Building regulations

Ensuring buildings are safe and sound

The point of Building Regulations is to provide safe and sound buildings, and to ensure energy efficiency.  Part of the designer’s job is to ensure that the design complies with Building Regulations, although some alterations or additions are usually required after the original submission.

Most building work will require building regulations approval.  There are several different ways of obtaining this.

For building work to residential buildings, a Building Notice can be submitted.  This is simply a notification to Building Control that work is about to be started.  A Building Control Officer will then make inspections to try to determine if it complies with the regulations.  This is suitable really only for small and simple work.  If any of the work is done not in accordance with the regulations, then the work will have to be ‘undone’ and rebuilt.

For other work, a Full Plans Building Regulations application will be required.  This consists of drawings, similar to any planning application drawings, but with more detail (for example sections) showing how the building work is going to be carried out.  The drawings are accompanied by notes describing how the work will comply with the regulations, and possibly structural engineer’s calculations and an assessment to show how it complies with energy efficiency requirements (SAP or SBEM assessment).

Some work can be deemed to comply with the regulations if it is carried out by a person registered with an appropriate ‘competent persons’ scheme,  Examples of these schemes are FENSA (window installations), Gas Safe (for gas installations!) and electrical installations.  You should check that your tradesman is registered with a suitable scheme and obtain a certificate on completion.

Assuming that planning drawings have been prepared, a Chartered Surveyors fees for a Full Plans Building Regulations submission will range from about £500 to £5000 depending on the size and complexity of the project.

Visit the planning portal website.

Or even better, contact us on 01202 237377 or email info@sutherlandsurveyors.co.uk.