http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?
--
http://www.bra-and-pants.com
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk
http://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

mogga ) wibbled on Tuesday 01 February 2011 08:38:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?

My stairs are just round the corner from the kitchen - and open.

One old cottage I looked at had the kitchen in the hall by the stairs so the
kitchen could be converted into the only inside bathroom!

--
Tim Watts

On Feb 1, 8:38*am, mogga wrote:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?
--http://www.bra-and-pants.comhttp://www.voucherfreebies.co.ukhttp://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

In my understanding of building regs - yes - provided all the
habitable rooms leading off from it have means of escape windows.

But IIRC - those habitable rooms must be less than 4.5m above ground
level.

As this flat seems to be much higher - I'd expect that there would
have to be a protected route.

The kitchen and stairway must be being considered "as one" as the
protected route from the flat to an exit door to the building.

Actually - it does seem a bit odd that a kitchen is allowed to be part
of the route - I thought they had to be routes only, and not be usable
as rooms.

Maybe there's an emergency door to a neighbouring flat - that doesn't
show on the estate agent details.

On Feb 1, 8:59*am, " wrote:
On Feb 1, 8:38*am, mogga wrote:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?
--http://www.bra-and-pants.comhttp://www.voucherfreebies.co.ukhttp://ww....

In my understanding of building regs - yes - provided all the
habitable rooms leading off from it have means of escape windows.

But IIRC - those habitable rooms must be less than 4.5m above ground
level.

As this flat seems to be much higher - I'd expect that there would
have to be a protected route.

The kitchen and stairway must be being considered "as one" as the
protected route from the flat to an exit door to the building.

Actually - it does seem a bit odd that a kitchen is allowed to be part
of the route - I thought they had to be routes only, and not be usable
as rooms.

Maybe there's an emergency door to a neighbouring flat - that doesn't
show on the estate agent details.

It depends on when it was done. Building regs are not retrospective.

Jonathan

On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 02:35:14 -0800 (PST), Jonathan
wrote:

On Feb 1, 8:59*am, " wrote:
On Feb 1, 8:38*am, mogga wrote:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?
--http://www.bra-and-pants.comhttp://www.voucherfreebies.co.ukhttp://ww...

In my understanding of building regs - yes - provided all the
habitable rooms leading off from it have means of escape windows.

But IIRC - those habitable rooms must be less than 4.5m above ground
level.

As this flat seems to be much higher - I'd expect that there would
have to be a protected route.

The kitchen and stairway must be being considered "as one" as the
protected route from the flat to an exit door to the building.

Actually - it does seem a bit odd that a kitchen is allowed to be part
of the route - I thought they had to be routes only, and not be usable
as rooms.

Maybe there's an emergency door to a neighbouring flat - that doesn't
show on the estate agent details.

It depends on when it was done. Building regs are not retrospective.

Jonathan


The flat has just been modernised by the looks of it.
--
http://www.bra-and-pants.com
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk
http://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

It depends on when it was done. Building regs are not retrospective.

Jonathan

The flat has just been modernised by the looks of it.
--http://www.bra-and-pants.comhttp://www.voucherfreebies.co.ukhttp://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

I agree but from my experience if the interior is not structurally
changed in terms of layout, building regs can't make you change it to
bring it up to modern standards. We had a flat that we modernised
whose escape route was through the kitchen and were told that they
couldn't make us change it. We did in the end because we were
horrified by the statistics on house fires. Most start in kitchens.

Jonathan

"mogga" wrote in message
...
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?


The english often confuse the manly arts of woodworking with puppeteering.
Kitchens don't open out to anything, dumbo. On the other hand, stairs may
well open out into a kitchen.

Thanks for all the fish.

On Feb 1, 11:08*am, Jonathan wrote:
It depends on when it was done. Building regs are not retrospective.

Jonathan

The flat has just been modernised by the looks of it.
--http://www.bra-and-pants.comhttp://www.voucherfreebies.co.ukhttp://ww....

I agree but from my experience if the interior is not structurally
changed in terms of layout, building regs can't make you change it to
bring it up to modern standards. We had a flat that we modernised
whose escape route was through the kitchen and were told that they
couldn't make us change it. We did in the end because we were
horrified by the statistics on house fires. Most start in kitchens.

Jonathan

The above is right. Having seen the aftermath of several fires,
(usually kitchen, usually chip pan or grill) I wouldn't entertain
having a kitchen open to a stairwell/escape route. You want what is
safe, not an escape clause from regulations. If it can't be fixed,
don't buy.
And get rid of the chip pan if you have one, get a closed fryer. They
are deadly devices esp. when children are about.

On Feb 1, 6:22*pm, harry wrote:
On Feb 1, 11:08*am, Jonathan wrote:

It depends on when it was done. Building regs are not retrospective.

Jonathan

The flat has just been modernised by the looks of it.
--http://www.bra-and-pants.comhttp://www.voucherfreebies.co.ukhttp://ww...

I agree but from my experience if the interior is not structurally
changed in terms of layout, building regs can't make you change it to
bring it up to modern standards. We had a flat that we modernised
whose escape route was through the kitchen and were told that they
couldn't make us change it. We did in the end because we were
horrified by the statistics on house fires. Most start in kitchens.

Jonathan

The above is right. Having seen the aftermath of several fires,
(usually kitchen, usually chip pan or grill) I wouldn't entertain
having a kitchen open to a stairwell/escape route. You want what is
safe, not an escape clause from regulations. * If it can't be fixed,
don't buy.
And get rid of the chip pan if you have one, get a closed fryer. They
are deadly devices esp. when children are about.

Interesting point: I was just looking at a prospect which has just
that 'feature' - open stairs leading from the kitchen. Couldn't quite
decide if I thought it was dodgy but this thread has made my mind up!

[Default] On Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:37:33 +0000, a certain chimpanzee,
mogga , randomly hit the keyboard and wrote:

On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 02:35:14 -0800 (PST), Jonathan
wrote:

On Feb 1, 8:38*am, mogga wrote:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...-28835776.html

Floorplan shows kitchen open to the stair well. Is that allowed?

The flat has just been modernised by the looks of it.

But was the layout altered? If the layout has been altered more than 3
years previously, then enforcement action cannot be taken (except in
rented properties under different legislation).

There's a whole world out there between 'allowed' and 'enforced'. I
would imagine significant swathes of London and other cities have
unauthorised flat conversions, alterations, etc. that have never come
to light.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have I strayed"?