I have a property that I am thinking of converting into two flats. Before I approach planning I just want to know, if by putting a door under the stairs to the front room, this would be ok to pass building regs. below is a plan of the downstairs. I need to be able to do this to create the downstairs flat. There is room for a standard height door but there will be minimal head room under the stairs for any sound proofing as the stairs only just clear one corner of the door. I am not sure I have posted this in the correct place.
making a door opening under the stairs
- Thread starter amazondean
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There are no set heights for doors or ceilings. But it's a common sense decision as to whether cutting the corner off a door or having a low ceiling is reasonable and will affect its use or not. However the more relevant issues are compartmentation, fire safety and running the services to various parts of the building.
It is the compartmentation to pass fire safety under the stairs that concerns me. I am just wandering if anyone knows what would meet fire regulations below the stairs! If I had to drop the ceiling below the stairs by say 100mm that would probably not work, but if I could get away with two layers of fire safe plasterboard it would be ok
two layers of fire board Should be more than adequate, providing the stairs are only serving a single flat above. Stairwell would have to be compartmentalised as Woody suggested and probably soundproofed from the lower flat even though it wouldn't require testing.
On that subject, if your layout will allow you to have non habitable rooms over habitable rooms it will reduce the amount of sound testing you will need to carry out as you only test between habitable rooms in separate dwellings.
On that subject, if your layout will allow you to have non habitable rooms over habitable rooms it will reduce the amount of sound testing you will need to carry out as you only test between habitable rooms in separate dwellings.
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Below is a plan of the building. On the ground floor I will block the door off from the front room into the hall way and lock the door from the hall to the back room so that I can have access if I want to.
Upstairs, bedroom two would become the kitchen. The bathroom is already there. The large bedroom would become the lounge and bedroom 1 and 4 would be the bedrooms.
Going from what you say about sound proofing, I may not need it on the stair walls as one side above is the kitchen and the other side above is the landing. What do you think about the plan!
Upstairs, bedroom two would become the kitchen. The bathroom is already there. The large bedroom would become the lounge and bedroom 1 and 4 would be the bedrooms.
Going from what you say about sound proofing, I may not need it on the stair walls as one side above is the kitchen and the other side above is the landing. What do you think about the plan!
Has anyone got any issues they can see with the plan to convert this into two flats. The upstairs flat has the front door for access and the downstairs flat has the rear door into the kitchen. As said, the doors into the ground floor rooms from the hall will be blocked off.
any thoughts would be appreciated.
any thoughts would be appreciated.
All compartment walls will need to be upgraded to 1 hour fire resistance, as will the floors/ceilings. That will impact on the wall thickness and and the stairs and internal layouts. Likewise for sound.
So it's not just a case of blocking or knocking some doors through.
You dont seem to have considered the front entrances to each flat, as you will be creating a communal lobby which will bring in other requirements.
You really need to sort out the planning permission first as that's the hardest thing. Building regs are just the detail, and this type of conversion is possible and common, but its at a cost.
So it's not just a case of blocking or knocking some doors through.
You dont seem to have considered the front entrances to each flat, as you will be creating a communal lobby which will bring in other requirements.
You really need to sort out the planning permission first as that's the hardest thing. Building regs are just the detail, and this type of conversion is possible and common, but its at a cost.
I realise it is not just blocking off the doors. I was just showing how the layout would be. The hall would not be communal as this entrance is only for the upstairs flat. I would be adding a further stud wall and insulation to the hall wall that meets the front room, both sides of the stairs if it is needed and both ceilings to the downstairs rooms. When you say all compartment walls need to be upgraded, do you mean walls that connect to the hall. As I was not aware that ALL walls would need to be upgraded!
Interesting comment about the floors being fireproofed, as I was only aware that it would be the ceilings that needed fire resistance, not the floors!
I am happy with how I will service the flats, it's just making sure I understand what will be needed as alterations. I want to see what I am up against before I go down the planning route in case it is not worth me bothering, but my gut feeling is that it should be possible at not too much cost.
The building used to be a HMO so all doors are fire doors, emergency lighting is already fitted to the stair wells and hard wired smoke alarms are already installed on each floor. All windows have huge openings, so I believe these would already pass for fire escape but welcome any comments.
I am interested in any comments that anyone has or indeed any ideas.
Thanks
Interesting comment about the floors being fireproofed, as I was only aware that it would be the ceilings that needed fire resistance, not the floors!
