Property

I don’t have a compliance certificate for my DIY attic conversion. What should I do?

Property Clinic: Alterations must be shown to meet planning requirements when selling

In reality, most, attic conversions are exempt from the need for planning permission. Photograph: iStock/Getty

Tue Mar 16 2021 - 06:00

I consider myself a very experienced DIY person with a sound understanding of all technical matters gained through my work as a project engineer, not certified.

I have a query regarding an attic conversion that I carried out by myself in 1998 and would be obliged if you might offer me your expert advice. My basic concern is that my attic conversion does not have a certificate of compliance.

I fitted steel I- beams to support the roof trusses. These were approximately 6.2m long and were fabricated in three 2.2m sections (to allow for easy handing and installation. The centre section has flanges and was joined together with spacers and bolted with four 20mm bolts, spring washers and nuts. The bolt material is grade 8.8 high-tensile steel. The outer ends of the beam went into the gable end wall and dividing wall.

I then supported the roof trusses with vertical uprights (150x45) from the steel beams with the purlins removed. I fitted 30 degree steel fabricated pieces between the roof truss and the vertical supports. I suspended the floor joists (175x50) from the steel beam to sit 20mm above the ceiling. I also fitted a Velux 800 window to the roof at the rear of the house.

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This is just a brief description of how I went about the project. There was a lot more detail as I completed the work programme. Now, 22 years later ,the attic conversion is mainly a storage space and is in excellent condition. No cracks (settlement) appeared over time as one might expect to see. With revised building regulations in place since around 2012, I am concerned that if we were to sell up and move house it may cause a holdup in proceedings when the building is being surveyed. I’m also concerned that if we leave it as it is, that my immediate family will be left handling the problem, if there is one, after we are gone.

I would be obliged if you could advise me on the best approach to resolving this matter. Should I approach a building surveyor or structural engineer and would you have an idea of how much this might cost? I am now retired and in my early 1970s.

Firstly, I note that you are an experienced DIY enthusiast and this is a considerable asset and no doubt will have allowed you to carry out various projects at an economical and affordable level, all of which is to be commended. Your detailed description of the works is very comprehensive in setting the scene. Accordingly it appears to me that you have been very thorough and indeed the passage of time, 20 years, plus the lack of any evidence of a problem would suggest that the works are clearly sound and in good condition.

However this issue comes down to having certificates of compliance in order to be able to facilitate a future transaction/sale of the property and it is inevitable that when you seek to have certificates prepared the works will be scrutinised in detail.

It is perhaps worthwhile to clarify that when one is selling a property, the vendor is obliged to clarify and confirm that any alterations or changes have been carried out in accordance with all relevant planning permissions and building regulations, and this is normally done through a certification process. It should be noted that the planning and the building regulations are two completely separate issues.

Planning

From a planning perspective, the certificate will either confirm that the works carried out are exempt from planning permission or in the alternative clarify that planning permission was required and that the necessary planning permission was obtained and complied with.

The potential issue of concern is that planning permission may have been required and was not actually obtained, or alternatively that one or other of the conditions of the planning was not complied with and this could create a problem. However, in reality most (but not all) attic conversions are exempt from the need for planning permission and thus this is unlikely to be of concern.

The building regulations are an entirely different matter and are completely separate from the planning. In this respect, there is an obligation to carry out any works in accordance with the relevant building regulations at the time of construction. I note that you had a concern over some new regulations that have come in to force since the attic was converted.

However, the actual measure for you is the regulations in force at the time the attic was converted and thus you do not need to concern yourself or worry about regulations which came into effect afterwards.

Building regulations

The level of building regulations applicable will be further dependent on the use of the attic room and in particular as to whether or not the attic room is a “habitable room” (living room or bedroom), or a “non-habitable room” eg a store or a playroom. Again, most attic conversions are non-habitable rooms and this is primarily because there is inadequate head height to accommodate the volume of space required to accommodate natural ventilation etc.

However, even if the room is a non-habitable room, then the main regulations to be considered include the structural integrity of the roof and issues relating to the external envelope including weather performance, thermal insulation and sound insulation etc. In this respect, the single biggest item of concern is the structural integrity of the roof structure.

Again, this will be dependent on the type of roof. While a traditional cut roof (which is typical with one off or older houses) is relatively easy to convert, a prefabricated trussed timber roof, which is typical of more modern housing/estates, is much more difficult to do. This is because there is a lot less timber within the roof structure and each piece of timber performs an important structural role (a bit like the spokes in a bicycle wheel or the strands in an umbrella). Accordingly, altering a structure of this nature can be quite difficult and should only be done under the guidance of a structural engineer.

The other big issue to watch out for is the separating wall between the subject property and an adjoining property in the case of a semi-detached or mid terraced house. In this respect, it is important that the party wall is not compromised or penetrated to accommodate steel beams as this could impact on the sound and fire performance of the original party wall.

If the room is to be considered as a habitable room, ie a bedroom, then additional regulations arise, including thermal issues, accessibility issues and heating etc to be taken into account. The big issue to watch out for is with, say, a two-storey house where the attic is being converted, as this effectively means changing the house from a two-to a three-storey house and there are a whole host of additional fire regulations which apply to a three-storey house that do not apply to the average single-storey or two-storey house.

In this respect, the staircase serving the attic/second floor would have to be enclosed within fire-resisting walls and doors, which means upgrading the walls and changing the doors at ground and first-floor level in conjunction with the attic conversion. Clearly this would give rise to considerable additional costs, which is perhaps one of the main reasons why the majority of attic conversions are treated as non-habitable rooms.

So, while it is quite possible that your DIY approach will have been more than effective, it will be clear that there are many potential pitfalls that you may not have been aware of from a building regulation perspective. As a result, you will have to engage the services of a chartered building surveyor or structural engineer to review the conversion and provide the necessary certification, or in the alternative to identify any shortcomings so that these can be addressed with a view to issuing the appropriate certificates.

The lesson here for others considering undertaking works such as converting attics is that it is important to ensure that appropriate professional advice is obtained upfront in order to identify all relevant planning and building regulation requirements. These can be factored in at the time of construction rather than run the risk of carrying out further upgrading works at a later stage to facilitate a sale.

Val O'Brien is a chartered building surveyor,and a member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, scsi.ie

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