Open kitchen - Fire safety regulation

barry1708

Hello everyone,

Hope you're all well during these strange times.

A quick question for you, my partner and I have a 2 storey house, and I'll like to take down one of the wall from the hall so I can have a unique room (Kitchen + living room).

But when I bought the house the engineer said I can't know it down because of "the building regulations specifies that (1.5.2 document B that a stairway shall not discharge into a kitchen).

I wonder if for example installing a fire emergency ladder, in each of the two bedrooms upstairs will maybe solve the issue?

Thanks for letting me know.

Clem

barry1708

barry1708 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

Hope you're all well during these strange times.

A quick question for you, my partner and I have a 2 storey house, and I'll like to take down one of the wall from the hall so I can have a unique room (Kitchen + living room).

But when I bought the house the engineer said I can't know it down because of "the building regulations specifies that (1.5.2 document B that a stairway shall not discharge into a kitchen).

I wonder if for example installing a fire emergency ladder, in each of the two bedrooms upstairs will maybe solve the issue?

Thanks for letting me know.

Clem

I attached files below and highlighted the wall I wanted to take down

Gumbo

No. The ladders won’t help your situation as the means of escape to the final exit is a different part to the means of escape/rescue from first floor windows.

Look at Part B. There’s a specific diagram for open plan arrangements and stairs discharge into a kitchen.

Gumbo

https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/technical_guidance_document_b_fire_safety_volume_2_dwelling_houses.pdf

Page 17
Section 1.3.2.1

You would need to relocate your kitchen to the rear of the property.

barry1708

Gumbo wrote: »

https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/technical_guidance_document_b_fire_safety_volume_2_dwelling_houses.pdf

Page 17
Section 1.3.2.1

You would need to relocate your kitchen to the rear of the property.

Thanks a lot for your reply.

I’ll have a look into it then

PaddyCar

Gumbo wrote: »

https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/technical_guidance_document_b_fire_safety_volume_2_dwelling_houses.pdf

Page 17
Section 1.3.2.1

You would need to relocate your kitchen to the rear of the property.

Not necessarily. The cooking facility must be greater than 3m from the stairway and the final discharge from the stairs must be less than 4.5m from the exit.

Gumbo

PaddyCar wrote: »

Not necessarily. The cooking facility must be greater than 3m from the stairway and the final discharge from the stairs must be less than 4.5m from the exit.

And based on the floor plan the Op posted, this cannot be achieved.
Hence, the link I posted to the specific regulation and sun section that you’ve quoted.

The 3m is from any part of the stairs, not just the bottom step. Very hard to achieve in the house style that the OP has posted.