As a starting point the elements covered by building regulation.
Building regulations attic room.
For the room to be considered habitable under building regulations more than 50 per cent of it must have a ceiling height of 2 2m says structural engineer thomas o connor of occ engineering.
Building regulations approval is required to convert a loft or attic into a liveable space.
You will require building regulations approval for your loft conversion if it is to become habitable space.
What do i need building regulation approval.
Required space in order to meet the roof height standards imposed by the building code of australia at least 60 of your attic space needs to be a minimum of 2 4 metres high if you want to use it as an extra living space.
No interior class i vapor retarders are installed on the ceiling side attic floor of the unvented attic assembly or on the ceiling side of the unvented enclosed roof framing assembly.
70 square feet or more of floor space.
To satisfy building codes you need to have enough space in your planned attic conversion to meet the following regulations.
Building regulations are in place to make sure that any work done is structurally sound that the new room is fire safe and that sound is reasonably insulated between the loft and the rooms below.
Loft conversion is likely to be permitted development now so not as onerous as a full planning application and you can apply for a certificate for lawful development as it is clearly older than 4 years and building regs also fall away after a number of years too but before you do all this look into an indemnity insurance to cover you if you alert the local authorities then you will lose.
At least 7 feet in any direction.
General building regulations for loft conversions mainly require attention to be paid to structure and safety elements which will create a new space which is fit for non specific household use.
This would translate to a bare minimum of 7 x 10.
Where wood shingles or shakes are used a minimum inch 6 4 mm vented.
Structural integrity of the new floor and ceiling.
The specific regulations that apply will depend on the type of conversion you have.
This section provides guidance for making alterations to the loft space of an existing house which is no more than two storeys high.
The unvented attic space is completely within the building thermal envelope.
To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder.
The government sets minimum national standards for building works via these regulations.