building regulations
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 12:33In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
building regs
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 12:35In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[QUOTE=Sebastiano]It varies even between local authorities but that is around the norm at 2 metres 70-80 .Yes a lot oflocal authorities do not want that rural properties are changed externally and do not allow extra windows/panorama windows/ or fixtures that are not wood.[/QUOTE]
Forgot to add that your geometra will certainly know all the local building regulations with which you'll comply.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
When I looked into ceiling heights - the 2.7m lower limit was pretty rigorous- however, it is appparently sometimes possible to get a local dispensation for works on an old building - but it isn't easy to do so [I couldn't] - so ask your Geometra.
Note - the 2.7m applies to habitable rooms - not 'cantinas' etc
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Ceiling height requirements can be a complex issue - as Sebastiano has said, your geometra should guide you, and as Alan has said "there could be dispensations".
Basically, the rules in Italy are actually not very different from those in the UK. In both countries, if you are making a "change of use" - from a cantina or an animal "stalla", you must comply with the min 2.7m ceiling height.
If, however, you have bought something which has always been a house, and has been registered (here we look at the "planimetria catastale") as completely habitable accommodation, then you can leave ceiling heights as they exist. If - for example, you have a room on the first floor where the measurement at the eaves is only 1.8m, and at the ridge is (say) 3.5m, even though you cannot do the calculation which says the average is 2.7m, you are not obliged to raise the roof!
If you are hoping to convert historically non-habitable accommodation (ex animal stalls, or a cantina) into documented habitation, it could be that the costs of lowering the floor (with the potential for needing to underpin the foundations, etc etc) simply become uneconomic. In this case, the geometra has the option of describing such spaces as "studio", or "taverna" - which will never have the potential to become documented as habitable "vani", but are nevertheless perfectly useful spaces.
I appreciate (especially if you don't have the technical Italian to talk this stuff through with your geometra) that it becomes completely confusing and something you decide to walk away from - because the sort of formal legal "rectitude" which you have chosen to go for, or to walk away from, is quite un-explainable to any future purchaser.
The major questions you should ask yourself - if you are being told that to make spaces "legally habitable" you must spend huge amounts of money on floor lowering, piled foundations, serious damp-proofing measures etc etc are "is it worth it", and do I care whether it is going to be documented as "habitable" These decisions are for only you to make, and depend on whether you want to rent the place out, whether you want a hassle free resale, or whether you choose a solution which will last for the rest of your life in the place you want to live, and hang the consequences! You will not be breaking any laws, unless in the future you claim the spaces to be habitation.
[QUOTE=strawberrystar]I have heard of a building regs requirement for a minimum of 2.7 metres head height in any rooms for residential use. Does anyone else know anything about this? It seems enormous for an old cottage!
I have also been told about restrictions stating I must have wooden windows - does anyone know anything about this? My home is near to Communanza (AP).[/QUOTE]
It varies even between local authorities but that is around the norm at 2 metres 70-80 .Yes a lot oflocal authorities do not want that rural properties are changed externally and do not allow extra windows/panorama windows/ or fixtures that are not wood.