Fire escape, velux window

several · 25 Feb 2013

I ordered a roof light for a bedroom in a new house. The bedroom in question has a low pitched roof and the bottom of the roof light is at approx 1.2m off the bedroom floor.

Initially ordered it manual opening and sent all architects drawings to the manufacturer as instructed, they called me back and said I should consider an electric operator window because the manual one opens quite high and you need to be able to reach it to pull it down. So I ordered electric...

Got this installed now and it only opens about 30cm and takes about a minute to open with the switch. This is the only accessible window in the bedroom.

My fear is it doesn't meet building regulations for fire escape. Am I correct in thinking this? I had no idea it would only open so little.

jamesr36 · 26 Feb 2013

Don’t think this will comply. Needs to have clear opening 0.33sqm min, 450min height, 450min width, 1100mm max off the floor. Im also not sure that an electric rooflight will comply as what if the power goes off?

An alternative is a protected passage to the front door. If you fit fire doors to each room off the stairwell and you are able to walk from the bedroom, down the stairs and out the house without walking through another room this should comply without a fire escape window.

luisdesign · 26 Feb 2013

Shooting from the hip a bit, but I'm pretty certain that the requirement for fire escape roof light windows has now been ommitted!?

^woody^ · 26 Feb 2013

several said:
and takes about a minute to open with the switch. This is the only accessible window in the bedroom.

How long will it take to open if you put a chair through the glass?

several · 26 Feb 2013

Yea but I'm not sure building regs take that into account

^woody^ · 26 Feb 2013

But your post seems to indicate that this bedroom is not part of any work going through building control anyway, and if so, the velux does not have to conform to anything

tony1851 · 28 Feb 2013

^woody^ said:
the velux does not have to conform to anything

L1B?

^woody^ · 28 Feb 2013

^woody^ said:
But your post seems to indicate that this bedroom is not part of any work going through building control anyway,

tony1851 · 28 Feb 2013

^woody^ said:
^woody^ said:

But your post seems to indicate that this bedroom is not part of any work going through building control anyway,

Click to expand...

It may not be 'going through building control', but a window is a controlled fitting, surely?

^woody^ · 28 Feb 2013

IIRC, all Velux windows (and those from others) are Part L compliant anyway.

We're going OT a bit, but the point is that if building control are not involved, then the OP can fit anything he likes

If this rooflight is part of a brand new build, then it will be assessed differently for any compliance - ie in context of the build and not as an individual item or how it would be if in an extension

Rad1o · 1 Mar 2013

We are just doing a loft extension with roof windows.
I specifically asked about means of escape, i.e. door closures, fire escape windows. Acc to BC they have been scrapped. They would require a 30 min or 60 min firedoor though.

freddiemercurystwin · 1 Mar 2013

Rad1o said:
We are just doing a loft extension with roof windows.
I specifically asked about means of escape, i.e. door closures, fire escape windows. Acc to BC they have been scrapped. They would require a 30 min or 60 min firedoor though.

The OP has not clarified exactly what he is doing and whether his loft is the first or second floor, so all of the posts in this thread may be irrelevant.

several · 2 Mar 2013

new build, 1st floor. Rooflight is only window in the room. And after thinking about it, even if it got passed by BC, I personally think it's not that smart having such a incredibly slow opening, hard to get out of window. So I have to work out have to convert it to a manual, manufacturer has not been helpful.

freddiemercurystwin · 2 Mar 2013

It doesn't need to be an escape window if the door leads to a protected stair and leads directly to the final exit door. Its all here on page 17 (2.4) http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_AD_B1_2010.pdf

If it does need to be an escape window (which it probably doesn't) then it would fail to comply for at least 2 if not 3 reasons.

^woody^ · 2 Mar 2013

And after escaping to a second story sloping roof what happens then?

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Fire escape, velux window

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