"SC" wrote
| In general it all looks quite difficult - putting in a fixed staircase
| looks a nightmare - it needs to be accurate too. Maybe you could get
| tradesmen for the difficult bits and do the rest yourself. The money
| on a good architect would be the best thing. He'll tell you all the
| regulations etc and will also be able to advise on what you could
| tackle yourself, and will do calculations like staircases for u.

The bulk of work on a loft conversion is structural, and a structural
engineer is better for that work than an architect, if one can be found who
does loft conversions.

| Dormer windows give a lot of extra space
| Regulations that I have heard of so far:
| You need a fire escape window on a 3rd floor (Velux do them)
| there needs to be a 2m clearance from the top stair to the ceiling above.
| Doors on the 3rd floor need to fire proof. (Special doors available with
| wired glass or at least a coat of fireproof paint on a bog standard one)

AIUI all doors onto the staircase need to be fire resistant.

| If u are putting more than one habitable room (bedr or study etc, not
bath)
| , there needs to be a fire escape on the outside.

External fire escapes are generally unacceptable

| You'll probably need a separate ringmain and will need a qualified
| electrician for that.

A separate ring circuit, if it is required, is one of the easiest parts of
the job and will not need a qualified electrician (in Scotland, the BCO may
require to see a certificate as part of the Building Warrant application).

Owain