Can Building Control over-ride planning permission?

[spuorgelgoog]

Unless some sick bastard wedges them shut outside then watches everyone burn.

Owain

[Steve Walker]

Only really needed in large buildings, where a crowd can push up against the doors and stop them being opened inwards. In a private house, you have far fewer people and much more cooperation.

Outward opening doors suffer from being blocked by someone placing something outside or parking in the wrong place.

SteveW

[Bert Coules]

Well, I found this, a splendidly clear explanation of the regs applying to exterior doors, landings, and steps.

Unfortunately, as I only twigged after a first happy reading, it's Californian...

[GB]

Have you considered having a raised patio where you can sit out at the same height as the house floor? Otherwise, just to bring a tray of tea out, you'll have to carry it down four stairs.

[Bert Coules]

I have, yes, though the back door isn't the only access from inside the house to the garden: there are also patio doors from a different room, so a floor-level patio adjacent to them (either in addition to the back door one or instead of it) is also a possibility.

I like the idea of a same- (or almost the same) level patio, but the height of the interior floors might give a matching table-and-chairs area an uncomfortable view into my neighbour's property even over the six-foot fence which separates us.

[Bert Coules]

Although it doesn't specifically mention outdoor installations, this site gives the clearest indication of at least part of the regs that I've yet found. Scroll down to Landings item 3: " No door should swing closer than

400mm to the front of any step". And there's a helpful drawing.

[dennis]

I went down the fire escape to exit the cinema in West Brom once (people always did) only to find it wouldn't open because some prat had parked his car against it.

I bet he didn't like the dents after I kicked the door into the car a few times.

[DJC]

The problem with steps immediately in front of the door is the danger that, without being able to see the step until the door is open, someone exiting in a hurry will not see the step and fall.

Tricky to arrange in my case, though

[DJC]

[Bert Coules]

I take the point but doesn't it also (if perhaps not quite equally) apply to a hurried exit from an inward-opening door?

I think - especially after having to do so in today's high winds - that I'd place the awkwardness and potential hazards of opening an outward door while moving backwards down the adjacent steps outside as a considerably bigger problem.

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for the links, of which this appears to be the most relevant. But short of reading right through it, or discovering a better search facility, I'm afraid I've still not managed to find any reference to the specific area I'm interested in: outdoor steps leading to and from an outward-opening door in a domestic dwelling.

Me being short-sighted or just plain stupid, no doubt.

[Robin]

Yes - that's why you'd need planning permission (as with any decking over 300 mm).

Then IIRC building regulations would apply to the handrails, balustrades etc.

Oh, it all makes work for the working man to...

[Bert Coules]

Many thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions.

After weighing up and costing all the options, I think I've decided in favour of replacing the door with one which opens inwards.

A pity that the existing uPVC door-and-frame unit can't be converted in some way but I don't see any practical way of achieving that.

Anyone want to buy a door?

[dennis]

You cant take the frame out and turn it 180 degrees?

[Roger Hayter]

I presume it would open on the wrong side if you just rotated it about a vertical axis?

[Fredxx]

I would have thought the door would be independent of left/right hanging. Perhaps the hinges could be swapped accordingly or new ones purchased.

The frame is less obvious, but would have thought the mouldings would be the same?

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for the new replies. I spoke rather too hastily when I said I couldn't see any way of reusing the existing door and frame: as suggested, it would be perfectly possible to rotate the whole assembly by 180 degrees about the vertical access (I could live quite happily with the opening being on the opposite side to the present).

But thinking about it, there is one drawback: like (I believe) all modern units, the door had the glass inserted and held in place from the inside. Reversing the door would place the fixing beadings outside - and while I might be willing to accept the possible security risk I suspect it would play havoc with any insurance claims in the event of a break-in.

Or am I being overly cautious? All security/insurance matters are a gamble, aren't they?

[dennis]

You take the hinges off the door and fit them to the otherside as you do with the hinge then it will be the same way around. IME the extrutions tend to be symmetrical.

The other way is to take the glass out and refit with double side adhesive strips on the inside so it can't be easily removed.

You can also wire it to the alarm with a breakable strip if you want. I have fitted a number of these in the short time I worked for Chubb alarms. You just mask a strip of glass, paint it with varnish, stick a thin lead strip to it and varnish over the top, connect the ends and it will break easily if the glass breaks or if the pane is removed.

[dennis]

Usually the only difference is where they cut the drain slots. UPVC doors and windows all have drainage slots as the seals are never water tight.

It may be necessary to fill the old slots and cut some new ones on the other side.

[Bert Coules]

After I posted my remark about security it suddenly occurred to me that two older ground floor windows in the property already have their glass units fitted and fixed from the outside, so it's perhaps a little silly to worry about one more example.

But thanks for the thoughts, and for the alarm suggestion.