Woodford is a town in North East London and is divided into several neighborhoods. It is a good locality with the availability of green spaces, good schools, and an easy commute to central London. With ample properties ideally suited for loft conversions, very few people decide to move away from such a good place.

The ease in a loft conversion is a benefit and it allows the users to convert it into anything they want including from a master bedroom to a balcony. However, many aspects need to be paid attention to while your home undergoes a loft conversion.

Anyhow, along with the demands of the conversion process the safety of you and your loved ones cannot be ignored. Therefore, fire safety becomes one of the most important things to consider while getting a loft conversion.

There are certain criteria that you should follow to maintain maximum safety. Some of the points to be paid attention to are,

Why is fire safety important during a loft conversion?
Safety is an important criterion for any house, however, stricter conditions and rules apply when we talk about loft safety. Additional fire safety rules must be followed to make provisions for an escape room when converting existing roof space into a room. Also, it might be necessary to upgrade the fire protection of certain parts of the house.

One of the major reasons for working on fire protection in a loft is that there is usually only one access point to the loft that is the staircase. If this one entrance is blocked in case of a fire, it would be hard to escape the property without putting yourself in danger.

Another risk is that these lofts are several floors above the ground. If a fire has started in the house, it would take a longer time for you to travel down the several flights of stairs to travel down and get to safety. Therefore, for such cases robust warning systems and the right precautions should already be in place to prevent any major damage.

Let’s go through some of the essentials that you will need to consider for fire safety when you are getting a loft conversion,

Fire doors
One of the major points to keep in mind while getting a loft conversion is that you should convert all your existing doors to fire doors. Any new doors that are added should also be fire-rated. The main purpose of having fire doors is to protect the hallway.

Building regulations mandate the presence of an escape route in case of an emergency other than your window. This can be achieved with the help of a fire door that is attached to the main door through a safe space. This does not apply to the loft’s door but to all the others that lie on the escape route of the loft.

The reason for getting a fire door is to provide an escape corridor between the loft door and the external main door. This ensures that if there is ever a fire anywhere in the house, people living in the loft could make a safe exit.

To afford maximum safety it is essential that people living in the house ensure that it remains closed especially during the night. Also, it is worthy to note that installed fire doors have self closure.

Historically these doors are not attractive looking, however, with time they have evolved and many fancy designs are now available that match the aesthetics of the loft.

If you have some type of ancient or vintage doors that you don’t want to destroy then there are alternatives for that as well. You can paint these doors with intumescent materials that are fire-resistant materials. This will contribute to the fire compartmentalization process.

Smoke alarms
Ideally, it is suggested that smoke alarms be fitted on every floor of the house. The rule is that all these should be interconnected so that triggering one of them will trigger all others.

These alarm systems are usually mains powered and are also installed with backup batteries in case of power outages. Also, it is suggested that these alarm systems are installed at a distance from any radiators or light fittings.

According to building regulations, these smoke alarm systems are mandatory in every building. There are many varieties of alarms available in the market and you can select whatever suits your requirements the best.

While installing them, just make sure that the electrical wiring is such that they are all linked. This will ensure that every alarm goes off if one does, thus ensuring that all the people in the house are alerted immediately.

Escape routes
In case of emergency, it is not deemed safe to jump out the windows especially if you live above the first floor. Therefore, there needs to be a protected escape route that covers the loft room and the entire stairwell as well.

Building regulations instill that these escape routes must have a fire resistance of at least 30 minutes. Along with that, they also specify that the opening of windows must be 450mm wide and have non-locking fasteners and release restrictors. The fire-resistant glass should be used and the windows should be easy to access and close to eaves level in case rescue is from outside.

The standard case of an escape route is that the staircase leads to the main door and the walls are fire-resistant. Plastering and plasterboarding are suggested to be done in the staircase. Along with this the ceilings and floors can also be plastered.

Fire containment
The construction type of the house also determines the fire safety regulations of the same. If you have certain walls that are shared with the neighbors then they must be made fire-resistant at loft level.

In addition to this, if you are going for the dormer style then it is suggested that the dormers be made fire-resistant especially on the neighbor’s side. This prevents the risk of damage to any adjoining properties.

Apart from this, additionally, you can also install fire-resistant curtains in the loft as well as the house.

Sprinklers
Sprinklers are not mandatory, however, councils suggest the installation of one for extra protection.

It is not the first choice for many people because it is very expensive. And a builder is required to assess the situation first to be able to make a recommendation because the high water pressure is required to run these. If your area where you are thinking of installing a sprinkler supports low pressure of water, then this might not be a fit installation in your property.

There are endless options and recommendations that you get, however, choosing what is best for your loft is essential and can sometimes be a cumbersome process. Rather than fretting around trying all the possible protection measures, you can always hire a loft conversion specialist who can help you decide what is best.

Nobody is fond of rules but these fire regulations rules are in place for your safety and the house as well. Fire safety can cause anguish in homeowners but is very vital. Taking a moment to understand these will help you avoid the hassle and efforts required in moving to a new place, rather it will give you more space along with the value addition to your house.

Careful planning at the early stages is worthwhile and provides peace of mind that you have a safe loft. It also helps avoid any future remedial work on the loft. So it is best if you take these fire safety regulations seriously and most of them are mandatory thus, leaving you no choice.