I came in at a rather late stage in the project where a old office building is being converted into a hotel. The wiring for the lighting was mistakenly routed above the compartment ceilings in the floor void above. The ceilings then had a small number of recessed downlights which were fire rated at 90min. The arrangement has been rejected by Building Control as there is no test evidence for the composite. So be careful when going for similar arrangements! I imagine recent serious fires are beginning to have an impact on the way regulations are interpreted.
Back in the 1970’s I worked as a carpenter for Westbury Homes, I was going to put a set of floor joists on and another carpenter said to stick precisely to the plan as many carpenters did not do so.
The joists were set out on the plan with precise measurements and there were some full depth noggins without an explanation of what they were for, they actually formed boxes within the floor void, the plasterers had to line these with a double layer of plasterboard and tape them before the kitchen ceiling was boarded and Artexed as they formed a fire resistant box for the downlights to be installed in by the electricians.
In the forty years since then I have never seen another builder take such care when installing downlights, it wasn’t difficult it just needed organising and paying for.
Back in the 1970’s I worked as a carpenter for Westbury Homes, I was going to put a set of floor joists on and another carpenter said to stick precisely to the plan as many carpenters did not do so.
The joists were set out on the plan with precise measurements and there were some full depth noggins without an explanation of what they were for, they actually formed boxes within the floor void, the plasterers had to line these with a double layer of plasterboard and tape them before the kitchen ceiling was boarded and Artexed as they formed a fire resistant box for the downlights to be installed in by the electricians.
In the forty years since then I have never seen another builder take such care when installing downlights, it wasn’t difficult it just needed organising and paying for.
