What exactly does "occasional use" mean?

[DanH]

I've got PP for a simple small extension to my detached double garage for an office room/bedroom with toilet.

I've got building notice and liaising with the bco. He's talked about insulation and was concerned I wanted a wooden door with them having poor U values, favouring UPVC or something more insualtive. However, he's said he is OK with a wooden door so long as I sign something that says it will be for "occasional use". Whilst I've said it is, on second thoughts I'm not sure what that actually means! He knows it's a potential bedroom but would that mean it could not be used more than x times a year...and who would know? I'm also not sure what might make it more than just "occasional use"? I will of course ask him but I've got a couple of days to stew on this before I can talk to him and consider my approach!

Thanks

Dan

 

[tony1851]

Your bco is talking nonsense.
If the building has a habitable room, either it complies with Part L, or it doesn't. There is no distinction for 'occasional use'.

 

[DanH]

Thanks for that.

I'm seeing the builder today as he's the one who spoke to him. I was concerned that it may be forcing me down a route which means it isn't an official 4th bedroom because of what "occasional use" means and potentially affect resale.

Dan

 

[maltaron]

I recently had an extension built and my external doors are all wooden. Jeldwen 2XG factory doubleglazed. I would suggest that a wooden door properly hung in a properly fixed frame would provide better insulation than plastic doors stuck in with silicon and likely in twist. I don't know what doors you are fitting but most modern exterior doors comply with the building regs.

 

[cjard]

what "occasional use" means

I could have sworn tony said it was meaningless.. ?

 

[xr4x4]

Insulation is done on percentage of the building isn't it?

I'm sure you can argue that if you can't meet it in one area, you have to put more in an other.

 

[DanH]

OK, second lesson learnt in all this, don't take what wife said at face value

He didn't actually say occasional use but rather "occasional heating" It was in relation to the door and the thickness of the celotex where he and my builder have come to an agreement if I can say that it will be "occasionally heated". Thanks for the answers so far and I apologise about the red herring!

Dan

 

[cjard]

Does your wife know she's the scapegoat?

 

[clifford1]

So we now need a new thread, What is occasional heating?

 

[tony1851]

So we now need a new thread, What is occasional heating?

It's like the famous 'wrong type of snow' - we know what he means but it was a bad choice of words. Maybe 'heated only for brief periods every now and again'?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So we now need a new thread, What is occasional heating?

Is it when you burn these to keep warm?

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40245741/


Or is it when you have a CH system powered by an Ideal boiler?

 

[DanH]

LOL, I don't think I want to ask anymore questions about it as he's already let me fit a cheap framed, ledged and braced exterior wooden door after trying to persuade me to go plastic. I wanted a wooden door but the doors I looked at e.g. Jeld Wen are not very insulative and I said I didn't want to pay a few hundred pounds for wooden door where the insulation is not much better than a cheap wooden door! He's let me have my way as long as I insulate the door by packing the space with insulative material and hold it in place with ply. If he's happy then I'm happy!