Doors
Fire door rules for homes.
Most two-storey houses don't need them. But a loft conversion usually changes that, and a door that looks right isn't always one that works.
A fire door is a tested door and frame set, with seals and hardware, designed to hold back fire and smoke. It only works when closed and properly fitted.
When a house needs them.
- A floor above 4.5m needs a protected stairway.
- After a loft conversion on a typical two-storey house, new fire-resisting doors usually protect the stairway, because it's too dangerous to escape through windows from above first floor level.
- Between a house and an integral garage, generally yes. Confirm the detail with building control.
- Flats and shared buildings come under fire safety law for doors between homes and common parts.
The five-step check.
- Certification. Look for a label or plug on the top or side.
- Gaps. Top and sides should stay under 4mm, and the bottom can be up to 8mm.
- Seals. Check the intumescent seals are there and intact.
- Hinges. Three or more, firmly fixed.
- Closing. Released from halfway, it should close fully onto the latch.
Those FD30 doors won't be out of date in 2029. British Standard fire classes come out of Approved Document B on 2 September 2029, but the British Woodworking Federation says there's no need to replace doors that were correctly installed and maintained.
Can I swap a fire door for an ordinary door?
Treat that as a no, unless building control agrees. Work must not leave a building worse than it was.
Can I trim a fire door?
Don't cut one to suit. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, and ask before altering it.
Sources
- Approved Document B Volume 1, collated version
- Planning Portal, Loft conversion: fire safety
- British Woodworking Federation, 5 Step Fire Door Check
- British Woodworking Federation, British Standard to European testing
- GOV.UK, Fact sheet: Fire doors (regulation 10)
- Harrow Council, Guidance Note 1/07 (2007)
- Approved Document K (2013)