[Help] Flat buying/surveyor question

kevo · Wednesday at 3:01 PM

Considering putting an offer in the raised ground floor flat in the pic below, but noticed something very unusual. It looks like it has lovely high ceilings, but inside the property you only get two thirds of the windows! There is a section of window that is ABOVE the ceiling - in other words a gap between the flat and the one above it (in the external photo you can see where the ceiling is because it's where the curtain/blinds end). Why would that be - what is in the gap?! There doesn't appear to be any 'loft' space. I've heard of suspended ceilings but this is ridiculous.

Weststander · Wednesday at 3:33 PM

A more recent conversion, for sophisticated acoustic insulation?

Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms · Wednesday at 3:38 PM

Is it possible the building has been gutted and then rebuilt inside, maybe adding an extra floor overall? I'd be concerned about who is responsible for maintaining the flat roof of the bay and the bits of window you can't use.

deletebeepbeepbeep · Wednesday at 3:41 PM

That is bizarre - what on earth is going on between the ceiling and the floor above? Secret Ground.5 floor? That would annoy the piss out of me.

amexer · Wednesday at 3:41 PM

during a refurb ceiling was lowered

kevo · Wednesday at 3:52 PM

From a noise insulation pov, it's brilliant - no banging from the floor above. But it is very odd and I wonder if it would affect re-sale value. I just have no idea what it's for and why someone would do it. I'm going to visit it again tomorrow morning, so perhaps the mystery will be solved then.

kevo · Wednesday at 3:53 PM

amexer said:
during a refurb ceiling was lowered

But why? I can understand it being lowered a bit for noise insulation etc, but it's like they've tried to create and extra half a floor or something...

Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms · Wednesday at 3:54 PM

Maybe that's where the bodies of previous residents are stored.

kevo · Wednesday at 3:56 PM

Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms said:
Maybe that's where the bodies of previous residents are stored.

Maybe it's a flat for very short people.

amexer · Wednesday at 3:58 PM

kevo said:
But why? I can understand it being lowered a bit for noise insulation etc, but it's like they've tried to create and extra half a floor or something...

A pity because looks typr of room that would have had nice cornicing. If cornice and ceiling were in very poor condition would think have just taken the cheapest option

Weststander · Wednesday at 3:59 PM

Incoming .... "The FA Cup money".

deletebeepbeepbeep · Wednesday at 4:17 PM

amexer said:
A pity because looks typr of room that would have had nice cornicing. If cornice and ceiling were in very poor condition would think have just taken the cheapest option

Like someone else said above that would make me concerned about whose responsibility is the area between the new ceiling and the old ceiling including 2/3 of the window and flat roof above the bay.

kevo · Wednesday at 4:26 PM

I think what's happened is they decided to create a suspended ceiling for whatever reason, but then realised they may need to have access to the flat roof, so decided to make the space big enough for someone to get in for repairs etc. I don't know whether it's included in the 'demise' of the flat. If so, I guess it could be useful for storage though I've no idea how you access it.

Bold Seagull · Wednesday at 5:49 PM

kevo said:
I think what's happened is they decided to create a suspended ceiling for whatever reason, but then realised they may need to have access to the flat roof, so decided to make the space big enough for someone to get in for repairs etc. I don't know whether it's included in the 'demise' of the flat. If so, I guess it could be useful for storage though I've no idea how you access it.

Maybe needed to create a void space for foul waste / services to run under the first floor joists or there is some structural steels needed for the flat above and rather than box them in separately they lowered the whole ceiling to ensure the 1 hour fire separation and acoustic performance. Might also be that the main room ceiling was already lower and just higher within the bay, and when they did the fire and acoustic they just made it a continuous ceiling.

kevo · Wednesday at 5:54 PM

Bold Seagull said:
Maybe needed to create a void space for foul waste / services to run under the first floor joists or there is some structural steels needed for the flat above and rather than box them in separately they lowered the whole ceiling to ensure the 1 hour fire separation and acoustic performance. Might also be that the main room ceiling was already lower and just higher within the bay, and when they did the fire and acoustic they just made it a continuous ceiling.

Thanks. It's the same height in the bedroom at the back, where again the windows extend above the ceiling, so don't think it's the latter thing.

Bodian · Wednesday at 7:11 PM

How many flats are there in the house? Have they turned three floors into four? If not - it all seems rather odd.

Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ · Wednesday at 7:49 PM

Have you had a search on the planning register to see if you can find drawings for what's going on? Feel free to send me a PM with the address and I'm happy to have a look for you.

BN9 BHA · Wednesday at 7:58 PM

Current owner couldn’t find 3 sets of long curtains so they had the ceiling lowered :smile:

kevo · Wednesday at 8:18 PM

Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ said:
Have you had a search on the planning register to see if you can find drawings for what's going on? Feel free to send me a PM with the address and I'm happy to have a look for you.

Thanks. It happened a long time ago though apparently, so might not help.

kevo · Wednesday at 8:19 PM

No

Bodian said:
How many flats are there in the house? Have they turned three floors into four? If not - it all seems rather odd.

That doesn't seem to be the case... they've just put new low ceilings in.

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