Minimum opening width for Building regs compliance

[Dean Lawrence]

Hello,

I am in the latter stages of having an extension built (ok I'll be doing some of the decorating myself so this post is nominally on topic!) and the builders have just knocked through. The opening - it's not really a doorway because there is no door on it but I don't know the proper technical term - is about 600mm wide.

Now it is fine for us to use at this width, and we are exempt from Part M of the regs (as far as I can make out) because it is an extension to an existing dwelling and we haven't removed a WC (we've added one though. I bet this shafts us somehow!), but I would like to know if there is a minimum "non-door containing doorway" or "opening without a door" width for extensions to existing dwellings. If there isn't the all well and good, but if there is and it's more than 600mm then the builders and I will have to have words!

Thanks for any help you great people in uk.diy land can give.

Dean.

-- ==================================== Swap nospam for bluerose to reply personally.

[Eiron]

Can you get any furniture through that gap?

[Hugo Nebula]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 21:56:52 -0000, a particular chimpanzee named "Dean Lawrence" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

Indeed, the requirements of Part M don't apply to the work you're carrying out, so there is no minimum clear opening width for doors or openings (unless you've got a night club in your extension).

If you do change the WC at any time in the future, you would need to make sure that you made it no worse than before the work is carried out (so, yes, you have shafted yourself to some extent).

[David M]

Didn't you need to get all your drawings approved by Building control before starting any of this work?

My understanding is that you give all your plans to building control before starting the work, and they will then comment on these things and give approval before you are allowed to start.

Again as I understand it if you add a WC then that WC must comply with part M regarding door opening and space in front of the loo.

I'd contact BC now before you get too far and are completely shafted by them over any dimensions, Builder are good at building (hopefully) not necessarily designing and meeting the regs.

cheers

David

[Dean Lawrence]

We have full plans approval which shows a 700 mm opening, however as with all these things, when the opening was full exposed it ended up being 100mm less, which the builders assure me is within tolerances.

I just wondered if anyone on this NG knew the answer. If the worse comes to the worse with the toilet then I'll just have the toilet taken out (we'll still have 2 anyway).

Dean.

[Owain]

"Dean Lawrence" wrote | We have full plans approval which shows a 700 mm opening, however as | with all these things, when the opening was full exposed it ended up | being 100mm less, which the builders assure me is within tolerances.

Tolerances? +/- 15% is tolerance???? Or in old money, they've lost 4".

If 700mm is what is on your approved plans then the builders should be building 700mm. Otherwise what you are building is not approved. You can ask Building Control to agree an amendment, or you can tell the builders to widen the door.

Owain

[Mike]

If they can't get a door opening accurate to better than 100mm, what chance do you have of the ceiling being flat, windows being true, etc.