Can you see the cars from the house through glass?
Yes, with fire-resisting glass. In England, a 30 minute fire wall separates a garage from the house. A glass wall is an opening in it, so it needs the same rating.
Many collectors want to see the cars from a lounge, study or stair. This guide explains what the rules ask. It also shows how BELOW designs the view around them.
Updated
The view and the fire line are one wall
A gallery holds fuel, batteries, oils and tyres. The wall between it and the house keeps fire and smoke out.
A glass wall does not change that job. It only changes what the wall is made of.
So we design the view and the fire line together, from the first sketch.
What the guidance asks
In England, Approved Document B gives the fire safety guidance for homes. Harrow Council's guidance sets out the garage rule plainly.
The wall and floor between garage and house should resist fire for 30 minutes. Any door or glass in that wall must keep the rating.
The garage floor should also fall away from the door to the house. Or the house floor should sit 100mm higher.
Both measures stop fuel running into the home. In a basement, we often provide both.
Scotland and Northern Ireland use different documents. Many projects also go beyond the minimum. Your fire strategy sets the final standard.
Fire-resisting glass is a system
A fire rating belongs to a tested assembly, not to a sheet of glass. The glass, frame, seals and fixings are tested together.
Each part must be installed as it was tested. A different frame or a change on site can void the rating.
Some systems hold back flame and smoke. Others also limit the heat that passes through.
Where seating sits close to the glass, the second kind may be needed. We choose with the fire engineer and building control.
The door into the gallery
A door from the house into the gallery follows the same rule.
It should be a self-closing fire door with smoke seals. Camden asks for at least E30 fire resistance.
The closer must shut the door fully, every time. We test it at handover and at each service.
Air that never mixes
The gallery and the house need separate ventilation. Exhaust fumes must never reach a living room.
We hold the gallery at slightly lower pressure than the house. Air then flows into the gallery, never out of it.
The gallery exhaust leaves well away from windows and terraces. Our air and climate guide explains the design.
Electric cars change the plan
A battery fire behaves differently from a fuel fire. It can be hard to put out. It can give off toxic smoke.
The UK government has published fire guidance for electric cars in covered car parks.
We use it to place chargers, detection and smoke venting. Chargers sit on their own protected circuits.
Charging can stop when the alarm sounds. That is set at commissioning and tested each year.
Making the view work at night
At night, glass becomes a mirror if your side is brighter. Balance the two rooms and the cars appear.
We programme the lounge and gallery lighting together. One scene sets both rooms.
Our guide to lighting a car collection explains the gallery side.
A blind on the house side can close the view for privacy. It never touches the fire line.
Sound, cleaning and proof
A car starting below ground is loud. Fire glass and good seals keep most of that noise in the gallery.
Large panes need safe access for cleaning on both sides. We plan that with the joinery.
Each pane carries a mark that proves its rating. It stays visible, because building control may ask to see it.
The build order changes too
Fire glass is heavy and made to order. Its frame must be fixed to structure that can carry it.
So the opening is formed early, with the right supports. The glass goes in late, after the dusty trades.
That keeps the panes clean and the seals undamaged at handover.
Questions to ask your designer
Which tested glazing system will you use, and who installs it? Which rating does the layout need?
Where is the second way out of the gallery? How does its air stay separate from the house?
Who agrees the fire strategy with building control? Who maintains the door closers after handover?
Begin with the view you want
Tell us where you want to see the cars from. A lounge, a study, a stair or a bar.
We will show you how to get it safely. Use the consultation form below to begin.
BELOW is part of NU Projects, which builds the house around the gallery.
Questions
- Can I have a glass wall between my house and my garage?
- Yes, if it is a tested fire-resisting system. In England, the separating wall and its openings should resist fire for 30 minutes.
- What fire rating does a door from the house into a garage need?
- Camden's guidance asks for at least E30 with a self-closing device. Your fire strategy confirms the final rating.
- Why does a garage floor sit lower than the house?
- So fuel cannot run into the home. The garage floor falls away from the door, or the house sits 100mm higher.
- Do electric cars need extra fire precautions?
- Yes. Government guidance on electric cars in covered car parks shapes chargers and detection.
Sources
- Approved Document B, Fire safety, Volumes 1 and 2
- London Borough of Harrow, Guidance notes: fire safety in dwelling houses (garages)
- London Borough of Camden, guidance on integral garage doors (E30, self-closing)
- UK government, Covered car parks: fire safety guidance for electric vehicles
- Approved Document F, Ventilation, Volume 2 (2021 edition)