Building control consultant

TheProfessional

Hi all,

I rang building control regarding some issues on a house we are in the process of purchasing and I have posted about before.

The gist she gave me was that if work is 5 years old things are unenforceable and they wouldn't do anything. If I wanted regularisation I am basically taking my chances and was up to me. They could come and need to do some invasive things and may still be no. 

She said the chance of the conservatory that has been integrated into the main kitchen/lounge passing is pretty slim due to energy loss, even if there is a tiled roof and it's not fully glazed. 

My question is, are there such a thing as building control consultants who you can pay privately to come and see. Maybe ones that work for councils but do private advice on the side?

lesalanos

What are you looking for from them? 

macman

So is it 5 years old or not? If it is, what is your concern?
If it's not, ask the vendor for an indemnity if it concerns you.

davidmcn

You'd be best just to deal with the property on its merits e.g. do you actually want to improve the energy efficiency? There's not much point in making something retrospectively compliant with building regulations just for the sake of it.

AdrianC

If the conservatory has no external-grade doors between it and the house, then your issue is not whether it got signed off 5yrs ago or not... it's the fact that it's going to suck all the heat out of the room it's attached to.

So fit some doors.

But, of course, that then splits the room into two, and people don't like that and it's not why the wanted a conservatory in the first place, so they leave the doors open anyway...

TheProfessional

Thanks all,

I was thinking about when we come to sell it, it may make things easier. We will hopefully be there 20 years. 
I did ask her about extending on the back but she said planning would advise on that and then building control would come and look at the new work. 

Yes you are correct about putting doors in to make it more energy efficient would separate it unacceptably for us.

We are thinking of doing a loft maybe wrapped up with a single story extension at the back so our structural engineer said the beams used to do the knock through are fine for as it is but probably not for a loft room so may need replacing or some calculations to spread the weight another way.

In any event that will be a question for another day!

Thanks for your replies, settled my need to get boxes ticked 

davidmcn

TheProfessional said:

I was thinking about when we come to sell it, it may make things easier. We will hopefully be there 20 years.

By then the works will be a quarter of a century old, and building regulations will have moved on to require other things. Nobody will care whether or not it would have ticked the correct boxes when it was originally done.

AdrianC

The doors aren't just there for "energy efficiency" - they are required for BR compliance and sign-off.

When you come to sell it, 25yrs after it was built, nobody will give the first toss about quarter-century-old paperwork. And that's assuming the conservatory is still there in its current form.

greatcrested

In 20 years your conservatory will again be non-compliant beacause the visutrons will not have been sourced from a sustainable elengated moon-based troffle.

TheProfessional

Haha 
I think issues like this just seem stressful as it gets thrown up during what is a stressful process anyway.

We have managed to live in our current house for 6 years which was built 130 years ago and I imagine things like our super steep stairs etc wouldn't pass regs now!

Doozergirl

AdrianC said:

The doors aren't just there for "energy efficiency" - they are required for BR compliance and sign-off.

When you come to sell it, 25yrs after it was built, nobody will give the first toss about quarter-century-old paperwork. And that's assuming the conservatory is still there in its current form.

The BR compliance element is to meet energy efficiency guidelines.  By keeping the existing thermal envelope of the house, it allows the conservatory to not meet building regs for energy efficiency.  😉

OP, much has already been said, but if you are planning upgrades then upgrade anything you're not currently happy with as part of that process and get building control approval for that element at the time.  It effectively ends up getting the non compliant thing passed if you word it properly 🤫