This video i want to talk about attic conversions added conversions would be a very common feature of Irish the Irish housing stock especially dormer bungalows for an Irish person a dormer roof or indeed for any person probably a dormer roof and a growing family is too big a temptation to resist so inevitably a lot of dormers and a lot of properties have the attic converted you need to.
Be careful though if you’re buying a secondhand property and it has an added conversion you need to check that there is plenty information for it and you need to check that if there is supply information that it has been carried out in accordance with building regulations and that there is a certificate of compliance with building regulations and planning permission it is easy I’ve done it myself with a growing family the roof space can be especially in a dormer property because it’s got a big roof by definition dormir being the French for to sleep big roof it’s difficult to resist the temptation you need to be careful I’ve seen plenty of planning information done as well where the permission.
Is granted for a three four five-bedroom property perhaps.
And one of the special conditions when the planning would be that the attic space is used for storage only in other words if there’s to be any living accommodation put into what any bedrooms any living space and the bathrooms and so on then a special or a separate planning application would be required you need to be careful there because the knock-on effect if you’re buying a secondhand property comes when there is a bank involved under a valuer the valuer may go out and look at the property and see that it’s a five bedroom house and value it on that basis you may have bought it on the basis there’s a five bedroom house where in fact there’s only apply information for three bedrooms on the ground floor the two in the attic and the little office or the little toilet.
Are unauthorized developments and don’t have plan information that’s a problem because obviously the solicitor acting for you is going to be concerned he may or she may have to certain qualified title in so far as there’s only planning for perhaps three proper tree bedrooms or four bedrooms or whatever it might be so attic conversions are great but you need to be careful tread wearily you’re buying a secondhand property the attic has been converted check that the planning is in order check that the building regulations are in order uh and the building regulations in particular the fire regulations can be easy to breach because the escape windows.
And the openings and so on in an attic situation from a fire regulation perspective is tricky enough to have to be at a certain height and to have to give a certain amount of space uh opening to exit the property and so on for obviously good fire regulation reasons so in general if you’re buying a property with an attic conversion do check through a your surveyor and b the solicitor your solicitor that there is planning permission and that the work has been carried out in accordance with the building regulations and the bottom line is if there is then a certificate of compliance with the planning permission and a certificate of compliance confirming that.
The work has been carried out in accordance with the building regulations that’s fine that’s no problem but i have as i say seen a good few day jobs and a lot of people with growing.
Families would tend to use the space available to them it’s perfectly understandable but when you’re going to buy a secondhand house you need to be careful that you’re not going to walk into a mess and essentially be buying a house which is being advertised as a five bedroom when in fact legally it may only be a three or four bedroom anyway i hope you find this video useful if you do i would appreciate if you give the thumbs up down below thanks a lot.