Cellar conversion

[rebajayne]

Im thinking about egtting my cellar converted to a play room for my son. How do i know if the company is good??

[janetsflower]

see if they are registered with any of the governing bodies like federation of master builders, guild of mastercraftsmen etc etc, however not all good companies, especially small ones can afford to subscribe to these bodies so ask them for references from previous customers. My husband has a building company and we often get asked for references, some people even visit a few of our old customers to see what we did or aks around for recommendations, we also find thats our best form of advertising

[jake-the-peg]

Well you could start here:
http://www.basement.org.uk/

But I would start by having a discussion with any company about building regulations first off. That'll usually get the cowboys running away or making vague statements like "that won't be a problem".

In fact building regulations are often a major problem with cellar conversions due to the need to provide adequate ventillation and and meet fire regulations

Specifically you will be making the basement a habitable room which means that you either need to provide an external door or window for an escape or a protected stairway leading from the basement to a final exit.

In practice this building regulation often puts paid to plans for cellar conversion.

My advice is to think about being downstairs in the cellar with your son and finding that a fire has started in the kitchen. If you're happy that your conversion could handle this then fine - otherwise think again

[trish1234567]

On request, our local Council gave us a short list of reputable local builders who had been operating for a few years. Obviously, rogue builders would not be on it. The Council know the builders who give them trouble.

If you know a local job that has been done, it is worth calling at the house and asking if the result was satisfactory. Can't beat personal recommendation.
Good luck.