Hi All,
Just thought I'd get some advice here before I speak to the local BCO - I'm planning convert a 'basement' room and I'm unsure whether I need to submit a building regulations notice. The house is a bungalow, and is built on a slope so there is a room underneath the front half of the house that is at ground level at that point, and that rooms only entrance is from outside. When we bought the house (about 9 months ago) it was described as a 'garden room', and is completely unfinished, with just bare ceiling joists and block walls. Basically I want to divide the room into two with a stud wall and door, and plaster the walls and ceiling to make it into a separate cinema room and games room. There are two windows in the room now, and when separated would leave one window in each room.
Firstly, would this be classed as 'change of use' and require Planning Permission, and secondly is this work likely to require a building notice to be submitted?
Now, even if the changes above won't require a building regs notice, I plan to replace the existing french doors, and windows at some point, and I understand that I would need to submit a notice for those in any case. As it's likely that I'll want to replace some windows in the rest of the house at some point, as well as do a whole load of wiring that now comes under Part P, and maybe other stuff too, wouldn't it make sense to submit a building regs notice for everything I can possibly think I might want to do, so I only pay the fee once instead of every time I want to do some work? As far as I can tell there is only a time limit on starting the works, and not on finishing?
Thanks, Ben