Loft Conversion

Upgrading an old loft conversion in line with building regulations

Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.41 PM

My fiancee and I are buying a three bedroom mid-terraced house in London. The loft was converted by a previous owner (over 20 years) ago and clearly does not meet current building regulations. The staircase leading up to the loft meets the roof pitch at about 5ft meaning the door is dangerously short, particularly when leaving the room. We would like to change this so that it it is safer. We are conscious that the current stairs/door do not meet building regulations and suspect other aspects such as roof insulation and floor reinforcements might not either. We are concerned it could therefore become quite an expensive job. My question relates to our options regarding the stairs in particular. I think we have two options but it would be great to get your views. Option A) Get a dormer added to provide additional headroom across the rear of the loft, particularly over the stairs. Our issue with this option is that the house is in a conservation area, not to mention the cost. Option B) Re-position the stairs so that they reach the floor closer to the centre of the room where the roof pitch is adequate. It would be great to understand if Option B is feasible, which option would be most advisable and if there would likely be a significant cost difference between the two options?