Whether you’re planning on creating a home office in your loft, shed or garage, here is some advice on whether you’ll need building regulations approval.
With all the changes in work patterns over the last year many people are looking at home working as an option.
Homeworking means that you may be like to have a separate home office (if you have the space of course). And if there’s any building work involved you’ll need to think about how to make sure it’s in accordance with building regulations.
If you are, like many of us, putting a desk and laptop/printer into your existing bedroom or lounge then please ensure the electrics/cabling are safe. You shouldn’t use landing, hall or circulation spaces as these are escape routes for everyone in your home, but there is no need for building regulations to be considered.
If the work is converting a garage, cellar, loft space or outbuilding into habitable use then there are building regulation implications depending on what you’re doing:
Some things you may want to consider:–
What permissions do I need – possibly planning permission is required in addition to Building Regulation approval
How will I heat the room – extend the existing wet system or electric
Is the existing structure adequate enough – are the existing foundations sound
Existing insulation properties – will the walls, floor, ceiling or roof need upgrading
Will it be too expensvie to construct – the build cost may outweigh the practical aspect
Ventilation – like any other new habitable room, conversions must have adequate ventilation. This includes rapid ventilation like an openable window as well as trickle or backround ventilation like a vent in the top of the window frame
Windows, Doors, Roof Windows & Sun Tunnels – any new window, door or rooflights need to meet current building regulation standards in terms of insulation, opening sizes, ventilation (through a small opening built into the window frame), safety, security and draught stripping (draught excluders). You’ll also have to ensure that the heat loss or solar gain through the window would not be more than the building regulations allow, as it could result in overheating in summer and too much heat loss in the winter.
