Bed shakes in new loft conversion when windy

[james75]

Hopefully somebody here can either put my mind at rest (or, erm... make me even more worried I guess!)

3 bed house, built 1997 by Barratt, link detached, about 4m wide and 8m deep.

Last year we had a loft conversion. It was a truss roof, so RSJ's went in (2 lots of 2x2m lengths joined in the middle). Rafters doubled up, truss cut away, floating floor installed.

The steels were installed by removing a block in the loft wall at each end, steel in and cemented up.

When it's windy outside (such as tonight), the bed in the loft room shakes back and forth. It's not enough to spill your tea, more like the kind of sensation you might get if you lived beside a railway line as the trains went by).

It could be me, I just never feel safe. I paid a fair whack for the work, so it's probably worth checking.

James

 

[Deluks]

Was a building regs application made and were engineers calcs supplied?

 

[james75]

I was told that if the council regulators were involved it could slow things up by weeks and weeks, so was advised and paid £800 to a company called "Total Building Control Ltd" to do the checks instead.

My wife and I joked at the time about how we were in the wrong jobs, because the guy visited twice, for about 2 minutes each time.

Don't know about engineers calculations...we had an architect drawing, the guys worked from that.

I'm not really sure why it is all shaking in the wind. The original upstairs of the house doesn't do it.

 

[Deluks]

Doesn't sound good to me, alarm bells are ringing with this one...

"if the council regulators were involved it could slow things up by weeks and weeks"

To convert a roofspace, particularly a trussed roof into a bedroom or other habitable room requires that you inform the councils building control department. By not doing so you are living in a illegally developed loft! And as the property's owner, you are liable. If no change to the exterior (planning permission required) then you can commence building within 24hrs of making your application on a 'building notice'

Get back to the company that carried out the work and request copies of the structural engineers calculations. I don't fancy your chances of getting any though, you should also contact the council and tell them about the work that's been done and ask them if they have any record of it. They might send an inspector out to have a look. You may want to get a structural engineer to have a look as well. Do you have any pics taken whilst the work was going on?

These lot? http://www.buildingregulations-uk.com/about.html

Enough of the doom and gloom, it could all be perfectly fine, maybe you are just a bit twitchy

 

[james75]

I have e-mailed the council building regs dept for any plans/records they have on my property.

You can see photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44979677@N02/

Thanks for your help.

 

[big-all]

you cannot sell it as a loft conversion unless it has been signed off
do you have a certificate off conformityto the building regs!!

 

[james75]

I don't have a certificate. Didn't realise I needed one until now.

Perhaps I will also get in touch with total building control ltd and ask for it.

Currently in bed on my iPhone, shuddering in the wind!

If anyone who know about loft conversions can look over the photos I would be greatful.

 

[Thermo]

Doesn't sound good to me, alarm bells are ringing with this one...

"if the council regulators were involved it could slow things up by weeks and weeks"

To convert a roofspace, particularly a trussed roof into a bedroom or other habitable room requires that you inform the councils building control department. By not doing so you are living in a illegally developed loft! And as the property's owner, you are liable. If no change to the exterior (planning permission required) then you can commence building within 24hrs of making your application on a 'building notice'

Get back to the company that carried out the work and request copies of the structural engineers calculations. I don't fancy your chances of getting any though, you should also contact the council and tell them about the work that's been done and ask them if they have any record of it. They might send an inspector out to have a look. You may want to get a structural engineer to have a look as well. Do you have any pics taken whilst the work was going on?

These lot? http://www.buildingregulations-uk.com/about.html

Enough of the doom and gloom, it could all be perfectly fine, maybe you are just a bit twitchy

there are a lot of companies that do this. No different to BC, some arcitechts etc prefer to use them. The drawings etc all have to be seen and approved by building control, they just take over the site visits and signing off etc

 

[Deluks]

I was aware of that, but this lot have an appalling website, and one of 'em looks a bit like a *****

Anyway, £800!!!

 

[Deluks]

Can't tell the full story from just the pics, however the timbers used for the ties and studwork looks like 3x2, bit flimsy IMO. Also the rafters haven't been doubled up the full length and I would prefer to have seen a deeper section timber used, otherwise how did they meet insulation regs, and ventilation requirements? as there doesn't seem to be breathable roofing felt. Also can't make out from the pics whether there are any padstones under the steelwork.

Do you know if they used insulated (thick foam backed) plasterboard or normal 12.5mm stuff? Got any pics of the stairs? Did they have to install any fire doors or mains wired smoke alarms? Have you ever made a nest among marshland, have you ever lived for a time as a hermit or wildman?

So many questions!

 

[james75]

Just added 6 more photos (taken today) of one of the steels at both ends. (I can't get to the other one at the mo, it's behind a load of boxes).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44979677@N02/

Nasty gaps between mortar and steel, not sure if that is a sign of anything.

From what I could make out, it looks like the steels are resting on something about a foot long, that is dark coloured, perhaps steel, about 1cm thick.

Stud work was 3x2, rafters are 4x2 (doubled).

I'm not sure what a padstone is, but if it's a block of concrete that the steel rests on then no, there aren't any.

The roofing felt was unchanged, but at the end of the build they took out three tiles on the roof (at the apex, the curved ones) and replaced them with terracotta vents.

Plasterboard was standard, 12.5mm sounds spot on. Behind it is insulating material that came on a roll and looked like tin foil both sides with layers of various types in-between. Think it had 13 layers from memory.

Fire door on the loft room itself. Mains smoke alarms installed in every habitable room in the rest of the house.

No pics of stairs. Between the two steels they attached a doubled-up wooden floor joist which the top of the staircase is screwed into. The bottom part of the stairs rests on an original joist on the 1st floor.

 

[Deluks]

Well doesn't sound as bad as I first thought, 1cm sounds about right size for a bearing plate, which can be used instead of a concrete padstone. The effectiveness of the multifoil insulatioin is debateable but as you aren't complaining of being cold then that's not an issue to address here.

Does the room as a whole move in high wind, if you jump up and down do you get movement?

The 3x2 doesn't impress me. Penny pinching. and the fact that the new rafters only go just past the low studwork doesn't impress me either.

Having said that, it's unlikely to go anywhere but spending a little bit more on the timber would've gone a long way structurally speaking.

Think of your room as a tent or marquee, the stud walls being the sides, the end walls being the tent poles at either end, the roof being the er, tenty bit and the original roof rafters being your side guy ropes.

 

[james75]

Thanks for all your help.

I will try jumpring around later with a friend, don't want to spook my Mrs.

Are you concerned by the mortar shrinkage at all around the steels or is that just asthetic?

James

 

[Deluks]

Not a massive problem, the worst of it appears to be under the flange of the beam, where there is no load. Hold fire with any worrying until you hear back from the council.

 

[Chukka63]

doesnt seem much support put back in for the amount taken out to me