No party wall in the loft

[Taffyo]

Hi all, I have a slight problem, I have bought an old house which at some point must have been one huge house but is now separated into 2, anyhow as I bought for cash I didnt get all the surveys carried out and now I realise there is no party wall in the loft. Once it is renovated and ready for tenants I will be mortgaging it, so I will need a fire wall in there to protect my tenants but also I will probably fail to get the mortgage if I dont. I need to know what sort of wall I need to put in there to comply as there is a huge timber roof support (triangle) right where the wall should be. Also the loft access is very small.

Any advice

Taff

 

[mattylad]

I dont know if its acceptable to the regs etc but i'd be wanting to make a simple framework with 3x2 and plasterboard it etc.

You have to take individual tenants security in mind too.

 

[chappers]

if you cant get access to next door then the only way to make it fire proof for sure is to use blocks.
No point putting up a stud wall and fireproofing it your side with plasterboard only to find out that the studs burn away from the other side and your plasterboard just falls in your side.

 

[JohnD]

galvanised metal lathing is used for fireproof partitions like this.
the manufacturers have diagrams and design specs on their website (but I've forgotten the name)


and until you put the last piece in, you can climb through to next door to board the back. you could use a door-like panel as your last piece.