Steven Bush's Blog: Fire Safety Regulations for Self Builders

We’ve all been shocked by the catastrophic result of fire spreading over the cladding at Grenfell Tower. It puts a sobering perspective on how crucial it is to make your new home safe, both in terms of stopping flames from travelling too far and having a suitable means of escape in place.

Here I’m taking a close look at the rules and regulations you need to follow to meet fire safety standards in your property’s design.

Fire rules

You need to have a system in place that quickly identifies a fire, alerts everyone in the house and offers easy escape routes. It’s worth noting that smoke and noxious gasses are often the initial problem and usually travel well ahead of the physical flames.

The standard of fire detection and alarm needed for your house will largely depend on its size; Building Regs set out the levels accordingly.

The documentation states that a Grade D system is required for regular houses – this means you need mains powered smoke and heat detection units, interlinked with battery back-up where the unit heads can be detached from the bases.

Grade B is for large two-storey properties where any storey is over 200m² in size, and Grade A for large houses with three or more floors. A-C are more sophisticated and will require specialist design, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re planning a large dwelling.

There are also unit frequency standards to get to grips with, which are categorised according to house size as well. LD3 is for standard properties, requiring smoke detection units to be fixed on all storeys, within 7.5m of an exit and in all escape routes.

Large houses with three floors have to be completed to LD2, which needs extra safety precautions in high risk zones, ie the kitchen. LD1 requires all habitable rooms to have each of the elements set out in LD3.