Mezzanine Floors & Partitioning FAQs

Yes, Building Regulations is required for almost all mezzanine floor installations. First Floors will provide calculations, design, specification and drawings to help support your application. We will submit these on your behalf.

We will be happy to make an application on your behalf. We do not charge for the preparation of drawings, calculations and specification necessary, providing the installation takes place. All we pass on is the statutory fees charged by the Local Authority or Approved Building Inspector.

Yes this is possible, but we will require a purchase order for the initial survey, loading calculations and any design and drawings which are needed to submit to the Local Authority. As stated above we do not charge for gaining Building Regulations approval, providing the installation takes place. If the installation does not go ahead we would have to charge a nominal fee to cover our costs. This fee, however, would be reimbursed should the installation take place in the future.

Yes, we can commence with your mezzanine project, within 48 hours of submitting the application for Building Regulations to the Local Authority.

First Floors UK will take responsibility for this.

In almost all cases you will not need Planning Permission, if it is a fully demountable structure and the changes are internal. You do however require Building Regulations Approval.

Building Regulations do not limit the size, shape or height of the new mezzanine floor. The Government, has however been trying to control the expansion of retail space in out-of-town developments and has brought in legislation which requires planning permission for floors greater than 200 sq.m. You can however add multiple floors less than 200 sq.m without requiring planning permission

When a mezzanine floor is used for warehouse or storage purposes only then it does not normally attract increased rate. If the new floor is used for office accommodation it sometimes will.

The issue of fire protection under mezzanine floors is covered under part B of the Building Regulations, and unprotected mezzanine floors are allowed on the following basis

If the mezzanine floor is single tier and used for storage purposes only.
The number of persons likely to be on the floor is low and does not include members of the public.
The floor does not exceed 20m in length or width and does not exceed 50% of the floor area of the space in which it is situated.
The floor has adequate means of escape.

Please note that the Building Regulations are purely guidelines and allow for individual interpretation, which could vary the above conditions. For instance should your building have an existing sprinkler system, which was extended to cover the underside of the new mezzanine, then the mezzanine may not have to be fire rated.

A protected route will be required if offices or a production floor is resident on the new mezzanine structure, dependent upon the size and the number of existing fire exits. Fire rated partitioning and fire rated doors can be installed around one of the staircases to form a lobby, back to an existing external fire exit door, in order to achieve a protected escape route.

In most cases you will need to inform your Landlord of the proposed changes, to make sure you comply with the terms and conditions of your lease, if this is a condition. It is a good idea to share the mezzanine flooring designs drawings with them, and inform them of Building Regulation Approval. The simplest thing to do is to send a copy of all correspondence to your Local Authority/Approved Building Inspector, also to your Landlord.

The area where the mezzanine floor is to be situated, will need to be cordoned off whilst installation is taking place for obvious health and safety reasons. The area will need to be as clear as possible, and provide our installation team with unrestricted access to the area, with utilities and services available (electricity and lighting), so that your mezzanine floor can be installed safely. We will create a new business environment with a minimum of fuss and disruption, without interrupting your workflow.

You can make changes within 2 weeks or agreeing the original mezzanine design. Any changes after that time-frame may result in a delay and additional costs.

You need to consider fire protection, emergency lighting, smoke and fire alarms and relevant safety signage.

Based on a clear site, our mezzanine installation team can fit up to 70 square metres per day.

From time to time we are able to offer second hand mezzanine floors. Please contact us if you wish to discuss installing one.

Typically, 2-3 weeks from order to commencement of the installation of the mezzanine floor. The length of time required for installation is dependent on size, use and finish.

Yes, we will ensure that the mezzanine structure is adequate to meet your requirements and will perform all the loading calculations using British Standard loading tables.

Typically, mezzanine floors are used to provide extra storage, office space, warehouse space, production areas, workrooms, canteens etc, but can be used for anything that requires additional space.

The issue of disabled access is covered in the Building Regulations part M. Mezzanines normally used for storage purposes will not normally require disabled access. Mezzanine for other uses such as offices, production areas, canteens, etc. may require disabled access subject to the layout of your building or Local Authority/Approved Inspector requirements.

Staircases suitable for disabled access have to comply with Building regulations part M, typically they have to be 1200mm wide, 170mm maximum rise, and have to have a mid-landing every 12 steps (16 steps in small premises).

Our Sales Engineers would be happy to advise you of possible requirements.

It is possible to have multiple tiers of Mezzanine Flooring, dependent upon the available height in your building.

We will aim to design a new Mezzanine Floor with the minimum number of columns; however a typical economical grid for a mezzanine floor is approximately 4.5m x 4.5 m.

All our Operatives are fully trained, skilled and have the necessary licences and are insured to use any equipment needed for the installation. They are monitored and audited by our appointed Health and Safety Team.