having a pull-down ladder, will he really need all this stuff? As long as he's not using it as a bedroom, it shouldn't be a safety issue

The fact is you cannot have a loft conversion and have a loft ladder as access! If you want an office up there, it's classed as a habitable room so fire escape is needed, especially as there is nothing to stop a future owner deciding to use it as a kids bedroom.

More info on here:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/loftconversion/

 

[tony1851]

Yeah ,Yeah.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The fact is you cannot have a loft conversion and have a loft ladder as access! If you want an office up there, it's classed as a habitable room so fire escape is needed, especially as there is nothing to stop a future owner deciding to use it as a kids bedroom

When the OP says a loft conversion, I suspect he doesn't really mean a proper compliant loft conversion. In the eyes of Building Control they will not be raised until a proper stair is fitted. Until then its a glorified hobby room.

 

[grovepark]

I'm not trying to cause an argument here, he came and asked advice which I gave for the project of a loft to use as an office.

The below is taken from planning portal website.

Boarding-out for storage

In most homes, the existing timber joists that form the "floor" of the loft space ( i.e. the ceiling of the rooms below) will not have been designed to support a significant weight (known as "load"). The joists tie the pitched members of the roof together to prevent them spreading and support the ceiling lining of the rooms below.

An excessive additional load, for example from storage, it may mean that the joists are loaded beyond their design capacity. If you decide to lay flooring boards over the existing joists in the loft space, then this may require a Building Regulations Application to Building Control. Your local Building Control body will be able to advise you on this issue.

Creating a liveable space

If you decide to create a liveable space (a 'livable space' is where you intend to use the room as a normal part of your house, this includes spare bedrooms which may be used infrequently) in an existing loft space of a home it is likely to require a range of alterations.

Many of these could have an adverse impact on the building and its occupants if they are not properly thought out, planned and undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the legislation.

 

[tony1851]

Grovepark;
the point about this is; is he really creating a 'liveable space'?

The OP seems to want it just as an office, which he might perhaps use for a couple of hours in the evening. The fact that he wants a pulldown ladder suggests he would not want it as a permanently accessible part of the house.

The safety issues this level of use raises are nothing like those arising were it to be used as a bedroom. If a future occupier were to use it as a bedroom, then that's up to them; the OP has no legal or moral obligation to future occupiers.

As regards floor loading, he could work at the area near the middle, where (presumably) the central load-bearing wall is.

 

[mikemcg88]

Thanks for all the response and input, it's really appreciated.

It would just be a case of using it for 3-4 hours a day maximum and all I am looking to put up there would be a decent sized workstation, a filing cabinet and a computer with associated accessories (Printer, Scanner etc).

I'm a complete novice with all this, so thanks for the links that have been posted too

 

[^woody^]

Grovepark;
the point about this is; is he really creating a 'liveable space'?

The house can burn or get filled with smoke just the same, and just as quick whatever the OP calls his conversion

And I would love to see anyone work in the freezing cold with draughts and noise coming straight through the tiles. Or 40-50° unventilated summer heat

Laminate flooring does not make a loft conversion

 

[tony1851]

Grovepark;
the point about this is; is he really creating a 'liveable space'?

The house can burn or get filled with smoke just the same, and just as quick whatever the OP calls his conversion

And I would love to see anyone work in the freezing cold with draughts and noise coming straight through the tiles. Or 40-50° unventilated summer heat

Laminate flooring does not make a loft conversion

whatever.