Glazed interior doors and 3 storey house

[schroedm]

Evening, looking for some advice please.

We live in a modern 3 storey townhouse (built 2016).

Downstairs we have a kitchen, dining room and living room that we want to change the internal doors from the current ‘new build’ white doors to black glazed internal doors here…

Soho Black Glazed Door from LPD | Aspire Doors

Industrial style black internal doors with a high quality black primer that can either be painted or left as supplied | Delivered in 3 - 5 working days

www.aspire-doors.co.uk

The carpenter who came to fit them said that we ought to check fire/building regs as the current doors are fire doors. He said what people usually do in these situations when removing fire doors for doors like this is to fit a smoke alarm in each room the new doors are fitted. He also said he wasn’t a building control expert and to check to see if that would be sufficient.

Does anyone know that if we were to fit a smoke alarm in each of the rooms that would be sufficient to comply??

Regards
Mark

 

[accelerator]

Some info here:

Does my house require a Fire Door? | The Burning Question

In the UK, fire doors are not a legal requirement for the majority of homes – however, there are some exceptions that home owners need to be are of.

firedoorspecialists.uk

 

[mikeey84]

You need a protected exit from the upper floors to an external door, so between the bottom of your stairs, and typically your front door, any doorways into the rest of the house should be firedoors. Doors between downstairs rooms that don't open into this area can be normal doors

How to get round this is a grey area (at least to me!)

As with most DIY projects, building control are unlikely to find out, and I'm not sure this is a notifiable project anyways, so getting into trouble with them is unlikely.

However, given it's the safety of your family at stake, I wouldn't cut corners

 

[flameport]

Does anyone know that if we were to fit a smoke alarm in each of the rooms that would be sufficient to comply??

A smoke alarm is not a substitute for a protected escape route.

 

[stevie888]

Three stories are much more regulated than 1 or 2. Having to mess about with fire doors catches a lot of folk out when they have a loft conversion.

You need to have a conversation with Building Control. A sprinkler system is a possible option.

I suspect you'd need fire glass in those doors. (big bucks)

Worst case scenario: you do something sketchy on the QT, You have a fire. Insurance assessor sucks in breath and announces that your cover is void because you have reduced safety standards below code requirements.

 

[schroedm]

Jeez. Didn’t know this would be this difficult. With the trend seemingly being for every man and his dog fitting doors like this I thought it would a simple case of jumping on the bad wagon and swapping some doors out. Fitting sprinkler systems etc is not an option. The house is decorated top to bottom and we decided to swap doors out at the last minute when we found the new doors were a drop fit into existing frames etc.

Instigating conversations with building control and insurance companies etc etc was not on my list!!

 

[accelerator]

I would rather have the firedoors for fire safety.

 

[mrrusty]

Insurance assessor sucks in breath and announces that your cover is void because you have reduced safety standards below code requirements.

Only if your policy has specific terms that require you to notify them about any works. My own policy only requires notification for works over £50K and there is no requirement to submit minor works for regs validation. If the policy doesn't specifically exclude in the Ts & Cs, they can't subsequently exclude.

 

[stevie888]

Only if your policy has specific terms that require you to notify them about any works. My own policy only requires notification for works over £50K and there is no requirement to submit minor works for regs validation. If the policy doesn't specifically exclude in the Ts & Cs, they can't subsequently exclude.

I think you're wrong in this instance Mr Rusty: this situation is one of taking a compliant house and deliberately rendering it noncompliant by virtue of the works done.

I'm sure lawyers will be rubbing their hands together if it should happen.

 

[mrrusty]

I'm not. Since the Consumer Insurance Act 2012 there is an obligation on insurance companies to be explicit in any questions and requirements. They can no longer presume that the insured should or should not know what is a material fact to be disclosed. https://www.abi.org.uk/data-and-res...e-consumer-insurance-act-means-for-customers/

My own policy specifically says this:-

Building works notification
If YOU plan to carry out any work to improve, renovate, extend, build or demolish any part of the BUILDINGS
where the estimated cost of the works is in excess of £50,000, YOU must inform US at least 21 days prior to the
commencement of the works and before YOU enter into any contract for the works. WE may consequently amend
the terms of this POLICY. If YOU do not advise US of such works WE will not have to pay any claim caused by or
resulting from the works. YOU do not need to inform US if the work is for redecoration only.

It would not be possible for them to come back afterwards and say "ah yes, but, notwithstanding the £50K threshold, you also have to tell us about any building works that make the building non-complaint with building regs" - If they wanted to know that information they would need to explicitly state it in the Ts & Cs.

All policies are different and you have to read the Ts & Cs. This sort of thing crops up a lot in the electricians forum; "if you DIY electrics and there's a fire you won't be insured" - it's not true unless the policy explicitly says it is.

Having said all that it isn't a good idea to remove fire doors!!