Flat block owners - what could go wrong?

[polygonum_on_google]

"Flat block owners to get right to add floors with no permission needed

Ministry?s move to allow two storeys to be added to blocks aims to boost homeownership"

[spuorgelgoog]

Yay! Now I *can* have a conservatory!!!

Owain

[Robin]

have the Scottish Government announced the same change?

[Jim Stewart]

they wouldn't be so stupid

[Jim Stewart]

I mean they didn't allow a Grenfell disaster to happen .. and I approved dozens of over claddings ...

[Robin]

Odd then that

[Jim Stewart]

fake news

[Jim Stewart]

that is a complete turn around then....

[Jim Stewart]

The Scottish Building Standards were way ahead of you English punters.....I remember the 2004 regs coming in during 2005 ....the format was a pain in the arse....glad I only had to use them for five sorry years.....the 1990 Scottish Building standards as amended were the best ever regs ...loved them and theymade sense ...they even had chapters that referred to the subject like E for fire escape F for Flues G for ground treatment L for daylight P for obstructions S for stairs etc can't remember any more ... they replaced the very legalese sounding

1974 regs that I started with and were way more sensible than the 2004 crap....

[Jim Stewart]

not that anybody is interested as this should be re-named diy England ...

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

One does hope that structural engineers are part of the equation. In Kingston they added a floor and dug a basement, then over the Easter holidays last year the middle collapsed into the new basement and the block had to be demolished.

Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Yes an upstairs one. Brian

[Peter Johnson]

There are any number of buildings in London that have had additional floors added. Don't know about other places though.

[Andrew]

[Andrew]

Plus 'beds in sheds' :-)

[michael adams]

Ministry's move to allow two storeys to be added to blocks aims to boost homeownership"

Presumably this will only apply to rentals rather than leaseholds.

As I'd always assumed that top floor flats always attract a premium owing to there being no possibility of noise coming through the cieling from above

michael adams

...

[polygonum_on_google]

From my only experience of living in a top floor flat in a (relatively) high building, the problem actually was noise from above. Bloomin' great air conditioners. And lift winding gear (though that was insignificant in that flat).

The top floor might also have relatively low water pressure.

[spuorgelgoog]

No, leaseholds too (well, to the freehold exterior of the building)

Already reports of top floor flat leaseholders rather disgruntled to find they're now top floor minus two, and have months of building work to endure.

Owain

[michael adams]

the problem actually was noise from above. Bloomin' great air conditioners. And lift winding gear (though that was insignificant in that flat).

That raises a further interesting point (to some people at least) actually.

Before buying a leashold flat the purchaser might reasonably be expected to have satisfied themselves as to such matters - whether there was any noise from air conditioners, lift winding gear etc or absence of the same before coming to a decision. But then if the freeholder decided to start moving stuff around on the roof, or installing more plant which disturbs their former tranquility what would be the position then ?

Presumably people renting might not be so concerned as they have no investment to protect

Which might need to be rectified once further floors are added.

And a potentially leaking roof is swapped for potentially overflowing baths.

michael adams

,,,.

[Jim Stewart]

go over four storeys and you would have to do massive modifications to avoid disproportional collapse ...