Open-plan living is so right for today’s lifestyles, but it is important to make sure your rooms do not become a danger if a fire breaks out.
When buying a home or planning changes, a through lounge, lounge cum dining room, or kitchen-diner can make the most of the space in your home. It means you can watch TV in your lounge while enjoying dinner or carry on chatting while preparing or serving up food.
Many people decide to knock through two separate rooms to create one bigger space, which is a great idea as it creates light and looks more modern. It can also add value to your home.
Plan When Furnishing or Decorating
House and Garden says you can also use just one type of flooring for the entire room, such as wood or tiles. Rugs can be strewn in the lounge area to add warmth and comfort.
If you are planning to open up your home, you’ll need to look at the building regulations, as these say what you can and cannot do as well as making sure there are adequate escape routes. The regulations differ depending on which floor you are planning to open up and how many rooms are accessed via the open-plan room.
It is important that no one is at risk of being trapped if a fire should break out, which is why the design and layout of the rooms is so important. It is also important to have fireplace system that makes a fire breaking out very unlikely in the first place. If this is a concern for you then you may wish to consider having a stove as your fireplace. It is worth taking precaution from the beginning with regards to your fireplace system as it could potentially prevent unnecessary death or injury. For an attractive looking stove you could use a company like http://www.stovebay.com/stoves/category/40-wood-burning-stoves#.XLCTz-hKhPY or other wood burning stove Northern Ireland companies.
Saving Lives in Case if Fire
Just as important is the need to install fire safety detection devices such as smoke alarms, which save up to 100 lives each year.
You may want to look into installing a sprinkler system, as only sprinklers can actually prevent fire deaths and offer a cost-effective way of reducing the number of people killed by house fires, according to the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association.
An alternative to traditional sprinkler systems is Automist, which can detect a fire and then put it out. The system releases a water mist, which causes less damage than a traditional sprinkler and can even put out chip-pan fires.
