Planning Permission Laws For My Attic Conversion

PLANNING PERMISSION LAWS FOR CONVERTING OUR ATTIC?

A family of five (a family friend) bought a house with just three rooms and there is a need for expansion. I work in the construction industry as a scaffolder and have contacts with trusted Roofing Contractors In Dublin . We would like to turn into the attic, but to make it elusive, we want to raise one side of the roof.

How can I do that? Whom should I contact? Where and how can I get planning permission? What documents are needed to be filled in order to continue? If you are in doubt about any element of the law, it is always best to call a leading solicitor in Dublin.

Converting an attic is a very useful and relatively inexpensive way to create additional homes in the home. This can be done very often without the need for third-party approvals, such as planning permission. If the work is largely internal and does not interfere with the overall appearance of the home, apart from providing Velux ceiling roof windows in the rear tilt of the roof, which is exempt from development, it does not require planning permission.

However, if you want to increase the height of the roof, such as the extension of the attic, it will significantly change the look of the house and will require planning permission. The only setback of planning permission is that it takes time (at least three months) and this will inevitably lead to additional costs. However, this would not necessarily be removed because the roof crane at the end would have a better / more useful space.

Structural Implications

It is especially important to consider the structural implications of converting the roof. Most of the roofs are triangular and this is perhaps the simplest and best possible construction. Change is more important than one can imagine, especially converting a prefabricated trussed roof, which is typical of most urbanization built in the last 40 years. Truss roofs usually contained as little wood, but they also offered a very efficient structure.

Therefore, it is especially important that you meet with an appropriate consultant, such as a civil engineer, prior to the start of conversion. There are many “unreliable” attic conversions that are unlikely to meet the appropriate structural requirements, which could be expected in the future.

Type of Room

The most important question that needs to be considered is perhaps the kind of room created as a result of the conversion of the attic. If you want to achieve a standard living room or bedroom, you have to fulfill a large number of obligations in accordance with the building regulations, such as a minimum height of 2.4m over two-thirds of the floor area of the room, a staircase of a minimum width of 800 mm not exceeding 42 degrees and a clear height of at least 2 meters.

Most importantly, we need to consider the means of evacuation in the event of a fire outbreak. In that respect, the majority of houses in Ireland are either single or two floors high and the regulations that apply to these homes are rather modest.

Fire regulation

However, a three-story house leads to a different category and a series of new regulations that must be met from the viewpoint of escape in the event of a fire. If you convert an attic into a typical two-story house to a convenient “living room”, you need to make sure there is an obligation of a safe means out of the room in case of fire, which will result in improved fire resistance, Standard on the stairs and on the ground floor and on the first floor; including renovation of one-story fireproof construction fences and doors with semi-automatic fireproof construction with automatic closures. This can be very damaging to the existing home and will result in substantial additional costs.

Although the regulations are very well-intentioned and exist to provide a minimum of construction, the difficulties inherent in existing house constraints often mean that most of the “attic conversions” is considered undesirable rooms or storage areas. Before you go into undertaking an attic conversion, you have to be fully aware of all the implications of what you are assuming and what will happen to you, and in that sense, it is important to seek professional advice. chartered building surveyor should be happy to guide you through the process.