Over the past few years, the government has tightened up its stance on building to ensure that properties built or developed are fit for purpose and meet industry standards. First introduced in 2000, the Building Regulations 2010 consolidated a plethora of amendments, to outline the requirements of construction work on domestic and commercial properties.
From air tightness standards to waste disposal safeguards, the Building Regulations cover almost every aspect of construction work. So to ensure that you pass Building Control and comply with the regulations, here’s a brief introduction to the guidelines.
Understanding the Building Regulations
The Building Regulations 2010 set out a variety of standards, designed to protect the health and safety of those living or working in a building, as well as ensuring the space is functional and enduring. These far-reaching regulations legislate on fire safety, hygiene, ventilation, waste disposal, energy efficiency and access to the building, meaning that every member of your project must be committed to upholding these standards.
For this reason, it’s crucial to ensure that either yourself or the project manager, architect or construction firm managing your build has an in-depth understanding of the legislation. And as building regulations are constantly being amended and updated, it’s important to stay on top of the latest legislation, to ensure that your work is in line with legal requirements as it’s being completed.
The Importance of Building Control
Architects, tradesmen and self builders give a lot of consideration to planning control, as without planning permission, many projects are unable to proceed. However, Building Control should receive just as much attention as the planning stage, as structures that fail to comply with the Building Regulations can cause headaches for the teams behind them. From hefty fines to enforcement notices that compel you to undo your workmanship, it’s worth investing time and effort into building control from day one.
Making Building Control Simple
For self builders and project managers who only specialise in certain areas, dealing with Building Control officers can be a burden during your project. To take the hassle out of compliance, choose tradesmen who are able to take care of this for you, ensuring that their contribution to your build doesn’t contravene with Building Regulations. This could be your plumber or your air tightness testing company, but it’s worth asking what their approach to Building Control is when you request a quote.
When you’ve got so much to think about during the planning, design and construction of your property, it’s tempting to put quality control and compliance to the bottom of your priority list. However, fail to meet these standards during your build, and you could face crippling consequences later down the line. Work with established and experienced industry players who can support your development and guide you through the legal requirements, to ensure that your project comes off without a hitch.
Hopefully you won’t feel quite so daunted or tempted to ignore the requirements of building control for your project.
This article was written by Kelly Gilmour-Grassam with useful information from NATTS. Kelly can be found on Twitter @KellyGGrassam, she is a Yorkshire lass who enjoys amazing food in interesting places.