Question 1

What is a fire door, and where are they actually required?

Accepted Answer

A door assembly tested to **resist fire and smoke for a specified period** — commonly 30 minutes (FD30) or 60 minutes (FD60) — whose purpose is to protect the **escape route** long enough for people to get out.

**The critical point: it is an assembly, not a door.** The rating applies to the door leaf, frame, hinges, intumescent strips, smoke seals, closer and glazing **as a tested combination**. Changing any component, or fitting it incorrectly, can invalidate the performance entirely — **a fire door propped open, or fitted with a gap that is too large, provides almost nothing.**

**Where they are typically required in a home:**

**Loft conversions.** Creating a third storey requires a protected stairway, which generally means fire doors to every room opening onto it. **This is the most common domestic trigger**, and it surprises people planning a conversion.

**An integral garage** opening into the house.

**Habitable rooms opening onto a stairway** in houses of three or more storeys.

**Flats**, both the entrance door and internal doors to the escape route, with the entrance door usually requiring FD30S with smoke seals and a self-closer.

**Houses in multiple occupation**, where requirements are stricter and enforced.

**What makes a fire door work:**

**Intumescent strips** which expand when heated, sealing the gap.

**Smoke seals**, indicated by the S suffix, which matter enormously — **smoke kills far more people than flame.**

**The correct gap**, typically around 3 mm, and a threshold gap within tolerance.

**A self-closer** where required, since a door only works closed.

**Correct hinges and intumescent hinge pads.**

**What invalidates one:** cutting it down, fitting a cat flap or letterbox, non-rated glazing, wedging it open, painting over the strips, and using ordinary screws or hinges.

**How to identify one:** a certification label or plug on the top or hinge edge. **Weight is not a reliable indicator.**

**Inspection matters**, particularly in flats. General information, not legal advice.

Question 2

What do door and window lock standards actually mean?

Accepted Answer

They certify that a lock or door has been tested against defined attack methods for a defined time — and they matter practically because insurers specify them, and a policy can be affected by what is

Question 3

What are the best practices for installing a new door?

Accepted Answer

Best practices for installing a new door include accurate measurements, choosing the right type, and ensuring proper alignment and hardware installation.

Question 4

Why does my fire or wood burner smoke back into the room?

Accepted Answer

Because a chimney works by draught — hot gas rising creates suction that pulls smoke up — and anything that weakens that suction or starves it of replacement air sends smoke the other way. How the

Question 5

What is building control, and how is it different from planning permission?

Accepted Answer

Two entirely separate approvals that people routinely conflate. Planning permission governs whether a development is acceptable in principle — its appearance, scale and effect on neighbours and the

Question 6

How to install a new front door?

Accepted Answer

Installing a new front door involves gathering tools, removing the old door, preparing the frame, and hanging the new door. Proper sealing and insulation are essential for energy efficiency.

Question 7

What is MVHR, and does a house need mechanical ventilation?

Accepted Answer

Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery continuously extracts stale air and supplies fresh air, passing them through a heat exchanger so most of the warmth in the outgoing air is transferred to the

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