Building control are stressing about the lack of a protected exit from a bedroom in the chalet bungalow.
One way out:-) would be a top hung roof light. Marley concrete tiles.
Anyone done one? Any reasons why it needs a professional roofer?
When we had a dormer room put in our then bungalow, IIRC we only needed a Velux roof light because the stairs down to the ground floor came down into the kitchen-diner, a high-risk area apparently (chip pan fires etc). That was 20 years ago and the regs may have changed since then, but perhaps worth querying, and no I didn't do it myself, although what was done didn't look that complicated.
Tim Lamb presented the following explanation :
I put a centre hinged one in 30 years ago. It took a lot of courage to cut the hole, but it was much easier than I anticipated. The roof timbers will need proper support where they need to be cut and the cross timbers properly fixed.
I spent days rehearsing the exercise and chose a very dry day, just in case, but still failed to properly check the supplied flashing in the kit was enough, so had to ask Velux to deliver extra urgently and hope it didn't rain until finished. I was lucky.
In the past they certainly allowed a "Means of Escape" window... although the rules changed after I did mine, and MoE windows became less favoured...
They are pretty easy...
Very easy if you have and open bit of roof and access to both sides, however also doable with access from inside the roof only.
You may find the LABC want you to double up the rafters at the edges of the window. (you will probably need to cut one rafter and trim it up to allow a big enough opening). I did not need to since I had a dwarf wall supporting the mid span of the rafters.
Here is one of the ones I did:
Note that was 2004 though, so slightly different rules in force.
I found it very difficult to get the window into the frame by myself. This was a roughly 1m2 window - it wasn't so much the weight (although it was heavy) as getting everything lined up at an awkward height. In the end I asked a mate to help - but we still found it tricky. Fitting the frame was easy by comparison.
I'm sure it's a combination of knack and strength, though. I watched a roofer put one in by himself - he just seemed to lift it from inside, and sort of slot it in.
In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Chris Hogg snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net writes
The dormer rooms are fine as the windows meet the escape specification.
This one is classed as an *internal* living area. Had this cropped up when the building regs. drawings were approved, the two planned roof lights could have been installed in tandem: the lower then doubling as an escape.
>In message snipped-for-privacy@brightview.co.uk>, Jim K.. snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes
OK
In message <pvefmm$h4e$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, Harry Bloomfield snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> writes
These are timber trusses but I'm hoping the spacing will be OK as I am simply fitting a second light lower down the roof.
The Velux site offers matching flashing kits. Presumably your roof tiles/rafter spacing were unusual in some way.
In message <NLWdnQ9-u snipped-for-privacy@brightview.co.uk>, Jim K.. snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes
I guess BC can then shrug a bit and refuse to sign off.
Actually the original approved design showed a protected corridor (fire doors and smoke detector) giving access to a bathroom with an acceptable window.
I had forgotten this when the doors were installed and sparkie missed the smoke alarm. All retrievable but there is a cost/convenience balance against the Velux route.
pending!
Pretty much confirms what BC wants.
There is a convenient dwarf wall here already.
I'm not that adventurous:-)
Plan at the moment is to get a price from a local Velux installer and then decide. I will do the internal finishing anyway.
Ta.
Some years ago now, but I've put 4 in, working completely from inside. Fitting was no problem at all, only tricky bit was working out exactly where to put them to minimise cutting of rafters and roof tiles. I used Velux windows and flashing kits.
Tim Lamb was thinking very hard :
The usual flat clay tiles, but with considerably more overlap than usual. All parts of the roof have a triple thickness of tile, so more flashing sections were needed, than were supplied.
Davidm brought next idea :
I also managed mine entirely from inside. Lifting the window and aligning it to drop in the hinges was tricky, but do-able on my own. It had to be lifted edgewise through the aperture, then brought down. From memory (centre hinged) I had to insert it upside down / outside to in, then once on its hinges, it rotates around 300 degrees to close.
Once dropped on its hinges, a metal pin springs out from each hinge, to stop it accidently being turned back off the hinges.
In message snipped-for-privacy@brightview.co.uk>, Jim K.. snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes
Day rates. I could do it myself.
We have several of these - 6 - with the best will in the world, I wouldn?t like to have to climb out of one. As for anyone say <5ft tall doing it, near on impossible. In our house, there is only a 1/2 flight of stairs (perhaps 8) to the primary exit so it isn?t an issue (the house is split level). However, I?m always curious when I see reference to Velux windows (which are great as windows) as an escape route.
Quite. I suppose you can hang on to the lower edge before sliding off the roof to the ground below. I guess this is still preferable to being toasted.
In message snipped-for-privacy@brightview.co.uk>, Jim K.. snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes
Likely.
Along with not specifying which side of door openings light switches were to be fitted:-(
Do you now need a 'protected' exit on a two storey house? Thought it only applied to 3+?
There are rules for how far a MoE windows can be above the floor and how far from the eaves. Basically they should be easy to step out of, and close enough to the eves for someone on a ladder to be able to reach you.
In fact IIRC there is a picture of my arse existing one...
One can have too much detail:-)
Quite. Still better than no way out.
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