At last one of our wacky ideas is finished and has been made compliant with the current building regulations.
Whilst a laundry chute might seem a simple enough idea, it does in theory provide an excellent route for a fire downstairs to spread into the upper floor.
So a fire retarding “flap” was required. We achieved this with 3/4 inch thick oak (made out of two pieces of surplus oak skirting) and then edged it with intumescent strip.
This is a close up of the furry strip which melts and seals the edge for around 30 minutes in the event of extreme heat. It is commonly available from builders merchants in handy little packs of a few strips a couple of feet long.
Hi Rob,
Sorry for the delay, most of our replies these days are spam trying to sell viagra. As a self builder you will know one has no time for that. I can confirm that the strip was the only thing that we were required to fit, but check with your building control person who will presumably visit you at key stages of the construction.
Our laundry chute goes into the utility room and is brilliant, the kids love it so it solves the messy piles of dirty clothes issue.
Good Luck