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Loft conversions are incredible home improvement investments that add reams of additional functional space to your property, not to mention the potential bonus of a value increase. However, they do take time, money and effort – enough to ensure that they are attractive, effective, legal and safe on completion.
Professional loft conversion companies should take care of all that for you, ensuring certain design aspects are included in the plans so that the end result is beautiful, functional and safe. However, with such a big investment being made, it makes sense that you consider all aspects of the plan yourself, with a general awareness of important factors, like whether or not you need fire doors, so that you’re in the know as you collaborate with your chosen loft conversion experts.
Do You Need To Include Fire Doors In Your Loft Conversion Design?
It’s important to consider a number of fire considerations when a loft is designed including:
- Escape routes
- Fire containment in relation to surrounding houses
- Fire containment in relation to surrounding rooms
- Fire access for the Fire Service
- Smoke alarms
These are just a few fire safety regulations that have to be included in loft conversion designs because of Building Regulation rules, which apply to any loft conversion either with or without Planning Permission.
When it comes to fire doors, all doors involved in the conversion usually have to be fire-resistant doors. Building Regulations require that there has to be a legitimate fire door that gets you to the outside of your house, which means there needs to be a fire escape route and escape plan when you have a loft conversion installed.
Building regulations also suggest that for floors higher than a first floor, it is recommended the route to escape a fire is not just via windows, which again furthers the need to include fire doors into the loft conversion design.
However, these points do not mean that you have to have a fire door and stairs added externally to a loft conversion. Rather, what this means is that you have to have a clear fire escape route and escape plan from the loft conversion, and that the correct fire containment measures are added.
These changes might include the following measures:
- Adding fire-resistant curtains
- Making a party wall fire resistant
- Upgraded loft staircase and doors (escape route) to resist and/ or contain fires (actions like plaster boarding and plastering underneath certain materials) for at least 30 minutes
- Appropriate escape windows added
Every house is different in how the loft conversion will have to meet Building Regulations in regards to fire safety, but mostly, it is at the very least, likely to mean that the stairs leading to the conversion and the doors connecting the conversion to the main house have to be fire-resistant, and able to meet fire escape and containment rules.
The Look Of The Fire Door
The look of the fire door is something that often comes up as a point of concern for many homeowners, because, quite simply, self closing fire doors and traditional fire doors are considered to be rather unattractive to look at.
Self-closing fire doors are highly recommended for the highest levels of safety, but fire-resistant doors that are not self-closing are now allowed through Building Regulations, so aesthetics can be greatly improved through that particular design adjustment. Furthermore, with progressions made in modern fire-door designs, whilst they are heavier than standard doors, they are also easily opened and closed and they look much more attractive than they used to.
Smoke Alarms
Building Regulations state that smoke alarms are a mandatory addition to a loft conversion, and ideally, there should be one installed on every floor of the home. Regulations and advice from the London Fire Service suggest smoke alarms are:
- Placed away from any cooking spaces, or radiators
- Interlinked
- Powered by mains but with batteries installed as a backup (mains operated alarms need to be installed by a qualified electrician)
- Placed at a minimum of one per floor of the home
- Used in addition to sprinkler systems and heat alarms
- Marked with current British Standards or European CE safety marks
Choose A Loft Conversion Company Who Understands The Law Around Fire Doors
In London alone there are over 5,000 domestic fires every year, some of which result in long-lasting devastation. It is the responsibility of every construction company to ensure that any work they do on your home complies with the latest fire regulations, so if you are one of the thousands of people who are unfortunate enough to have a fire occur at your home, there will be minimal impact and injury as a result.
Professional loft conversion companies will insist that your new home improvement is built legally, so that they know your new space is as safe as possible and meets their own safety and legal requirements as a building company. They can also work hard with you on the design to ensure any additional work that has to be done to ensure you meet fire regulations, including the addition of a fire door, has minimal impact on the overall look and feel of your loft conversion.
With their help, you can enjoy a beautiful new space which looks stunning, and which is of a high-quality, whilst you also enjoy the peace of mind that you’re in a high-spec construction that keeps your family as safe as possible.
If you choose to rent the space out, it’s even more important to keep things above board when it comes to fire regulations, as further laws come into play.
A functional and stunning new space is a great idea, but skimping on fire regulations and suggestions is not worth the potentially life-altering consequences. Why not speak to a loft construction company today to find out more about loft conversions and the fire regulations you need to consider as part of the work being done. With the right company you can have safety, convenience, competitive pricing and exceptional results without having to compromise.
Photo by Michael Jasmund on Unsplash