Is A Loft Considered A Bedroom

Is A Loft Considered A Bedroom

I am trying to convert the loft of my terrace house into an extra bedroom.

My plan was to change the pitched roof into a Mansard roof, so the room would have a decent amount of headroom. However, this has been rejected by the planning officer.

Instead I am only allowed to install Velux windows to the pitched roof.

I've worked out I would still be able to put a double bed up there and there would be enough height in the centre of the room for anyone to stand up. However, the roof would then slope downwards from the centre.

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My question is - can I still call this a bedroom?

The work would be carried out with building regulations approval, but are there any other rules about headroom and what counts as a bedroom? Can I advertise the room as a bedroom when I go to sell? FI, via email.

Melanie Clear, director at Essex-based architecture practice Clear Architects, replied: Most people poke their heads into the loft, see the space and assume that if a bed fits in then it can be converted to and classified as a bedroom.

This is a common misconception.

The main factor is whether the loft conversion is a 'usable space' and different London boroughs - who typically have very strong accommodation requirements - and district councils will interpret usable space in different ways.

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For example, I have worked across London and Essex and never had a stipulation from a council that a loft extension is required to have a certain square-meter floor space to be classified as a bedroom.

However, for a space to be usable there must be enough head height to access the room comfortably and comfortably walk around the bed. It does not mean opening the door to the conversion and having to throw yourself on the bed to be able to use the room!

Today's building regulations require 50mm of insulation, which can significantly impact on the available head height, a factor that many home-owners often do not consider when commissioning their loft extension.

In terms of building regulations, the key requirements for a loft conversion to be considered a bedroom pertain to there being a 'safe means of escape'. The higher you go in a house or building, the tougher the fire regulations.

To be comply with building regulations, a loft conversion bedroom must have correct insulation, a proper staircase leading to/from it that provides a fire escape leading all the way down to the front door – a ladder or spiral staircase is not permissible.

And along that exit route (which is typically a hallway in residential houses) all doors and the walls between those doors must be upgraded with materials that provide a 30-minute fire rating - confirming that the structure will hold fire back for 30 min providing safe means of escape.

That means that in a period property, for example, the exit route through the house from the loft extension must be converted to meet today's building regulations.

Mark Hayward, managing director, National Association of Estate Agents replied: As a rule, in order to call a room a bedroom, it must be able to house a standard single bed minimum.

Once a bed is in the room, you must be able to open the door fully and walk the entire length of one side of the bed, and it must have planning consent and Building Regulations approval.

Your plans may have implications for the insurance that cover your home. Matryn Barrett, director of Barrett Corp & Harrington, which values properties for insurance purposes on behalf of insurers such as Aviva and NFU Mutual, said:

Your extra room need to pass building regulations to be called a 'habitable' space. After that, what counts as a bedroom is more in the eye of the beholder, although estate agents may follow their own rules on what can be called a bedroom.

From an insurance point of view, it's worth considering that adding an extra room can change the assessment of cost to rebuild your home for insurance purposes. Converting a loft may not change the assumptions that you current building insurance is based on, but it might.

The same applies to converted basements, which can be significantly more expensive to replace.

You should talk to you buildings insurer about the changes you are making.

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Is A Loft Considered A Bedroom

Source: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-3020022/I-t-planning-permission-loft-conversion-bed-fits-call-bedroom-anyway.html