hansen wrote:
However the following two
information sources don't add up:
http://www.fmb.org.uk/publications/m.../july03/30.asp
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/br/brj-11.asp (parts E1/E2)
(Sigh, if "Masterbuilders" and the Building Regulations can't agree what
hope is it for people like me ;-) ? )

Without looking, I suspect Masterbuilder is referring to the ENGLISH
Building Regulatiosn whereas scotland.gov.uk is referring to the
SCOTTISH regulations. Are you in England or Scotland?

... What confuses me a bit is the BR that
appear to stipulate a 30min fire resistance, and the BR example of 9.5mm
plasterboard plus 60mm mineral wool plus 12.5mm chipboard that might
achieve this. My ex 2002-built Barratt house did not incorporate the
60mm mineral wool between the floors, only the plasterboard and wonky
chipboard, so I wonder how Barratt homes stand up compared to the BR ;-)

Your Barrat house was probably two-storey. Additional fire precautions
come into effect when you go three-storey, as you are finding out.

.... My thought would have been to make the loft an open gallery area to
the stairway, so would the 30min fire resistance be irrelevant, or would
it force me to scrap the "open gallery" idea???

AIUI You can have the loft open gallery to the stair leading up to it,
but it must still have a fire door between the foot of the loft stair
and the first floor landing. IE the staircase becomes part of the loft
rather than part of the landing, but there still has to be separation
between the two.

If the house next to you is a storey higher anyway you stand a very good
chance of getting PP for dormers (especially at the rear).

Owain