Fire Regulations for Loft Conversions

A loft conversion is a great way to utilize all available space in your home, providing an additional room to transform into an extra bedroom, bathroom, kids play area, or even your very own home office!

However, when designing your loft conversion, it’s important to consider safety aspects in the process too. There are several fire regulations to follow by law to ensure that anyone who is in the loft conversion is safe in the case of a fire breaking out within the house. We’ve outlined some of the fire regulations for loft conversions below.

Structure

Many loft conversions change the structure of the house itself from two storeys to three. In this case, you need to ensure that the structure of the loft conversion is separated from the rest of the house in order to guarantee a safe period of fire protection should this ever occur.

You can ensure your conversion is separate by using two-layer thick plasterboard on the walls and flooring, and installing fire doors in all door frames.

Fire Doors

Fire doors are essential in loft conversions in order to create a safe corridor from the loft to the outside of the house. This will require changing all existing doors on room on the escape route.

This is to ensure that if there was a fire anywhere in the house, anyone in the loft can make a safe exit. Fire doors typically have a thicker construction than standard doors, so the frames may need to be changed too. It is not a law that all fire doors have self-closers, however you should be mindful to close all doors in your home to ensure a half-hour protection from fire through the passageway should a fire break out.

Windows

Every loft conversion requires a window through which a person can escape if the stairway cannot provide a safe route out of the house. The window opening must be at least 450mm wide, and should be supplied with non-locking fasteners. Escape windows should be easy to access, with the ability to access the eaves –  this is essential in case of a rescue from the outside being necessary.

Smoke alarms

You should have mains powered smoke detectors installed on every storey of your home, including landings/stairwells. Ideally, each alarm should be linked so that if one sounds, the others are also triggered in order to warn everyone in the house in time.

Here at NK Lofts, our team work alongside you to ensure your loft conversion is as safe as possible, whilst also creating your ideal space. We’re one of the leading specialists in the Northampton, Peterborough, and Coventry areas, helping many customers convert their loft into dream bedrooms, bathrooms, livings rooms and offices.

Contact us today for more information about the services we offer, or to discuss your loft conversion, and we’ll be happy to help you.