One of the most important things to decide on when it comes to your new loft conversion, is how will you access it? Building a new staircase means changing the amount of floors your home or property has. As a result, you will have to adhere to a range of building regulations and fire safety precautions. Here at Pinnacle Loft Conversions in Preston, we provide loft conversions to homeowners and property developers across Preston and Lancashire. Consequently, we have produced this guide to accessing loft conversions.
Staircases
Accessing loft conversions in the vast majority of properties involves the addition of a staircase. There are a range of options when it comes to your staircase. These include:
⦁ Creating a continuation of your existing staircase, so that the new loft conversion follows the flow of your home. However, this relies on the amount of head-height available
⦁ Partitioning an existing room to create a stariwell so that the loft conversion has separate access
⦁ Using an existing room as a walkthrough to the staircase for the loft conversion
Style
Whichever type of staircase access suits your home, the stairs are essential for safe access to your new extension. But that doesn’t mean they cant be stylish. From spiral staircases to winder stairs, choose a staircase option that fits with your home, as well as your new loft conversion.
Adding floors to your home
When you add a loft conversion, you are adding another floor to your home. This comes with its own building and fire regulations. It is essential that you stick to these guidelines:
Two Storey Houses – If you are fitting a loft conversion to a bungalow, creating a two storey home, the building regulations are quite simple. You need to have a smoke alarm on each floor, and an escape window in your new loft conversion.
Three Storey Houses – Adding a loft conversion to a two storey house changes the home to three floors. This means that you need to follow more complicated building regulations. These include making sure that your staircase is fire protected with fire doors at each opening. Also, the staircase should lead to a door through which you can exit the property.
In summary
We hope that our guide to accessing loft conversions has been helpful. Not only do you need to decide on where the new staircase will meet, and the style, but you also have to consider building regulations and fire safety. If you need more information or advice, or for your own loft conversion project, contact us at Pinnacle Loft Conversions, Preston.