loft conversion _without_ strengthening roof?!?

[Doctor Drivel]

I don't know. But he should use the right pills.

[geoff]

In message , Doctor Drivel writes

"I don't the pills..." ?

Looks like you do

[John Rumm]

At the time the basic rule was that if you didn't alter the road side elevation (and you're not in a conservation area etc) then it did not require PP. Oddly doing the hipped to gable conversion was not considered as altering the road side elevation (although a front dormer would have required it).

Needless to say, under the "new, simplified, streamlined" planning rules the government introduced a couple of years back - you probably would need it now - since the top of the rear dormer is within 1m of the ridge.

In a way the neighbouring property shows that it can be converted (with a possible concern over room height which could make doing a proper floor a bit more expensive)

In reality you won't get much protection from doing it - but its the sort of question you could ask to see if he has an informal opinion on it for your own peace of mind. Do you know whether building control was involved in their conversion?

How much it would bother me would depend on the circumstances. If the roofs of the houses were of traditional joinery, rather than trussed, and there is a party wall right up through the loft space (i.e. they don't share roof space), then from your description, there is a fair chance they have not done much if anything to it except line and insulate it and add a roof window.

Without a strengthened floor their ceilings upstairs may sag and crack a bit. Fire resistance may well be poor, making their top room a death trap etc. However these are problems that they have created that affect them rather than you generally.

If they had hacked out a chimney breast on the party wall or carried out more substantial structural work on their loft, then there would be more to worry about.

(there, that should have Roof scared shirtless now ;-)

[Doctor Drivel]

Maxie!! I never do pills like you. Have the police waned you or just taken you to the doctor?

Maxie, amazing and you being a known person as well.

[RobertL]

I once looked at a house I was intersted in buyiong. It was a listed building in fact. the owner had made an office in the loft and in doing so he had sawn out all the many beams that ran horizontally from rafter to rafter across the void.

Robert

[Roger Chapman]

Perhaps they weren't doing anything useful. :-)

[spikem422]

my neihbors got a roof con but the people who did it I wouldnt have them pe el me a grape total cowboys no strenthening in the roof now the tiles are l ifting sure sign of roof collapse and to add insult to injury they now want to sell it COST(197.000) they have no chance also if roof does go the hous e could be condemed as so much bodged work on their house also to mension i ts an ex council house

[spikem422]

[John Rumm]

Why would the rafters require strengthening anyway? They were designed to carry the load of tiles they have, you you have presumably not added more.

With loft conversions, the primary thing that needs strengthening is the floor of the loft, not the roof.

[David]

I presume you noticed the original posting date :-)

ISTR that if you replace tiles with a different type then the roof loading can be increased. Concrete tiles? However no suggestion this happened.

I'm not sure how clued up the person posting tales of doom 7 years late is, though. (S)he seems to have responded twice to the same original post, as well.

Ah, well, summer holidays.

Cheers

Dave R

[John Rumm]

Of course - normally I would not bother responding, but since spike seemed to be posting something that is potentially confusing for someone else reading later, it seemed wise to comment.

Yup, that can be true.

You may also need to double up rafters either side of a roof (i.e. Velux style) roof window in some cases)

Indeed!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

On newish houses, with no original loft, they often use roof trusses. Useless to make into a room without a complete re-design of the roof space.