Loft electrics

[Gonnagetfrazzled]

Incidentally does anyone know the legality issues with respect to "loft conversions"?

I am making a loft room, which will have power, boarding and proper walls. It will look, mostly, like a room. I cannot however class it as a proper room without planning permission though can I?

Can I class it as a well equipped loft store room?

If anyone can clarify, it would be appreciated.
Paul

 

[Big_Spark]

I think, not sure, you will only need planning permission if you intend to make structural changes or any changes that may be visible from the outside.

Also not sure if this would include the addition of a permanent access way..such as a spiral staircase.

Best thing to do is ask some local surveyors or simply phone your local council planning office.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

whatever happened to the great and mighty Gwailo???

(Mr Building Reg Guru)

Did he do a Reggie Perrin???

Would have told you exactly...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

He lost the power of coherent thought.

Sometime later he lost the power of coherent typing, and that was when he dropped out of sight.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Oh dear, wasn't another cyber rage incident was it???

 

[securespark]

I think that to comply with building regs and be a habitable room, it has to have a fixed staircase, firedoor at the top, hard wired smoke alarms, and proper floor joists fitted.

Some I have seen have a velux with rope ladder as a fire escape.

You cannot just lay flooring on the existing ceiling beams - it will not be strong enough, and these were never designed with habitation of the loft space in mind.

 

[Gonnagetfrazzled]

I am not trying to make a "living room" all I am trying to do is make a place to put my PC; so to make essentially a computer room.

My next question is, the two sockets I have next to each other in the spare room have two sets of cables going into both. Pressumeably one of the two of each links them, to continue the ring. I need a fool proof method, without removing any plasterboard, of finding out which cable goes where, so I can disconnect the link wires and run the ring via the loft. Any simple ideas?

Thank you
Paul

 

[securespark]

Does not matter if it is not a living room, I said a habitable room. If you are going to spend time in the loft, then it needs to be structurally altered, Whether it a living room, bedroom or computer room does not alter the fact that the space will be inhabited, whereas a loft is not.

 

[Gonnagetfrazzled]

What width of wood should it be minimally then to provide an adequate floor for a loft? Or any other floor for that matter?

 

[securespark]

Not sure, it depends upon span, but see

this

All I know for sure is that celing joists are too weak.