Qualifications required for doing drawings and structural calculations for an extension

tallac

I'm planning to get some building extension works done and I was planning to use a company that I assumed had a qualified architect to do our drawings (for planning as well as building regulations) and a qualified structural engineer who would do the structural calculations (for building regulations). But it turns out that the company is a one man band who has a chartered institute of building qualification. He said he does not have indemnity insurance or provide guarantee for his work.

I then found out that to submit planning permission and building regulations approval in the UK you do not need to be a qualified architect or structural engineer.

My questions are:

1. If we proceeded with this guy vs a larger company that have qualified architects/structural engineers, what does that mean for me?
2. What would I need to be aware of?
3. Is there any issue with someone with a chartered institute of building member doing this work compared to a chartered architect / surveyor?
4. Are there any issues with this guy if he does not have indemnity insurance or provide guarantee for his work?
5. Does this indemnity insurance mean anything in reality or is it just a piece of paper?

-taff

Why would you even want to employ someone to mess with your house and it's structural integrity if he didn't give a guarantee for his work?

The issue is that. You should be aware that if he does a bodge job or a bad job, you have no comeback if your house falls down.

DevilDamo

It’s probably the saying “you pay for what you get”.

It depends what level of design creativity, detail and involvement you want from a designer. If you want some basic plans drawn up which are enough to get through both Planning and Building Control, then a technician would be more than capable of this. That technician may well not have any guarantee or insurance but that may also be why they’re priced as they are. Other more qualified designers will have the guarantee or insurance but usually at an increased cost. Just like anything service or product you pay for.

It’s quite similar to engineer’s but in my eyes, something going wrong from a structural engineering point of view could have far worse consequences than that from an architectural side.

tallac

-taff said:

Why would you even want to employ someone to mess with your house and it's structural integrity if he didn't give a guarantee for his work?

The issue is that. You should be aware that if he does a bodge job or a bad job, you have no comeback if your house falls down.

Sorry to ask but just to help me understand: doesn't the building regulation approval process confirm that the submitted calculations are correct? So, if I waited until the building regulation approval has been given before starting work, does this provide any reassurance?

With regards to indemnity insurance, is this normally provided by chartered architects/structural engineers? What other form of guarantee can they offer?

theonlywayisup

tallac said:

I'm planning to get some building extension works done and I was planning to use a company that I assumed had a qualified architect to do our drawings (for planning as well as building regulations) and a qualified structural engineer who would do the structural calculations (for building regulations). But it turns out that the company is a one man band who has a chartered institute of building qualification. He said he does not have indemnity insurance or provide guarantee for his work.

I then found out that to submit planning permission and building regulations approval in the UK you do not need to be a qualified architect or structural engineer.

My questions are:

1. If we proceeded with this guy vs a larger company that have qualified architects/structural engineers, what does that mean for me?
2. What would I need to be aware of?
3. Is there any issue with someone with a chartered institute of building member doing this work compared to a chartered architect / surveyor?
4. Are there any issues with this guy if he does not have indemnity insurance or provide guarantee for his work?
5. Does this indemnity insurance mean anything in reality or is it just a piece of paper?

You do need someone with insurance.

You do not need to be qualified to put in Planning Permission or Building Regulations.  Structural calculations are something that does need to be done by a Structural Engineer (or their offices under their indemnity). 

I have built, extended and designed many properties without the need of an architect. 

Without knowing the ins and outs of your chap, I will say that you can take any plans (hand drawn sketches or CADs) and get them 'approved' by someone else.

People that draw houses, don't always know how to build them.  

DCFC79

tallac said:

-taff said:

Why would you even want to employ someone to mess with your house and it's structural integrity if he didn't give a guarantee for his work?

The issue is that. You should be aware that if he does a bodge job or a bad job, you have no comeback if your house falls down.

Sorry to ask but just to help me understand: doesn't the building regulation approval process confirm that the submitted calculations are correct? So, if I waited until the building regulation approval has been given before starting work, does this provide any reassurance?

With regards to indemnity insurance, is this normally provided by chartered architects/structural engineers? What other form of guarantee can they offer?

Why are you not using someone who has insurance ?

-taff

They check the building works at specified intervals. I'm not sure if they will check a surveyors work, so you'l have to get in touch with your particular building control and ask them

https://www.labc.co.uk/homeowners/5-steps-building-regulations-approval.

tonyh66

Anyone involved in building and structural work should have good indemnity insurance, even if they are a one man band, if they don't ..run away they are cowboys who have no faith in their own calculations (thats if they are actually doing calculations and not just trawling generic designs off the internet and out of textbooks and design manuals).

DevilDamo

-taff said:

They check the building works at specified intervals. I'm not sure if they will check a surveyors work, so you'l have to get in touch with your particular building control and ask them

https://www.labc.co.uk/homeowners/5-steps-building-regulations-approval.

Building Control will carry out regular inspections and issue a Completion Certificate at the end of the job. If a Full Plans application has been submitted, Building Control would also carry out a plan check upon submission of the application. Depending on the complexity of the job, BCO’s will check the engineers’ details themselves or for more complex jobs, they will arrange for an external consultant to check and approve the engineers’ details.

Although a Building Control approval gives you that re-assurance that the submitted information has been checked and approved in accordance with the BR’s, the builder should not deviate from it... which happens a lot.

BCO’s are checking engineers and not designers. They therefore expect the submitted information and the builders carrying out the works to be fairly competent and aware of the rules, regulations and workmanship. BCO’s do not ask for the qualifications for designers/engineers as it’s nothing to do with them who has submitted what. They just check to make sure the works comply with the BR’s.

tallac

So, if the building regulation application is being made via Full Plans, then that will provide reassurance as the structural calculations will be checked and anything that might be of concern will need to be corrected before approval.

However, if the application is done via Building Notice, then this won't provide the reassurance and incorrect calculations will not be picked up?

ComicGeek

tallac said:

So, if the building regulation application is being made via Full Plans, then that will provide reassurance as the structural calculations will be checked and anything that might be of concern will need to be corrected before approval.

However, if the application is done via Building Notice, then this won't provide the reassurance and incorrect calculations will not be picked up?

There is no guarantee that mistakes will be picked up by Building Control. The Building Notice process should only be used by those who know what they are doing, far too risky for most people.