ETC

Who are they?

Unfortunately in architecture very true.

Not available.

Get the supplier to clarify where the stamp is located. It might be hidden under the glazing strip. Otherwise get your supplier to confirm in writing to BC that the glass is toughened. If it’s not put a toughened glass balustrade across the lower half of the window (up to 800mm above FFL). This is common practice in historic buildings where there are sliding sash windows with the lower part of the opening sash less than 800mm above FFL.

Give Structure and Fire Safety a good read before you put pencil to paper. The rest can be looked at as you go.

Post your drawings. Let us see what you designed.

Post your drawings. I’d love to see what you designed.

Fire resistance to the underside of a staircase in a standard domestic dwelling is not required. Only where you have the underside of the stairs as part of the compartment between two dwellings does it need to be fire protected. Limited combustibility/non-combustible staircases apply to commercial works - not domestic.

The drawings are very poor - the planners are probably confused with the elevations since they do not tie up with the plan. Can you clarify what is new and what is existing?

Just take a photograph of the drawings and post it. The size should be quite low.

Post your drawings please so we can all see what you’re dealing with.

Looks like a very clever detail. You might need drainage in the floor void. Get rid of the void by infilling the height difference between the infill block and the beams with insulation. Fill the sub-floor with hardcore, lay a bed of sand, lay a sacrificial DPM, lay the beams, infill the base with insulation and lay the blocks. Would this work?

Get rid of the ventilated void and use precast concrete slabs rather than block and beam.

Sounds fine. Specific shape and size of handrails relates only to “Buildings other than dwellings”. Also TBH: “Flights in a private stair with a total rise of more than 600 mm and a common stair in a block of dwellings, should have a continuous handrail that gives firm support and a firm grip………”

Don’t forget that there will be other regulations you will have to comply with. Rapid and Background Ventilation will be required and you will more than likely need a smoke alarm in any newly created circulation spaces. You won’t need to insulate for sound but you may wish to do so to reduce reverberation inside the room.

@ConorNearly. Don’t form a lobby. Relocate the door into the “Existing Room” to the bottom of the “New Room” wall therefore creating two separate rooms (however each room must be accessible from the stairwell hall). Each room needs an EEW OR a communication door between each room with an EEW in one room only - both rooms still need to be accessible from the staircase hallway leading down and out without passing through another room. That’s my understanding.

You will need BC input. It’s an inner room and there are a number of options available. Post the rest of the upstairs layout including the location of the staircase.

And you probably gave him quite a few quid for making a hash!

Looks great. Many congratulations on a lovely looking home.

I didn’t say that you did - I was asking if that was what you meant in your post. You seem to be berating the poster for not using someone who is qualified or chartered. In my experience competency does not equate to being qualified or chartered. I’m afraid that I do not agree that the fees charged by those who are qualified or chartered reflect the services they deliver and in many cases professional services are delivered by junior inexperienced staff who - while enthusiastic and committed to what they are doing - may not have the technical skills to satisfactorily deliver what their clients need. In this instance I am making an assumption that the poster only needs someone to CAD up the drawings and doesn’t need the input from a designer that is their decision to make - but whatever risk they take in relation to compliance with statutory approvals is theirs to take and will - more than likely - be reflected in the proposed fee. Don’t forget that this is a forum for self-builders many of whom would like to try and do their own drawings - with or without professional help - it is part of the learning process and experience of a self-build project. I suppose by joining this forum and posting questions many self-builders are hoping to try and do as much of the work as possible - including preparing the drawings for a planning or building control application to save as much money as possible - something which I applaud. This may or may not be the right decision to make but it is theirs to make. Just saying and thanks for reading.

@DevilDamoAre you saying that an inexpensive service is a bad one and that drawings that cost very little are not as good as drawings that are more expensive?

Why? Curious to know.

Don’t forget that with TLA you’ll need a bit more to get the same thermal resistance as PIR. Otherwise a great way of dealing with floor variances in the sub-structure.

£600 all in is very, very cheap. If he can deliver what you want you should go with him but I’d get him to quote for a measured building survey. It’s better him doing it than anyone else.