How to build a home extension #4: Building regulations
Next up in our series, “How to build a home extension - PPCo’s practical guide”, we’re looking at building regulations and building control - a different and totally separate approval process to planning, which we covered in our last blog.
This stage covers construction and health and safety regulations, which are there to protect people’s safety and welfare in and around buildings. They also include requirements to ensure that fuel and power are conserved, the environment is protected and the build is sustainable.
Planning, on the other hand, looks at guiding the way our towns, cities and countryside develop; it includes the use and appearance of land and buildings, highway access, landscaping and the environmental impact of the development.
Building regulations approval is a requirement for the majority of projects, including all home extensions, regardless of whether planning permission is needed or not; smaller projects such as some porches and outbuildings are excluded as long as they meet certain requirements.
Before we go any further, we need to clarify the difference between building regulations and building control.
Building control vs building regulations
Building control describes the statutory function performed by inspectors - either from your local council or a private, independent, government-approved company. The role of the inspector is to check that the building works comply with building regulations. During your build, they will visit your site at key stages and ensure it is being built correctly.
Building regulations (or Building Regulations 2010), as we’ve already covered, are the set of minimum standards that building control inspectors must check work against in terms of design, construction and alterations. They are developed by the UK government, approved by Parliament, reviewed and updated regularly and supported by practical guidance documents (Approved Documents).
How does it work?
No matter whether you choose an approved inspector from a private firm or your local council, the process is pretty much the same:
Choose who you want to use. At PPCo, we get at least two quotes for our clients - one from a private company, and one from the council - and leave them to make their decision.
If you choose to work with a private company, they will then serve an initial notice on the council letting them know the work will be going ahead - this acts as a registration of your project on a public register.
The inspector will perform a plan check. This is where you’ll need to pay them a fee (the first of two payments).
Once the drawings have been plan checked, you (or your designer) will be issued a conditional or full approval. Conditions can include requests for structural calculations and/or build over agreements, for example (more information on these can be found in our FAQs).
You can then give your approved - or conditionally approved - plans to your builder, who can start work on site.
Your builder should then follow a schedule whereby they contact the approved inspector at given stages, for example, they must arrange a site inspection before pouring the the foundations. You will need to pay the second and final instalment of your building control fee at this first inspection.
The inspector will perform a final inspection upon completion of the works. If it is satisfactory and compliant with the regulations, they will issue you a completion certificate.
There is a different procedure called ‘Building Notice’, which still involves a building control inspector but not the plan check, and therefore plans are not required. This only applies to smaller-scale projects - including some small, very simple home extensions - and can only be done through the local authority. If you decide to use this procedure, you need to be sure that the work will definitely be compliant with the building regulations or you risk having to correct the work at a later stage if the inspector requests it; you do not have the protection provided by full plans approval.
Private vs Council
We’ve just mentioned that inspectors can come from either your local council or a private company, but whose choice is that to make?
It’s yours.
Although the builder you work with might prefer to work with a particular building control company, it is ultimately your decision. And at PPCo, we do not release drawings until they have been plan checked by your chosen inspector, to avoid mistakes being made on site due to builders following incorrect plans. If your builder then wants to use another company before starting the work, you will lose the money you have already paid for your plan check. So, we recommend you tell your builder which company you are using and stick to it - the regulations the inspectors have to follow are the same and the service does not differ too much. It’s your choice, not your builder’s!
The main differences between the two come down to price (hence why it is important to remember it is your choice on who you use, not your builder’s) and the time taken to perform the plan check, with councils tending to take a little longer, but cost a little less, though we have experienced council inspectors costing more than private firms as well - it really does depend on the job, and the area.
Your responsibilities (and your builder’s)
If you do not involve building control during your project, you and your builder could end up in a whole heap of trouble.
You, as the property owner, could be served an enforcement notice by the local authority requiring alteration or even removal of the work. If you choose to ignore the notice, the local authority has the power to undertake the work itself and recover the costs from you.
You may also not be covered under your home insurance should anything go wrong. Plus, if the work is not signed off by building control, you will not have a completion certificate and this is likely to cause issues if you come to sell your property.
If you are employing a builder, the responsibility for building control should, in theory, be theirs but it is important that you understand how it works and how important it is. Any reputable builder will take ownership of this but we recommend you have the conversation and don’t just assume they will make all the necessary arrangements to ensure the build is signed off (believe us, we’ve heard some stories!). Your builder may be prosecuted if they do not comply with building regulations.
Obviously if you are carrying out the building work yourself, you are responsible for making sure the work complies with the regulations.
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That should be everything you need to know about building control. More information such as estimated fees can be found in our FAQs and on the Planning Portal.
If you’ve been working through this guide step by step as you plan your home extension, you will hopefully be at the point where you have your design ready and drawn up. If your project falls within permitted development rights, building control is the next stage. If your project needs planning permission, you can move on to building control as soon as you have your approval. While it is possible to get your plans approved by building control before your planning approval comes through, it’s not something we recommend due to the fact changes can be requested by the local authority during the planning process and you therefore would most likely incur another plan check fee for the updated plans to be looked at by building control.
If you have not been working with an architect or designer so far, you will most likely need to employ one at this stage as technical plans for building control will be required. These plans include all the specification for the build including everything from foundation details to windows and steel work. To speak to a qualified person about the building control stage, or to request a fee for technical plans, please contact our team of Nottingham architectural designers on hello@practicalplanningco.co.uk.
At PPCo, we handle everything for you on your behalf, so if you’re working with us, you don’t need to worry about a thing.
Next up in our series is some guidance on how to find the perfect builder (they do exist, we promise!).