Roof terrace and building regs

TheGreenFrog

My daughter has a flat in a converted Victorian house.  She is having a roof terrace put onto a rear extension at the back of the house and the extension has a flat roof.  She has planning but is wondering whether building reg approval is needed.  The builder says not.  The builder is putting decking straight o to the flat roof and my daughter is also wondering whether he should have checked whether the roof was strong enough - the builder says yes but he has not inspected the joists etc.  Any expertise on the requirements would be very helpful thank you. 

BarelySentientAI

Even if it didn't need BR, I'd be wanting a bit more than a quick "it'll be fine" from the builder about the strength of the roof.

gwynlas

Who owns the property under the flat roof? I presume that tthere should be a party wall agreement as the installation of a deck could cause water pooling and potential damage to structure below.

TELLIT01

I would have expected planning permission to be required if the terrace overlooks other properties.  I would certainly want a structural engineers report that the roof is strong enough for the increased loading.  All this presumes she already has approval from the freeholder.

FreeBear

Building Regulations will cover things like balustrade height & security, means of escape in the event of a fire, and any new doors out on to the area.

If you are upgrading the structure to support additional weight, then BC will need to be involved in that aspect as well as all of the above. And it would be prudent to get a structural engineers report stating what reinforcements need to be added if any (BC will want to see the calculations anyway). It is not up to the builder to check if the roof is strong enough - He won't have the qualifications or training to make that call. Nor will he have the insurance should the whole thing collapse.

Never, ever trust the opinion of a builder, especially when it comes to structural alterations, Building Control involvement, or planning. Give BC a call to see if their oversight is required, and definitely get an SE involved before doing any work.

Rules changed back in April of this year giving councils up to ten years to undertake enforcement action. It is the homeowner that will take the brunt of any enforcement notices along with any costs involved. Do it right from day one, and avoid any unnecessary pain & costs in the future. And having that paperwork in place will make the property much easier to sell when the time comes.

TheGreenFrog

FreeBear said:

Never, ever trust the opinion of a builder, especially when it comes to structural alterations, Building Control involvement, or planning. Give BC a call to see if their oversight is required, and definitely get an SE involved before doing any work.

Many thanks.  She is going to contact SEs on Monday.

Emmia

Having all the right certificates/authorisation will make it much easier to sell in the future too. 

TELLIT01

Just to add to my previous comment about Planning Permission.  The property immediately to the rear of a work colleague of mine built a similar balcony/roof terrace off one of their bedrooms.  It overlooked my colleagues back garden, completely removing any privacy they had.  The council ordered them to remove it on that basis.

EssexExile

TELLIT01 said:

Just to add to my previous comment about Planning Permission.  The property immediately to the rear of a work colleague of mine built a similar balcony/roof terrace off one of their bedrooms.  It overlooked my colleagues back garden, completely removing any privacy they had.  The council ordered them to remove it on that basis.

The op says she has planning permission.

ThisIsWeird

When was the extension built, and are the details shown on the LA's Planning Portal? If so, it'll hopefully indicate the roof structure used.
We had an ext built around 5 years ago, and french doors from the loft bedroom opens out on to them. No concerns at all about walking around on there, or taking beanie bags out for a sit.
What kind of decking is going out there, tGF?
And what material is the roof outer made from?

Section62

TheGreenFrog said:

My daughter has a flat in a converted Victorian house.  She is having a roof terrace put onto a rear extension at the back of the house and the extension has a flat roof.  She has planning but is wondering whether building reg approval is needed.  The builder says not.  The builder is putting decking straight o to the flat roof and my daughter is also wondering whether he should have checked whether the roof was strong enough - the builder says yes but he has not inspected the joists etc.  Any expertise on the requirements would be very helpful thank you. 

I wouldn't trust a builder who says this job doesn't need building regulations approval to change a lightbulb, let alone make a structural alteration and construct something which potentially exposes people to the risk of a fall from height.

Balconies and raised terraces need extra care in the design and construction.  Any competent builder should know that, and by claiming BR approval is not needed this builder has already demonstrated a lack of competence to do a job like this.

As FreeBear says, ballustrade type and height, access/egress, means of escape will all be things that Building Control would check, in addition to the more obvious issues such as the structure.

If she has planning consent then presumably there are some fairly detailed drawings?  If so, who did them, and what did they say about getting BR approval? (if the design doesn't meet BR requirements then she may have to go back to planning to amend the design)