Legal minimums

provided you comply with the "escape" rules, yes (but why would you want to, most people hate living like this)

Not by BR I would have thought

Other than whatever is technically required to build it, none

No

tim

Also meant to ask about windows. Are they required? Or would a large glazed entrance door to one room suffice? I really just need the legal minimum to allow someone to stay in an outbuilding for a bit.

thanks, NT

Rule of thumb is span in feet divided by 2 and add 1 for a 2 inch thick joist so in your case 5 by 2

Malcolm

Yes.

Yes. And the means (efficiency) of heating ties in with the insulation you provide.

No, but make sure it couldn't be classed as habitable.

1. Windows

Minimum glazed area, with minimum openable area, with trickle vents or other means of background ventilation, amount usually calculated as %age of floor area. Plenty of lounges only have a patio door as a window.

Owain

If it's only for a bit why not get a caravan? nth-hand statics can be really cheap. Don't normally need planning permish if they are not indepenedent of the house ie the person in the static eats meals etc in the house.

Converting outbuilding to habitable likely to require change of use planning permish.

Owain

Clearly not. The Passivehaus on Grand Designs a week and a half ago had no space heating (the one with the arch roof made of tiles stuck edge to edge with plaster of paris).

This does require *ridiculous* amounts of insulation, and a ventilation system which recovers the heat from the exhaust air - but you don't need space heating.

Surely not (see my reply to Tim). If you have sufficient insulation, you don't need heating.

Yep. I once spent a day helping to smash one up and cart it away, because the owner couldn't find anyone who wanted it even for nothing.

(

Pete

anyone recommend any self-build groups? I' looking for a lot more detail.

thanks, NT

But interestingly it was built in France to egt round the hassles of UK building regs. apparently, according to the programme, French building regs don't apply to self-build.

Jonathan

Think 6x3 herringboned would be ok.For a floor. Maybe less for a ceiling to loft.

You can do that, but outer brick, rockwool batts down the cavity and celcon bloc is another way to go. Or drylin 4" of masonry with about

Why not?

I don't think it is , no.

?? what roof?

Nope. Ladder permissible for pure storage.

However if new build, consider making the roof 'habitable' with a proper staircase.

Get a copy - a proper hard copy - of the current building regs, and phone an architect and aks him how much he will charge for an hour of his time to run you through the most erelavnt regulations, which you can then read up on.

Thn ask here. Som of us have sort of self built..

Don't think I've ever seen 6x3 used for a loft. I presume 2x4's ok, but wanted to find out.

at about twice the price. Unless I'm mistaken the cheapest looks to be either 4" blocks or a poured wall, rendered outside, polystyrene insulation & PB inside.

I see they're called studios.

It will have one :) Steep pitched roof to make the loft usable, OSB deck, felt, if allowed.

By the time a stair case goes in there won't be much loft space left. I'm looking at the legal minimum here in most respects, and making the loft habitable incurs extra costs and design problems.

If this goes ahead, an architect would be involved down the line. I'm costing it up atm, so need to get some basic info and figure out a few final design details.

cheers, NT

Cost at £100 per sq ft and you should com in a bit under..that's for basic decorated shell less fancy fittings.

That figure looks a fair bit out for this one.

NT

Out which way?

At a rough guess "it's a lot higher than the OP wants" ... which doesn't mean it isn't correct :-(

A nailed down to the bare bones is £60 a square.

Just a shell with not even final fix done maybe.