Internal door from garage to utility room

[newhome]

I’ve sold my self build as I’ve moved location and am in the process of buying a new (to me) house. The house meets many of my needs but there is no access to the garage other than via the main garage door. Ideally I’d like a door from the utility room into the garage and I know that this needs building control but I’m not sure whether I can 100% conform to building regs. I know that it needs an external fire door fitted and that there needs to be a 100mm difference in floor level between the garage and internal space. I will also ensure that a lintel is fitted and that there is a ‘step up’ of 100mm into the house. I only have 890mm (36”) to work with however that will include the door frame. And as the utility room is small I would prefer that the door opens into the garage. I suspect that some of these things make it difficult to conform to building regs. 
 

I’m considering not bothering with building control as this is expected to be a house where I will live for a few years, then when I come to sell I can just get the door removed and the wall replaced if it’s a big problem for the eventual buyer. Convenience is more important to me than worrying about an onward sale. 
 

Are there any pitfalls to this approach that I may not have considered? There is a restriction in the planning permission that will not allow the garage to be converted into living accommodation but I don’t want to do that anyway, I just want to use it as it is for storage.  

[Redbeard]

Why not face-fix the frame to the wall inside the garage, so that the frame is wider than the opening? If we assume the stop-beads to be 0.75 inch each (a guess) then that gives you a door width of 34.5 inches.

[ETC]

7 hours ago, newhome said:

I’ve sold my self build as I’ve moved location and am in the process of buying a new (to me) house. The house meets many of my needs but there is no access to the garage other than via the main garage door. Ideally I’d like a door from the utility room into the garage and I know that this needs building control but I’m not sure whether I can 100% conform to building regs. I know that it needs an external fire door fitted and that there needs to be a 100mm difference in floor level between the garage and internal space. I will also ensure that a lintel is fitted and that there is a ‘step up’ of 100mm into the house. I only have 890mm (36”) to work with however that will include the door frame. And as the utility room is small I would prefer that the door opens into the garage. I suspect that some of these things make it difficult to conform to building regs. 
 

I’m considering not bothering with building control as this is expected to be a house where I will live for a few years, then when I come to sell I can just get the door removed and the wall replaced if it’s a big problem for the eventual buyer. Convenience is more important to me than worrying about an onward sale. 
 

Are there any pitfalls to this approach that I may not have considered? There is a restriction in the planning permission that will not allow the garage to be converted into living accommodation but I don’t want to do that anyway, I just want to use it as it is for storage.  

What’s your problems? Sounds like you have it figured out. Door needs to be 1/2HRFR with a self closer and can open into the garage. If you’ve got 100mm floor difference you’re home in a boat. I wouldn’t be to too worried about the door width either tbh. Speak to your local BCO - you might be surprised.

[newhome]

10 hours ago, ETC said:

What’s your problems? Sounds like you have it figured out. Door needs to be 1/2HRFR with a self closer and can open into the garage. If you’ve got 100mm floor difference you’re home in a boat. I wouldn’t be to too worried about the door width either tbh. Speak to your local BCO - you might be surprised.

Thanks. I’m not sure about the floor difference as yet but thought that I could place the frame 100mm higher than the floor level to create that if needed? If it’s just to stop potential flow from liquids then surely that would creat that effect? I did try to read up on how the door needed to open but most things I read seemed to imply that the door needed to open into the house but that’s perfect if it doesn’t have to. 

[ProDave]

To be honest, I would just do it.

 

If you do sell in X years, unless it's an obvious bodge of a job, any buyer will probably assume the door has always been there and not question it, it is after all what you expect a door from a utility to a garage.  Assuming by the time you sell the time limit for BC enforcement has passed, then in the unlikely event of someone noticing the door was recent, a simple indemnity policy should satisfy any buyer.

 

Just make sure you do get proper trades to make the opening and properly support it with the right lintel.

[newhome]

10 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Just make sure you do get proper trades to make the opening and properly support it with the right lintel.

Thanks. My friend lives locally and has a very good builder who I plan to use. The Property Information Form doesn’t ask the specific question about doors being added but it does ask if I know of specific breaches further down. 
 

 

[Redbeard]

@newhome said: " I’m not sure about the floor difference as yet but thought that I could place the frame 100mm higher than the floor level to create that if needed? If it’s just to stop potential flow from liquids then surely that would creat that effect?"

 

I think it's about heavier-than-air gases, and specifically petrol and perhaps LPG w.r.t. garages. I don't quite understand the 'frame higher than the floor level' bit. Surely there's either a 100mm difference or there isn't, and if there isn't, one has to go down or the other has to come up. We are after all, talking about a potential 100-deep 'pool' of petrol vapour. (Note, in my head it was 150, but 100 has been mentioned, hence I am repeating 100. Haven't searched for the info.)

[ETC]

The 100mm floor difference is to stop liquid fuel entering the house from the garage. If you haven’t got the height either put a concrete lintel at the door or an ACO drain.

Edited March 24, 2023 by ETC

[RobLe]

ACO drain - does that mean something like this at the threshold of the house?

Presumably it just needs to drain anywhere except into the house - it's a last resort to keep dense low lying garage gasses or liquids out of the house.