Building regulations for an open plan living area on a 3 storey

3 years ago

Hi, I have a 3 storey townhouse new build (5 years) Perimmon home that I am looking to make a few renovations to, mainly to my downstairs, at the moment its all separate so wanted to get the walls down and open it up to be open plan. However we now have some issues:

Main issue being the building regs - we need a separate escape route as our current stairs are in the main kitchen/living area.

Has anyone had this issue and how did you overcome this?

We are thinking of extending out to push the staircase but any ideas you have will be great.

Thanks

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Comments (10)

Jaq Cualey
3 years ago
Just bear in mind that whilst compliance with Building reg solutions is the easiest route there are ways of complying with the legislation by adopting what are sometimes more flexible solutions . You will still get a building regulation approval once complete
lewis_at_home
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes I am looking to get the maximum space out of the house we have an architect coming to draw up what they think will be the best options. I am liking the idea of adding to the back of the house but as soon at you say its a 3 storey it causes all other issues.
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Indeed! Lots of changes! I have 3 kids and having a front, separated lounge is essential: always tidy-ish and quiet-er! By putting a wall between lounge and kitchen, you could then use it to put floor to ceiling units in kitchen side( oven, fridge...) Then, get rid of units on left and have the space for the island of your dreams ! You could put a banquette on the right of the new extension , that might give you room for some seating. If it were my house, I would also make the entrance hall more spacious by getting rid of the first cupboard. ( maybe make the other one a little longer?) And as you only have 1 meter between the stairs and front door, I would open the front door the other way, so people walk in a spacious area, not a cramped space! I personally like a home with elbow room, rather than always have to squeeze by, going around furniture, bottled neck corridors, cramped hall where you cannot properly greet guests without brushing against each other... ‘Empty’ space can make a house feel luxurious... What ever you decide, your project is going to be life changing! Keep us posted!
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You need to have a fire protected route. There are a few ways to do that. It is possible to create this as a more open plan look but it will be more expensive than just keeping the stair enclosed and having a door from the hall to the living/dining rooms. So it depends on your budget and how valuable it is to you to have that feel more open and spacious. Your options are: 1. enclose the staircase with adequate fire protecting walls and doors 2. open up and use a mechanical system to provide fire protection 3. enclose the staircase as in option 1 but use fire rated glass to the stair to give an open look. However fire rated glass is really expensive! If you want to go down a more complex fire protection route then I would recommend that you speak with a fire engineer who could design and spec the system for you. You might be able to use a fire blanket or a sprinkler system. I believe that the costs of sprinkler systems has come down a lot recently, and they do seem to be becoming more used in private residential, though still fairly unusual. I've not seen fire blankets used in houses, but I used to include them a lot in commercial and community building projects.
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Jaq Cualey
3 years ago
yes it does, your architect will be able to advise you on alternative solutions
Victoria
3 years ago
Sprinkler system would do it
lewis_at_home
Original Author
3 years ago
we thought this but apparently I would still need to block off the second floor...
Ellie
3 years ago
Can you not just block off the stairs with walls/doors etc so they no longer are open into kitchen and can meet the regulations?
Jaq Cualey
3 years ago
It probably means thinking outside the /box/ with your layout , as I said there are other ways of approaching this sort of thing which may be worth considering
Rowland
3 years ago
hi,

The sprinkler system together with increasing the fire detection should allow you to continue with your desired layout. you may get permission for just the alarm system .

It is worth discussing with building control or your approved inspector depending upon the building control method you choose.

best

Rowland
lewis_at_home
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you for the replies! We have had a few people out and all are saying different. I am thinking that I could block upstairs and have a door at the top to separate the two levels but have to check to see if this would pass the regs. it would mean I could still have my desired open living area and have to compromise the upstairs light. I am installing a new window too which will also help 🙏
cfmatthew
last year
Hi Lewis did anyone say it was possible to do this and not separate the the GF from upstairs?

Building regulations for an open plan living area on a 3 storey

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Jaq Cualey

lewis_at_home
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Building regulations for an open plan living area on a 3 storey

Comments (10)

Jaq Cualey

lewis_at_homeOriginal Author

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Jaq Cualey

Victoria

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Ellie

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lewis_at_home
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