Staircase into loft

That last line is a bit strong Jim. (oops !)

Lol, still not come down.

Think I'll keep it as it is. The cost of extending into the loft would exceed the ceiling price of this type of property . But thanks for the advice.

Ok, thank you. Don't think they had permission. But it was checked when we purchased the house and was found to be done to building regs standard . But thanks for the info I'll have to look into getting planning permission .

I may be wrong but I don't think you have ever been able to obtain Building Regs approval without a permanent staircase to a loft room. The room may have been upgraded at some point but I'm not sure who could state it was up to Building Regs standards - certainly not any estate agent I've ever met. If the escape isn't right then how can you be sure the rest of the work is ok? If the Building regs people had been out I don't think they would condone the rest of the works if the escape wasn't right?

---------- Post added 18-05-2016 at 22:54 ----------

Our house originally had a staircase up to the loft when it was built but the building inspector made the owner take it out and replace it with a pull-down loft ladder in one of the bedrooms.

It contravened fire regs because the travel distance for escape was too long. It would have been ok if the staircase was enclosed within a protected shaft but the design of the house made it impossible to provide one.

You need to take professional advice.

Never heard of an original stair being made to be taken out - surely it would have been built to the standards at the time? Replacing it with a pull down ladder seems to me to say it was illegally converted incorrectly sometime in the past and the only way the sort it was to revert it back to a storage space

I'm not sure that a conversion without planning permission and building regs is "illegal" as some have suggested.

At the end of the day, you can put what access you want in the loft and sleep in it. My understanding is that unless it's built to regs, you cannot call it a bedroom.

I once lived in a house that was described and sold to me as a 2-bedroom, but was effectively a 3-bed, as the attic room had been done out with a makeshift staircase. I also sold it on similarly. I suspect that there will be many houses described as 2-beds plus an occasional/attic room for sale in estate agents.

I may be wrong, Im no expert, but if you can do a cheap conversion, forgoing the regs to make it practical for you and not sell it with the extra bedroom, I reckon you're ok.

Happily corrected if wrong though

I've already got one like that up to the room but the are quite steep was looking at the spiral space saver ones.

did you find out a rough price for these sort of stairs?

I'm not sure that a conversion without planning permission and building regs is "illegal" as some have suggested.

 

At the end of the day, you can put what access you want in the loft and sleep in it. My understanding is that unless it's built to regs, you cannot call it a bedroom.

There might be insurance issues in the event of a fire though.

If someone has stuck a bedroom in and is using it, but not got proper permission or installed correct access they will be in real trouble with their insurance company.

You'll probably find the building inspector will insist on all the doors in the property to be upgraded to fire doors also (they did in the last conversion I did).