marchitects home alterations

Garages built in the past can be a bit on the small side for modern cars with the result that they are used as store rooms. If the garage is attached to the house and you need the extra space it can be relatively straightforward to extend into and convert the garage to a playroom, office, bedroom or a downstairs toilet. I've also converted garages into self contained studio accommodation for elderly relatives or grown up children. The external walls and/or roof will require to be upgraded to meet current thermal resistance standards and a new floor installed. The garage door would be altered to accommodate a window. Hey presto a fairly redundant space is inexpensively transformed. www.marchitectsltd.com

In older properties it can often make sense to create one larger room for modern family living. The most efficient way of doing this is to knock the wall down between two rooms, called forming a slapping. A structural engineer should always be consulted to ensure the correct lintels specification is used to support the wall and floors above. You will also need to ensure that any steel beams are protected from fire. The builder will needle the wall above the opening and support these on temporary props before removing the wall where the opening is being formed. The lintel will then be positioned on padstones set into the wall on each side and shims put in above to make up the space between the top of the lintel and the remaining wall. As with all structural alterations there will be evidence of settlement in the finishes around the affected area.

Here are some brief guidance notes on the new permittted development rules for rear extensions in Scotland. These do not apply within conservations areas or to  listed buildings. Any extensions to the rear should be no closer than one metre to a boundary. Extensions to a terraced house should be no more than three metres in depth or four metres in any other case.  The eaves height of the extension cannot be higher than three metres. No part of the extension should be more than four metres in height. The extension cannot cover more than 50% of the curtlage of the rear area of the property. This area does not include any existing hardstanding or the original house. If any all of these parameters can be met then planning consent may not be required. We can ascertain this for you from the relevant local authority. www.marchitectsltd.com

New rights for householders have come into force this month setting out new rules for planning permission for alterations and extensions to houses and flats: The principal elevation will be used to judge whether planning permission is needed There are more generous permitted development rights for extensions There is a one metre bubble around the house which means you will not need consent for satellite dishes and solar panels. There will be more control within conservation areas. Check out the guidance at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/householderdevelopment

Let look at the position of the toilet within the attic. Your designer should position it in the least valuable space so that it does not block potential views from the bedroom or impinge upon available ceiling height where not absolutely necessary. Visit us at www.marchitectsltd.com

If you plan to have an en suite or bathroom within the new attic space, obviously you need to identify the position of existing drainage within or outside the existing building. The position of an existing toilet on the floor below is a good start. It is more efficient to have the new toilet above an existing one avoiding unnecessary drainage runs. However if this compromises your preferred design then you may need to accept this and the disruption to the rooms below or look into using macerator pumps. These are noisy but can be located within the combes.

Some attics have original attic roof trusses i.e they form rooms or spaces within the roof. However should you wish to convert and occupy the space it may most likely be necessary to strengthen the floor joists to meet current standards. A professional structural engineer should be approached to review your existing circumstances. The Architect (me) will normally manage and direct the structural engineer for you in this regard. In most cases it simply means running new timber joists alongside the existing, and nailing them together in the prescribed arrangement.