DIY OR DIY with Building Regs approval OR Certified Person - How do you know which one is OK?

Doozergirl

to_be_FTB said:

grumbler said:

to_be_FTB said:

I know that ... all plumbing needs to be carried out by a certified plumber

Really?....

I thought if you want to move/add a toilet or put in new shower, you do, is that not correct? 

If it's in an existing bathroom, no.  Not at all. 

Creating a new bathroom would require sign off for the presence of a sink for your toilet and an extractor fan.   If there is digging involved to the inspection chamber, that would need to be covered.  

Doozergirl

to_be_FTB said:

fenwick458 said:

from my experience you can't do that. you can tell them what you plan to do, and show them you're workings and ask them to confirm if that will meet the requirements and they will oblige

but they won't just tell you how to do it.

I guess this is what I meant: so I could show them my plans before I start the work, and they will tell me what if any of it is non-compliant and what will need to be signed off after the work is completed? 

How do I go about it - e-mail them through the council website to make an appointment?

They won't do that.  It is not a service they offer and many will simply sniff at you for deigning to ask.  

Like I said, if you try a private company, they might.  

Or you could list everything you're doing and we'll just tell you - to get the ball rolling.  

stuart45

In general I would say that private are more helpful. One of them spent over an hour with a customer going through certain issues before we started a recent job. Being a listed building there was a problem with an extra vent on the back wall, amongst other things.
I'm old enough to remember when councils had the monopoly, although most council BCO's seem to have a different attitude these days.

travis-powers

grumbler said:

I must admit that "connections to, a drainage stack" is a news to me.

With regard to the "wholesome water", I know that the regulations are very strict, but I don't understand what the BC can really check here. Again, it's a news to me. My apologies if this information is correct.

This is interesting as I’m about to move a cloakroom from one side of a wall to another.
 I was advised that bc has no interest unless I was to move  svp or alter drainage.

to_be_FTB

Doozergirl said:

grumbler said:

to_be_FTB said:

I know that ... all plumbing needs to be carried out by a certified plumber

Really?....

Not really, but they're asking for help, so answer them properly.  

Gas work needs to be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.  Plumbing work isn't covered by building control. 

If you choose an 'Approved Inspector' rather than using Local Authority building control, you'll find them much more likely to offer advice.    We use Stroma.  I believe that they're national now.  

I missed this post! 
OK - great - it sounds like this is exactly what I need. So if you go with someone like Stroma, they would advice you during the works and approve it at the end?

to_be_FTB

Doozergirl said:

Creating a new bathroom would require sign off for the presence of a sink for your toilet and an extractor fan.   If there is digging involved to the inspection chamber, that would need to be covered.  

Yes, I am talking about creating a new bathroom (toilet + sink) and extending an existing bathroom to add a shower... Not sure extending a bathroom would count as new or existing...

to_be_FTB

Doozergirl said: 

Or you could list everything you're doing and we'll just tell you - to get the ball rolling.  

   That sounds good too! 

Jumblebumble

to_be_FTB said:

Hi All, 
We are planning a home refurbishment project which will include some major works (removing a load bearing wall, adding a new toilet, removing one external door, adding patio door, etc) and some other cosmetic changes. While we are experienced DIYers (including some willing to help builders), none of us is familiar with the laws here in the UK. What it the best place to look for information on which renovations require Building Regs approval? 
I know that for the load bearing wall I need calculations from the SE, all plumbing needs to be carried out by a certified plumber and all electrics in the bathroom by a certified electrician, and all that will need to be signed off, but that's where it ends pretty much. After that, I am not really sure where to look for the correct information... What would you suggest? Would I need to pay for someone to go over the plans and consult or are there good resources that we could refer to? Can you talk to the Building Regulations and ask them prior to starting the works? 

Just to be clear here in the UK some work can either be done by a qualified tradesman notifying building control or by getting the job done by a non qualified person and asking Building control to sign off separately
This includes some Electrical work  ( as some types of electrical are non notifiable)  and Windows but not Gas

to_be_FTB

Thanks - for notifiable work (adding a shaver point in the bathroom and new lighting would fall under that?) can it be done by non qualified person and signed off by BC?

Ectophile

to_be_FTB said:

Thanks - for notifiable work (adding a shaver point in the bathroom and new lighting would fall under that?) can it be done by non qualified person and signed off by BC?

New electrics in a bathroom are notifiable, but repairing something already there isn't.

You can either get a registered electrician to do it, or do it yourself and get it signed off by Building Control (who will probably call in an electrician, because BC don't know anything about electrics).