Building regulations contain the rules for building work in new and altered buildings to make them safe and accessible and limit waste and environmental damage. People carrying out building work must usually arrange for their work to be checked by an independent third party to make sure that their work meets the required standards. In some cases the installer can certify themselves that their work complies.

Building practices, technology and construction techniques are constantly evolving. We need to make sure that building regulations are fair, efficient, up to date and effective.

Does My Project Need Building Regulations Approval?

Yes, if it’s a new home or involves almost any new building work (such as a new wall), or structural alterations, such as a loft conversion. Projects that are exempt from Building Regulations include:

• Porches (subject to the porch not exceed 30m²).
• Car ports (subject to them being open on two sides and, again, less then 30m²).
• Conservatories (subject to them having a floor area of less than 30m²; have at least 75% of the roof and 50% of the walls glazed with a translucent material; and maintain the existing walls, windows and doors that separate it from the main house, with no new additional openings created).
• Most detached sheds and greenhouses (under 15m² floor area, or under 30m² and at least 1m away from the house).

So in general, if it’s structural work, it needs approval.

What are the Building Regulations?

The Regulations are very in-depth, and can be read in full on the Communities and Local Government website (communities.gov.uk), but in brief, your project will have to comply with the following documents.

They are recognised by lettered Parts.

• Part A – Structure
• Part B – Fire Safety
• Part C – Contamination and damp
• Part D – Toxicity
• Part E – Sound
• Part F – Ventilation
• Part G – Hygiene
• Part H – Drainage
• Part J – Fuel
• Part K – On-site Safety
• Part L – Conservation of Fuel and Power
• Part M – Access
• Part N – Glazing
• Part P – Electrics

The Building Regulations are profiled in Approved Documents, which are updated fairly regularly. New ‘Parts’ are published periodically – for instance Part P changed in 2006; Part L was updated again in 2014.

You will need initially to select who is going to carry out your Building Regulations inspections and approval. The local council’s Building Control department is the most common arbiter of Building Regulations in the UK, but several private companies carry out the same task. You have got two routes to get approval:

• 1. The most common route for new homes and major renovations is to submit a Building Regulations application by way of fee, form and detailed plans. These plans will need to show how you are intending to meet the Regulations — e.g. the level of insulation you’re putting in walls, and so on. These plans are then either rejected or approved, and a series of inspections will then take place to ensure the work meets the requirements, after which a completion certificate will be issued.
• 2. Common for minor works or those working on a largely DIY basis and without plans – is to work on a Building Notice, whereby you’ll pay a fee and submit a form but the inspector will make an in-depth assessment of work completed so far at various stages. Obviously it’s a more risky process – the Inspector can make you re-do work at any stage – but it does save having to submit plans, and in theory means you can get started right away. How much will it cost? Working on Notice will not be any cheaper than submitting the standard application.

What if I needed Building Regulations approval but didn’t get it at the time? All is not lost. You’ll need to go down a route known as regularisation, where an inspector will come out and inspect the work as best as he can. Because a lot of the work might be covered up, you’ll need to uncover the work requested, and put it right at your own expense. You’ll pay a little over what you would pay for a Building Notice fee.

Key Building Regulations;

Part L – Energy Efficiency This is the part of the Building Regulations that is certainly the most active and the one that is at the forefront of the fight against climate change. It specifies minimum requirements for heat loss through walls, roofs and floors (by way of U values) and as the requirements get more stringent, you’ll need to pump your new building full of more and more insulation.

Part J – Fuel Work on gas appliances must be carried out by an approved tradesman registered with Gas Safe. They will self-certify all relevant work and issue you with an individual certificate. Part P – it is self-certified by ‘approved’ contractors. So you’ll need to check your electrician is Part P registered, so that he can issue a certificate.