Buying a house with Attic conversion

Daisy987

Registered User
Messages
14
Hi,
I m in a process of buying a house with the attic conversion. It's sold as storage only because it doesn't have the legal minimum ceiling height to classify as a bedroom/living space. It has velux windows to the rear and it's been confirmed by a local authority it is exempt from planing permission. It also has been more than 7 years so the statue of limitations would apply.
My question is does this attic conversion needs any certificates/ opinions on compliance with building regulations?Modifications have been made to the roof structure to cater for an attic conversion. The vendors doesn't have any paper work in place and the EA keeps repeating it is not an official habitable space so it doesn't need to comply with building regs...
Also do I need any document to confirm the exemption from planning?
Thanks,
 
Solicitor says if it's excempt from planing and is sold as storage only its doesnt need a certificate of compliance...
 
I don't see why you shouldn't follow the advice of your solicitor in terms of whether it would cause you not to go through with the same.

However, if you were planning on using the space for something else, and in particular had thoughts of moving heavy furniture up there, you might want to either forget about that as an idea or get someone to check out the structure before you did anything like that. Do you need to use the space for something else?
 
Solicitor says if it's excempt from planing and is sold as storage only its doesnt need a certificate of compliance...
That sounds right to me. But I would want to crawl around in space (which is probably boarded out) off the attic room to confirm for myself that RSJs (steel joists) were used in the conversion. There should be two RSJs running across the attic taking the weight of the roof and the floored attic room.
 
I don't see why you shouldn't follow the advice of your solicitor in terms of whether it would cause you not to go through with the same.

However, if you were planning on using the space for something else, and in particular had thoughts of moving heavy furniture up there, you might want to either forget about that as an idea or get someone to check out the structure before you did anything like that. Do you need to use the space for something else?

I have started my own research and It looks like with or without planning you must adhere to building regulations...
current owners have a master bedroom up there at the moment with ensuite
 
That sounds right to me. But I would want to crawl around in space (which is probably boarded out) off the attic room to confirm for myself that RSJs (steel joists) were used in the conversion. There should be two RSJs running across the attic taking the weight of the roof and the floored attic room.

This is what an engineers report says : " newly introduced knee wall has been constructed to transfer the rafter loads into the ceiling joists. It did not appear that the ceiling joists were strengthened to cater for this additional roof load. Opening up works would be required to confirm same. Also we were not able to confirm if joists had been cut to form the new stairwell opening without incorporating strengthening trimmer timbers. Again some opening up works would be required to confirm this.All that being said, the existing ceiling soffit did not show evidence of excessive deflection or distress."

"Attic crawl space, prefabricated timber trusses noted"
 
It's sold as storage only because it doesn't have the legal minimum ceiling height to classify as a bedroom/living space. It has velux windows to the rear and it's been confirmed by a local authority it is exempt from planing permission.
My question is does this attic conversion needs any certificates/ opinions on compliance with building regulations?

My attic conversion is the same, when completed the builder got a firm of architects to inspect, who then issued a completed one of these;



The completed form also said it was non habitable and was exempt from fire regulations.
 
I have started my own research and It looks like with or without planning you must adhere to building regulations...
current owners have a master bedroom up there at the moment with ensuite

I think that puts a whole different complexion on it. There seems to be an implication in some of the posts in this thread that if you declare the attic to be non-habitable, you can just go right ahead with no issue. However, building (and in particular) fire regulations aren't there just so you can get a piece of paper. They are there for a reason. You should ask yourself if you'd be happy sleeping in a such a room and a fire broke out? That had every possibility the floor would collapse if put under any unexpected strain (think children jumping up and down or whatever)? If it were me and I wanted to use it as a bedroom, I would not be reassured to be told that as a non-habitable space it doesn't need to comply.
 
My attic conversion is the same, when completed the builder got a firm of architects to inspect, who then issued a completed one of these;



The completed form also said it was non habitable and was exempt from fire regulations.

Likewise. The last thing that was done with our attic conversion was an inspection followed by our receiving a certificate of compliance. Ours also doesn't have enough headroom to be considered habitable space, but I'd want a cert before buying. I'd be very wary of a conversion where they just removed the cross trusses and dropped verticals onto the existing rafters.

Does this conversion not have any access through into the remaining eaves? In our case, the RSJs are plainly visible under the stud walls.
 
Thank u all for replies ,

The attic is advertised as storage only, but yes current owners use it as a habitable space, which doesn't mean we would continue so. I am aware of the safety risk here.

Vendors didn't get the certificate of compliance during the conversion process and it is my understanding that it's impossible/too late to get it now as its needs to be supervised and signed off by an engineer at different stages. the only option now is to get an opinion on compliance with building regulations which can be based on visual inspection only.

Silly question from a lady : where RSJs are placed?on the roof or to strengthen the attic floor which is the original ceiling for ground floor? If there is no RSJs how difficult is to install them now?
 
RSJ stands for reinforced steel joists (i believe) and they would be used to make sure the floor of the ceiling is capable of holding excessive weight. This is usually worst case scenario so usually you need a judgement call from yourself or perhaps a friend who might be qualified but not in writing if you get my drift.
Cue: the damned brigade
 
where RSJs are placed?on the roof or to strengthen the attic floor which is the original ceiling for ground floor? If there is no RSJs how difficult is to install them now?

RSJ’s are metal girders that are embedded wall to wall front and back, the new stud walls sit on these RSJ’s, the joists for your attic floor are suspended from the RSJ’s, so your whole attic room is independent and is not in any way resting on joists that support the ceiling below.

In our case we have a small door front and back from the attic room into the eaves which is floored and used for storage and the water tanks, like Seagull, the RSJ’s are clearly visible front and back from the eaves.

If they are not there, it’s a big job, the existing floor and walls would have to come out.
 
So if RSJs were used, an engineers pre-purchase report would have clearly seen them? Without any opening?

From what I gather the opinion on compliance is just the paper so and what really matters is the existence of RSJs?
 
There almost certainly will be access hatches off the attic room to floored storage in the eaves. RSJs would be easy to identify. If it was me and I had doubts I'd view the house again and get into the crawl space.
 
Last edited:
There almost certainly will be access hatches off the attic room to floored storage in the eaves. RSJs would be easy to identify. If it was me and I had doubts I'd view the house again and get into the crawl space.
One more silly question: Can it be reinforced with timber?
 
One more silly question: Can it be reinforced with timber?

Not after the fact.

If they can't show that a structural engineer signed-off on the modifications to the prefabricated trusses, I'd walk away.
 
Back
Top