I am happy with how I will service the flats, it's just making sure I understand what will be needed as alterations. I want to see what I am up against before I go down the planning route in case it is not worth me bothering, but my gut feeling is that it should be possible at not too much cost.
The building used to be a HMO so all doors are fire doors, emergency lighting is already fitted to the stair wells and hard wired smoke alarms are already installed on each floor. All windows have huge openings, so I believe these would already pass for fire escape but welcome any comments.
I am interested in any comments that anyone has or indeed any ideas.
Thanks
both flats would essentially need to be compartmentalised from each other, locked doors probably wouldn't comply.
I would block up the door that currently goes into reception 2 and make the one that goes to reception 1 the entrance.
Bring a small kitchen into reception 1 and make that the living space with reception 2 as the bedroom and the bathroom to the rear as an en-suite.
Would then put another doorway across the hall just before the stairs and that would be the entrance to the top flat. Both would use the current front door with their own entrances off the hallway.
As the stairs would be access to the upstairs flat they would need soundproofing from/to the downstairs flat.
Just because rooms or circulation spaces are adjacent to non habitable rooms or other circulation spaces in separate flats, doesn't mean they don't need soundproofing, just that they don't need testing. there are std robust methods that would be acceptable
I would block up the door that currently goes into reception 2 and make the one that goes to reception 1 the entrance.
Bring a small kitchen into reception 1 and make that the living space with reception 2 as the bedroom and the bathroom to the rear as an en-suite.
Would then put another doorway across the hall just before the stairs and that would be the entrance to the top flat. Both would use the current front door with their own entrances off the hallway.
As the stairs would be access to the upstairs flat they would need soundproofing from/to the downstairs flat.
Just because rooms or circulation spaces are adjacent to non habitable rooms or other circulation spaces in separate flats, doesn't mean they don't need soundproofing, just that they don't need testing. there are std robust methods that would be acceptable
I had not thought of that idea. However this does seem a lot of work considering there is already a kitchen at the rear of the property for the downstairs flat. What would you do with this space? Reception 1 would be quite a small living space with the kitchen in it and I can't see a benefit of a sharing front door and hall when they could have their own entrances and effectively live separate lives. Also, having the bathroom off the kitchen means no one would have to go through a bedroom to get to the bathroom.
I would like to move the upstairs bathroom to the left hand side of the room so that the upstairs kitchen which would be fitted next to it, would be accessed from around the back of the stairs while the bathroom would be accessed from the left, and actually nock down the stud wall on the landing so that as you turned left off the stairs on the first floor, you would go straight into the lounge which would now be larger, adding a door to the right hand side where the stairs go up to the second floor.
This probably wont happen as my intentions are to rent the two flats, so I am trying to keep the cost down as I don't believe I will achieve any more rent making more work for myself!
I would like to move the upstairs bathroom to the left hand side of the room so that the upstairs kitchen which would be fitted next to it, would be accessed from around the back of the stairs while the bathroom would be accessed from the left, and actually nock down the stud wall on the landing so that as you turned left off the stairs on the first floor, you would go straight into the lounge which would now be larger, adding a door to the right hand side where the stairs go up to the second floor.
This probably wont happen as my intentions are to rent the two flats, so I am trying to keep the cost down as I don't believe I will achieve any more rent making more work for myself!
The upstairs flat would be the front door and the downstairs flat would be the back gate with a box on it.
D
Doggit
You need reception 1 to be the bedroom, so you've got to block the door from the hallway into it. Likewise, you've also got to block the door up at the end of the hallway to reception 2, so I assume that you're intending to get from reception 2 into reception 1 under the stairs. But do you have the height etc to move the stairs back 3 feet, as that'd let you put a door at the bottom of the stairs, and you'd have a communal hallway.
For the upper flat, just make bedroom 2 into the kitchen/dining room, and take out the wall out between the landing and bedroom 1 to make a large lounge, but I wouldn't bother with a door to the upper bedrooms. But you could also put 2 windows in the rear of bedroom 2, and then have the bathroom on the right going down to the rear wall, and have the kitchen on the left. That then gets you natural light into the bathroom, but if the shower room is already there, then leave it alone.
For the upper flat, just make bedroom 2 into the kitchen/dining room, and take out the wall out between the landing and bedroom 1 to make a large lounge, but I wouldn't bother with a door to the upper bedrooms. But you could also put 2 windows in the rear of bedroom 2, and then have the bathroom on the right going down to the rear wall, and have the kitchen on the left. That then gets you natural light into the bathroom, but if the shower room is already there, then leave it alone.
either works just an idea to get access to both flats from the front
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