If you are investigating the scheme to accommodate refugees from Ukraine, you may be looking at ways to separate space in your home to provide a bedroom – eg. by dividing an existing room or repurposing an open-plan space.
Even if you plan for this to be a temporary conversion, you should check how to ensure the changes comply with building regulations, particularly to do with safety. If in doubt you should consult your local council or a private approved building inspector. Even if you don’t plan to make any changes, the regulations provide useful guidance on how to ensure the accommodation you are offering is safe and suitable for habitation (for you and for your guests).
The regulations can be found here. Some of the key considerations which often apply to residential homes are;
Fire safety:
These regulations specify measures to help prevent the spread of fire, and to allow people to escape in the event of a fire. The requirements depend on your property and layout but can include provision of “Fire-rated” doors to habitable rooms, a protected means of escape, and suitable early warning. Even if you are offering an existing bedroom, you should consider;
Ensuring bedroom doors are FD30 fire-rated – that means the door is thick enough to withstand fire for a minimum of 30 minutes. They’re readily available from most builder’s merchants and DIY stores.
Upgrading your Smoke & heat detectors to meet current regulations – this might mean adding a heat or smoke detector, which can usually be done reasonably simply and easily, and often wirelessly. (it may seem obvious but the aim put simply is – if there’s a fire int he middle of the night, the system can detect it early enough that it sounds the alarm so everyone can get out of the house safely before the fire takes hold).
If your plans involve removing any (non load-bearing) walls, that may have an impact on the fire safety of your home and you should seek advice. If you are removing any walls that might be load bearing (ie. supporting anything above), check with a structural engineer!
Resistance to sound:
Any new stud walls should be properly constructed so as to ensure resistance to sound. A good builder will be able to do this.
Ventilation:
Homes and specific rooms are required to be adequately ventilated. If your home is well insulated you may need to give consideration to ventilation in creating any new rooms – maybe by adding extractor fans. This is to ensure, among other things, that everyone has fresh air to breathe and the risk of condensation (and associated mildew etc) is reduced.
If your ideas involve creating a loft conversion, removing any walls (even studwork), or adding a mezzanine, these are significant works which will likely require certification and consideration to be given to:
Protection from falling; These regulations cover topics including stairs, balustrades & handrails, and would certainly apply if you were considering adding a mezzanine level or converting a loft room.
Structure; Introduction of any new load-bearing elements, or removal of existing walls, must be subject to a design & calculations from a structural engineer.
Good luck, and Slava Ukrani!
