You need a protected route that doesn't involve jumping out of windows. The route you suggest would probably be permitted if the 1st floor room's window is swapped for a door and steps down to ground level.
Having an accessible escape window is the secondary backup. You need to consider the elderly, infirm and children. Just because you can vault out of a 1.2m high window to ground 3m below, doesn't mean everyone else can, or that you could drop your 3 young children unaided out of it. The primary route mustn't involve gymnastics, even if the secondary route may.
Well I guess I'll find out later on in the week, I'll let you know if I get my certificate or not. Definetly will look at legal recourse against local authority if they unapprove the approved drawings. After all I have spent 25k based on their approval of the full drawings and would never have undertaken the project if I had needed to enclose downstairs.
On 15 Jun 2004 01:35:53 -0700, a particular chimpanzee named snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Lobster) randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
Perhaps you should have just nodded your head and lied. It's a little game we have to play sometimes, like, "Have you put a cavity tray in above the new lean to roof?" "No, it's too fiddly and time consuming." "Wrong answer, try again".
A BCO will make reasonable efforts to check aspects of the construction, but we're not Clerks of Works; we can't be on site every day, so we have to take peoples' word for what they've done. The other side to that is that the BCO can abrogate responsibility for something which was said to be done but wasn't.
Without full plans, neither of you can be certain that you've covered everything.
It did occur to me; however it was not a particularly awkward one to comply with, so I did the Right Thing. Anyway, I was fairly happy with the visit all told; the other thing the BCO was inspecting was the sound insulation which she'd requested I fit to my party wall, and I was then in the middle of installing it. Now, unfortunately the gas and electric meter are fixed to the same wall, and enter the property flush with the wall. With rising horror I realised that full compliance would mean moving both meters and service entry points, digging up the pavement to do so. She considered this my setup for what seemed like ages, then said, 'nah, OK you can leave that insulation off that bit'. Phew...
As a BCO you'd know better than me, but isn't there an element of trust; as in, if the BCO catches out a builder telling porkies, (s)he's never going to believe him again? And I'll bet you've found yourself demanding that hidden foundations/lintels etc are re-exposed for inspection, despite all protestations that the specs are OK?!
I regard dealing with BCOs a bit like dealing with my teenaged daughter; but only in so far as I think it's best to save my arguments for the really serious stuff!
It did occur to me; however it was not a particularly awkward one to comply with, so I did the Right Thing. Anyway, I was fairly happy with the visit all told; the other thing the BCO was inspecting was the sound insulation which she'd requested I fit to my party wall, and I was then in the middle of installing it. Now, unfortunately the gas and electric meter are fixed to the same wall, and enter the property flush with the wall. With rising horror I realised that full compliance would mean moving both meters and service entry points, digging up the pavement to do so. She considered this my setup for what seemed like ages, then said, 'nah, OK you can leave that insulation off that bit'. Phew...
As a BCO you'd know better than me, but isn't there an element of trust; as in, if the BCO catches out a builder telling porkies, (s)he's never going to believe him again? And I'll bet you've found yourself demanding that hidden foundations/lintels etc are re-exposed for inspection, despite all protestations that the specs are OK?!
I regard dealing with BCOs a bit like dealing with my teenaged daughter; but only in so far as I think it's best to save my arguments for the really serious stuff!
It did occur to me; however it was not a particularly awkward one to comply with, so I did the Right Thing. Anyway, I was fairly happy with the visit all told; the other thing the BCO was inspecting was the sound insulation which she'd requested I fit to my party wall, and I was then in the middle of installing it. Now, unfortunately the gas and electric meter are fixed to the same wall, and enter the property flush with the wall. With rising horror I realised that full compliance would mean moving both meters and service entry points, digging up the pavement to do so. She considered this my setup for what seemed like ages, then said, 'nah, OK you can leave that insulation off that bit'. Phew...
As a BCO you'd know better than me, but isn't there an element of trust; as in, if the BCO catches out a builder telling porkies, (s)he's never going to believe him again? And I'll bet you've found yourself demanding that hidden foundations/lintels etc are re-exposed for inspection, despite all protestations that the specs are OK?!
I regard dealing with BCOs a bit like dealing with my teenaged daughter; but only in so far as I think it's best to save my arguments for the really serious stuff!
It did occur to me; however it was not a particularly awkward one to comply with, so I did the Right Thing. Anyway, I was fairly happy with the visit all told; the other thing the BCO was inspecting was the sound insulation which she'd requested I fit to my party wall, and I was then in the middle of installing it. Now, unfortunately the gas and electric meter are fixed to the same wall, and enter the property flush with the wall. With rising horror I realised that full compliance would mean moving both meters and service entry points, digging up the pavement to do so. She considered this my setup for what seemed like ages, then said, 'nah, OK you can leave that insulation off that bit'. Phew...
As a BCO you'd know better than me, but isn't there an element of trust; as in, if the BCO catches out a builder telling porkies, (s)he's never going to believe him again? And I'll bet you've found yourself demanding that hidden foundations/lintels etc are re-exposed for inspection, despite all protestations that the specs are OK?!
I regard dealing with BCOs a bit like dealing with my teenaged daughter; but only in so far as I think it's best to save my arguments for the really serious stuff!
Had another similar BCO inspection today. She came round to look at the sound insulation as agreed (see above!) which was fine. Then she says, 'oh, how about smoke alarms?' 'Yes, I've got a mains-powered one and am fitting it just here' (I point to hole in landing ceiling). 'Ah, well I'm afraid you need two. Interconnected.'
Bwahahah! And this is 24 hours after the plasterer has finished skimming all the stud partitions which would have carried the interconnect.
Oh well - took half the afternoon but eventually I managed to get a mains cable to the planned location of the second alarm, plus an interconnect cable in place via another route (anybody remember my sound-proofed internal soil stack a couple of weeks ago?!). I think I only need one more inspection for her to sign off (that's if she doesn't think of anything else meanwhile)...
Well you'll be pleaseed to hear that I passed building regs no problems. So those of you who insist that the ground floor stairs be all boxed in etc, I suggest you do a little further reading. :0)
Well, that's good news, you'll probably be feeling quite releived at that!!!
Was there any indication as to what it was with your conversion that made things compliant, having regards to the fact that the ground floor is open plan? It just might help others (me included) whilst planning their conversions.
However, it would be completely understandable if you didn't want to prod that particular gimp during the inspection and question their decision too closely, lest they scratch their heads and say "you're right - weve missed something and it isn't compliant"!
No I dont mind telling you at all, I dont believe it would be possible for a buildings control officer to miss it, if it was required. It has to be said that although Building regs in theory are country wide, I think it can be down to interpretation on individual Local Authoritys and probably the BCO's within them.
My brother who is my architect said that he first came across a situation like this about 9 months ago in Teignmouth, Devon (not where I am), but said that he didnt think you would've beeen able to do it a couple of years ago.
Basically where the stairs come down from the loft there is a lobby, to the right of this is a fire door that leads to a landing and stairs downstairs into my lounge, to the left is another fire door leading to a bedroom that has a window at not higher than something I cant remember. Each floor has a connected fire alarm.
I think basically its something like..... The stairs to the front door are the primary escape route even though they arent enclosed, however should there be a problem getting there I can also use the first floor window when coming down from the loft without entering the rest of the house, the also has the double velux windows for the fire brigade to get into.
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