- Guides for Building regulations:
- What are the Building regulations?
- Difference between planning permission and building regulations?
- What is Building Control?
- How can you approve Building regulations?
- Sign-off by Building Control:
- Sign-off by a Competent Person:
- Some projects don't need Building Regulations approval?
- Who is responsible for the Building Regulations?
- What happens if I don't work according to Building Regulations?
Building regulations
If you want to build a house or renovate the outside, you must respect specific urban planning building regulations in the UK. These building regulations determine, for example, whether you can build an open or a closed home, but they also relate to the height of the house, the roof pitch, the colours of the bricks or the materials you want to use.
Guides for Building regulations:
Regulations regarding the building style, type of roof, colours of the facade, exterior joinery, etc. vary significantly from one place to another. There are apparent differences between the different regions.
What are the Building regulations?
If you want to build a house or renovate the outside, you must respect specific urban planning building regulations in the UK. These building regulations determine, for example, whether you can build an open or a closed home, but they also relate to the height of the house, the roof pitch, the colours of the bricks or the materials you want to use. From the first sketch of the building plan, the builder can consider what allows and prohibits. Wooden facade cladding? A balcony on the facade? Dark bricks? A new window? Brightly coloured windows? It often happens that the client has to look for alternatives to his original plans and ideas. That is why your architect will usually ask you at your first meeting to have your planning regulations.
In the UK, these building regulations are grouped in some categories, and these are:
- Part A: Structural safety
- Part B: Fire safety
- Part C: Site preparation and resistance to moisture and contaminants
- Part D: Toxic substances
- Part E: Resistance to sound
- Part F: Ventilation
- Part G: Sanitation, hot water and water efficiency
- Part H: Drainage and waste disposal
- Part J: Heating and appliances
- Part K: Protection from falling, collision and impact
- Part L: Conservation of fuel and power
- Part M: Use of and access to buildings
- Part N: Glazing safety
- Part P: Electrical safety
- Part Q: Security
Difference between planning permission and building regulations?
Planning Permission is permission to know whether a building should be constructed on a particular place or not and the effect on the environment and neighbours after development. On the other side, Building regulations are about the terms according to which a building must be constructed.
What is Building Control?
It is a UK Building Control service which has the authority to check whether buildings are constructed and designed by considering the building regulations or not. There is a department with the name building control department in your local council. In this Department, all the building control officers or inspectors are base. Some of these officers are approved inspectors and work in the private sector.
How can you approve Building regulations?
Suppose you are going to start any building extension or alteration work in your house. In that case, you must check if it requires sign-off according to the building regulations, on the official planning portal (co-produced by local government and Department of communities). Here you can see building regulations for many joint projects.
Sign-off by Building Control:
Some of the projects which need to follow building regulations and to build control officers have to sign-off on it are:
- Cavity wall insulation
- Underpinning
- Garage conversions
- Loft conversions
- Extensions
If you go to your local authority building control office then there may be of three types of application;
Full Plans: Where some related information and design will be submitted. And a formal decision will be taken.
Building Notice: Where no formal decision will be taken, but minimal information will be submitted. They will approve the work when it's complete and inspect it during the progress.
Regularisation: where retrospective approval is given about the work without building regulation approval.
Once you start work, the building control service can regularly inspect your work at various phases. The Notice should be submitted to the Building Control on an adequate time to review your work.
If Notice is not submitted in an adequate time, then Building Control may ask you to open up your work for the inspection. If you want to know more about the inspection process, you should consult your local Building Control Service.
If you are consulting an approved inspector from a private sector, you must also notify your local authority about the Approved inspector inspecting your building control functions.
You can check how you can apply to build control.
Sign-off by a Competent Person:
Additionally, a group of projects that need to conform to Building Regulations can self-certify by the installer themselves - if that tradesman is enlisted with an applicable Competent Person Scheme.
Competent Person Schemes were acquainted by the Government authority with permit people and organizations to self-ensure that their work follows the Building Regulations.
Tradesmen who are enrolled with a Competent Person Scheme are considered to guarantee they can do specific work as per the Building Regulations.
Some examples of projects that fall into this class include:
- replacement or Installation of boiler or heating system
- replacement of old or Installation of a new oil tank
- Replacement of old plumbing and Installation of new plumbing
- Installing a new fixed air conditioner system
- Replacement of old fuse box and Installation of new fuse box with new electronic circuit
- Changes to electrical Installation around shower and bath
- Replacement of old door and window units
- Replace roof covering on flat roofs and pitched roof.
Registered tradesmen will inform Building Control for your benefit and issue you with a completion certificate.
If you do not consult any registered tradesman, you must notify Building Control and a foot for inspection.
Some projects don't need Building Regulations approval?
Some of the projects which may not need for building regulation approval are below:
- Most Maintenance, replacement and repair work.
- Any alteration in electrical circuits(around showers and baths), lightening points or power points.
- Replacements of Sinks, Basins, toilets or baths.
Who is responsible for the Building Regulations?
Whoever completes the building work should be answerable for guaranteeing that the work is according to the Building Regulations.
However, obligation eventually lies with the structure owner, who might be served a notification if work doesn't agree to the Building Regulations.
What happens if I don't work according to Building Regulations?
If your local authority sees that your building work is not according to the building regulations, they will not provide you with a completion certificate.
In future, if you sell your property, then the buyer may not accept it, and you may have some serious issues.