Subdividing an internal room

[James]

I'm planning to subdivide my large dining room into three separate rooms and would like any advice or suggestions.

The room is currently huge! (4m x 4.5m) with a single door into it from the hall. My plan is to shave 1m off one of the long sides, creating two rooms 1m wide by 2.25m in length. New doors to the remaining 3m x 4.5m dining room will be created from the lounge and also from the kitchen. See plan (not to scale)

¦ H ¦ LOUNGE ¦ A ¦____________ ______ ¦ L ¦ ¦ \ / ¦ ¦ L \ ¦ \ / ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ WC ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦_____¦ DINING ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ROOM ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦__/ _¦ ¦ ¦___/ ¦ ¦ ¦ / ¦ ¦ ¦_______________________¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ KITCHEN ¦

One of these new rooms will be a downstairs cloakroom with WC and basin. It will have no external walls. However my plan is route all the plumbing waste and ventilation down into the cellar, run along the top of a cellar wall to an outside wall, where the waste will then connect to an existing soil pipe. The run from the WC to the soil pipe will be about 6m with a couple of bends, and because the cellar is half above ground level, I have at least 1m worth of drop available over the run.

Are there any building regs I should be aware of regarding these planned works. I've got the building officer involved over the new knock through from the lounge into the dining room, just want to make sure I look prepared when I show him the plans for this part of the conversion.

Many thanks

James

[Toby]

Well I'd say that was normal, stick a decent table, chairs and sideboard into it and it won't seem very big after all.

I guess it's feasible but don't forget the ventilation: you'll need a 100mm duct to outside air from the WC.

A 1m width is a bit small especially with an inward opening door, try a mock up with a couple of sheets of plasterboard before you commit.

[Craig Phillips]

That's what I was thinking? James are you sure you have your measurements correct? Im looking for a new house and looking for larger than that as my main living room alone! I really cannot see you getting two usuable rooms out of it let alone three.

[Nat]

(snip details)

Are you sure your remaining DR will be 3 m wide? Don't forget to allow for the wall thickness.

And have you thought of (ahem...) sound insulation? A lavatory next to a dining room can be MOST unnerving to people eating. Even with the door opening the other side. Nat.

[Maxine Mallory]

Huge?? It's slightly smaller than my living room. That houses a 3 piece suite, a pouffe, large TV and an average sized display cabinet. We're always complaining that it's too small.

The only thing that springs to mind from when my ex did a similar thing in the old house is a decent extractor fan! Not sure if it's a reg (it should be if not!) but you do really need one.

Max

[James]

Thanks for your concerns.

Measurements are correct. The new dining room will be 10' wide by

14'6" (3m x 4.5m). More than adequate to take a dining table to seat 8 people comfortably, 10 at a squeeze. The Cloakroom will be 3'3" by nearly 8'. Plenty big enough for a toilet and basin. And as for the other room, it will be a broom cupboard(And a pretty big one!)

Anyway back to the point of my posting, any building control issues that people can advise me on please.

[Julian Fowler]

Maybe you're used to modern houses ... our sitting room is 8m x 6.5m, and although I'd admit to it being large its certainly not "huge".

Are you proposing to put anything else into the room? Our dining room is 6m x 4.5m (i..e., double the floor area of what you're proposing) and is about right for an 8-seater table. A 3m width is going to be

*very* tight to fit a decent sized table into and allow people to get round it ...

Julian