Basement conversion help!

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by Luke walton, Feb 16, 2020.

  1. Luke walton

    Luke walton New Member

    F43E03A1-CC92-49CA-A522-612B0C236A30.jpeg Hi guys and girls , I’m new hear and was hoping someone could guide me in the right direction as I have not got a clue where to start with regs ect as everything I read seems to contradict one another .so here we go please bare with me .

    I have recently bought a house , it’s a new(self build) detached with a basement. As it currently stands the basements only access is from the rear (own upc door) , the front and sides are below ground level and rear is 50% under ground,
    is has lights and sockets, the floor is screeded and the walls and ceilings are plastered .i have attached a floor plan to make this easier to understand

    Me and the wife would like to convert the basement into habitable rooms , we would like two small double bed rooms in the green room , a bar/lounge in the beige room and wet shower room in the pink room. the builder of the house has said the joists are already cut for one under the existing staircase (pinch of salt) yet to be confirmed .so providing we can fit a compliant staircase what other challenges do you think were likely to face ?

    things I’m confused about are

    egress windows , will the spare rooms need them if we have a staircase and an outside door in the main room ?

    is 6ft 7” floor to ceiling permissible for bedrooms/WC/lounge ect I realise it’s not ideal but I know for sure excavating is completely out of our budget

    Can’t help but think there is a hidden daemon in all of this because surely the builder would have done it if possible.

    sorry for the long post but any help would be greatly appreciated , thanks in advance .
     
  2. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    It all depends on what the ultimate purpose of the conversion is.
    If it's to create a living space for you and you family or non-paying guests, then just go ahead and do it. You will be adding value to your property, but won't be able to realize the full added value when it comes to selling your house unless it's all been official (i.e. planning permission or permitted development and signed off by building control).
    If it's to create living space that will be rented out to paying tenants/guests, then you need to go down the official route. This has the advantage of being able to earn money from it while renting it out AND in the capital gain when it comes to selling your house. (Keep every receipt for every expense to offset them against your inevitable capital gains tax at the time of sale.)
     
    Luke walton likes this.
  3. Luke walton

    Luke walton New Member

    Thanks for the reply , yes it would be for me and my family to use and family friends to stop with us when visiting as they all live far away ,

    so if I go ahead and convert without building regs approval , could it be gained retrospective later down the line ? Or is it a done deal once I’ve taken the leap , ideally I’d like to add real value to the house as-well as the extra space , but if they are going to start wanting me to dig down , fit egress windows ect it could be extremely costly And most likely not worth it ,
     
  4. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    6ft 7in is just over 2m, which I believe is the minimum acceptable room height for habitation. Check with your local building control. If it's acceptable, I'd just go ahead and do it and then think about getting it signed off whenever it suits you.
    Why do you not want to go down the official path right now?
     
    Luke walton likes this.
  5. Luke walton

    Luke walton New Member

    it’s not so much that I don’t want to. It’s more The cost , every thing I read proposes 15-20k plus to convert a basement that complies with regs , which I currently don’t have , I am more trying to gauge if that is my case also , sorry for a daft question hear but can I pay a fee to them to come and have a look and tell me what needs to be done to comply ? Or is it not that easy

    It’s silly thing's like ,does the floor need to be insulated and damp proofed or will that have already been done being a new build ? Am I correct in saying my local authority should have all this information already ?
     
  6. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    For Building Control, you can go private ... you aren't stuck with your Local Authority's BC. In fact, I've found the private ones to be cheaper, quicker to visit and much more helpful than any I ever experienced when Local Authority BC was the only option.
    I suggest you contact a couple of private BC inspectors and see what they'd charge for a visit.
     
    Luke walton likes this.
  7. Luke walton

    Luke walton New Member


    Awesome thank you
     
  8. stevie22

    stevie22 Screwfix Select

    My experience of private has been pretty much the opposite of Roger's.

    One lot passed drawings for a new build with no drainage detail at all and stairs that didn't work (not my drawings: I was working with the builder).

    Most of my circle of builders that I design for report that they rarely come to site and just ask for photos: not very reassuring for the homeowner in my view. They rarely have the detailed local knowledge that LA guys build up as they tend to cover much larger geographic areas.
     

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