BUILDING REGULATIONS
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Building Regulations
The Regulations can be read in full on the Communities and Local Government website (communities.gov.uk). The Building Regulations are profiled in Approved Documents, which are updated fairly regularly and published periodically.
The regulations of the building works will have to comply with the following documents:
Projects & Building Regulations Approvals
The Building Regulations are involved whether it is a new home or any type of new building work (i.e. a new wall), or structural alterations, such as a loft conversion.
Projects that are exempt from Building Regulations include:
Structural work, it needs approval.
If in doubt, check with your local authority website, or give their building control department a call.
The Building Regulations inspections and approvals can be commissioned to the local council’s Building Control department (the most common arbiter of Building Regulations in the UK) or to a private company (such as NHBC - nhbc.co.uk) carrying out the same task.
2 routes to get approval:
1. Submit a Building Regulations application by way of fee, form and detailed plans showing the way to meet the Regulations – e.g. the level of insulation in walls etc. 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. Work on a Building Notice - common for minor works or those working on a largely DIY basis and without plans, subject to a fee and a form submission but the inspector will make an in-depth assessment of work completed so far at various stages. The Inspector can make you re-do work at any stage and in theory means you can get started right away.
For a one-off new home, expect to pay £172.50 to submit a plan and £373.75 for the inspections. Working on Notice will not be any cheaper, at £546 (these fees are subject to change and are based on local authority costs; private companies may charge less or more)
Most renovation/extension work (including loft conversions) costs £110 to submit a plan and £200-400 for an inspection.