Building control this building control that!

pipsta

Im in the middle of renovating my house (cottage built 1800) every time I want to do something I keep reading about "you need building control to approve this and that"!!

First I want to put in a wood burner so I read you need to have it installed by a HETAS engineer or do it yourself with building control consent. Which I am going to do (HETAS route). Ive just had my builder put me a bigger hearth down which I ve just read needs to go through building control!

I want to replace my stairs which are a horrible pine, Want to rebuild them in Oak (exactly the same) just read I have to tell them about this too!

I want to change the lights in my kitchen (normal lights for GU10 spot lights) my old man is a retired sparks so now not "qualified" to sign it off.

Its getting beyond a joke, i cant even take a !!!!!! it my house without having to tell someone.

Am I stuffed if I dont go down the expense route of telling all these people, getting all these peices of worthless paper?

Just want to add Im not a cowboy DIY'er everything is being done by the book its just I dont want big brother knowing every little detail about my home.

Imp

Building control is there so that the cowboy builders/DIYers don't end up killing someone.

I hear building control was first introduced by the Romans. There was no paperwork, but if the building fell down, the builder was executed. It was meant to focus the minds.

27col

Has this building some sort of listed status?
I sympathise entirely with your sentiments. I am inclined to do what I want and to hell with them. Provided that I am certain that what I am doing is meeting any applicable regulations. It seems to me that if you make sure that you are meeting any regulations with what you are doing, then even if someone finds out later, it it not likely to have to be torn down.What they don't know about won't hurt them. Most of these regulations are not there for your protection, but to justify the town hall salary bill.

crystaltips_68

Be careful with the logburner. My friends landlord fitted an unregulated one, and the house burnt down, with his dog in it . Better to have it fitted properly and be safe.

antilles

Building regulations don't stop cowboy jobs. Cowboys just ignore them, same as they ignored the rules before building regulations.

Before long you won't be able to change your loo seat without paying someone a hefty fee!

baldelectrician

antilles wrote: »

Before long you won't be able to change your loo seat without paying someone a hefty fee!

Only if it's a big JOB :rotfl:

pipsta

crystaltips_68 wrote: »

Be careful with the logburner. My friends landlord fitted an unregulated one, and the house burnt down, with his dog in it . Better to have it fitted properly and be safe.

As I said before, log burner is being done by a HETAS engineer as fire is not something you mess with, same for gas etc.

But my dad was an electrician all his life so knows what he is doing, it pee's him off even more that I have to pay someone just to sign it off even though everything is fine.

Homersimpson

Why on earth would anyone want to pay building control to tell them that they have done a job correctly? If I want to form an opening in a load bearing wall I get a structural engineer to size a lintel - someone who has experience of this and who I would have redress against if it were wrong. Best bet is to read up about it and make you own mind up as to whether you can do the job.

If your the sort of person whos going to bodge it then as one of the posters above said, you woun't be bothered what the regs say anyway!

I deal with building control at work and most of the time I have to tell them what the regulations say!

waynehayes

I recently had an extension and found building control to be very helpful and the cost not too bad at all. At the end of the day, do you need that piece of paper when you come to sell the house? Maybe, it just depends how good a purchasers solicitor is.

amcluesent

Yep. 99% of it is a scam to line the pockets of 'tradesmen' who buy their certificates in the pub.

Fortunately it's impossible to tell if that spur and double-socket was fitted last weekend or 10 years ago...

dander

My feeling is to pick and choose a bit to suit myself. Something really dangerous and invisible that I know nothing about, like gas, then yep - be sure it's done to regulations. Something big, like an extension that someone might ask questions about, or loft extensions when you're dealing with fire regs, then yep, of course do everything by the book.

But when it comes to a bit of electrics, an extra light here, socket there, , or even something structural, like the stairs you mention, if I'm confident in the workmen doing it then I'd figure how is anyone to ever know?