40 sq metre planning permission exemption

Fredser

Greetings

Anybody know offhand does the above-mentioned 40 sq metre limit mean total floor area including, lets say an attic room, or does it mean the size of the extension from a birds eye view?

Could I for example build an extension of 39 square metres and have an attric room above it (meaning a total floor are of approx 75-80 sq metres).

Many Thanks

F

Einstein

I don't think you'd get away with that one, not sure though, check here.


http://www.oasis.gov.ie/housing/planning_permission/planning_perm_altering_a_house.html

galwaydude18

Nope you can't do that. If you make the attic livable you need to get planning permission as the total floor area would exceed 40 sq. m.

kenmc

I may be wrong, but I believe if you're going 2 story it has a max dimension of 28m2 on the bottom and 12 on top or something like that (presume you can 26+14, 20 +20 etc)- had a drunken discussion with an architect brother-of-a-friend recently, and those numbers spring to mind..

Fredser

Thanks for help,

Can I assume then if the attic is not livable (i.e ony used for storage) then it is ok? I would have a STIRA type access and not a real staircase.

F

rooferPete

Hi fredser,

The type of stairs doesn't define liveable, the height from the floor to ceiling must be 2400 mm far a minimum of 2/3 rds the floor area, open to correction but the access does not say if it's habitable it just says how easy and safe it is to access.

That said I wouldn't think you will get habitable if the access is off a step ladder

.

MorningStar

rooferPete wrote:

Hi fredser,

The type of stairs doesn't define liveable, the height from the floor to ceiling must be 2400 mm far a minimum of 2/3 rds the floor area, open to correction but the access does not say if it's habitable it just says how easy and safe it is to access.

That said I wouldn't think you will get habitable if the access is off a step ladder

.

Excellent Pete I was looking for the dimensions for a liveable celing height. What about the other dimensions of the room?

I remember in the 80's an extension making a house 3 stories ment you need a fire exit methods other than the stairs. I think that still applies but can mean a window that opens fully and a fire ladder (rope ladder).

If you make sure the attic room is not habitable the room can't be considered part of the extension sq footage but I think that would be pushing. I know if you contact the planning office and ask them they will be pretty straight with you. Pete here will tell you it is good to get a certificate saying it complies with planing for later sales.

gregos

Sorry. It doesn't mean a rope ladder.

If you convert a house to 3-storey, the very least you'll need to do is to protect the stairway. This means fire-resisting partitions creating a protected escape route to the outside. You'll also need automatic fire detection, self-closers on the existing doors and fire doors to the new rooms.

If you raise the roof line, have more than two rooms in the converted area or if the new storey is more than 50 sq. m. in area, you'll need to comply with much stricter rules. These include constructing the entire stairway as a protected shaft (fire doors throughout, door closers, fire-resisting construction etc.), automatic fire detection and some other things.

In addition, there are rules controlling the minimum dimensions of escape windows, but nothing whatever about rope ladders.

MorningStar

gregos wrote:

Sorry. It doesn't mean a rope ladder.

In addition, there are rules controlling the minimum dimensions of escape windows, but nothing whatever about rope ladders.

I did say in the 80s I remember it being like that, no surprises I didn't get it right.

As you know what your talking about what are the minimum dimensions for a habitable room in an attic? I have a converted attic but it is end of terrace hip roof it has a large water tank which I need to replace. It would be a good incentive to put in a coffin tank if enlarging the room would make it habitable.

gregos

The building regs don't say anything about the minimum floor area for a habitable room as far as I know. The building regs are not firm on ceiling heights: they just encourage you to provide 2.4 metres head height, but they don't absolutely insist on it. You might be interested to know where the 8-foot (2.4m) limit originally came from. It was set down, I think in the 18th century, as a minimum for safety, to prevent people knocking their heads against hanging oil lamps, and it stayed with us.