Technical Compliance

Stage 4 is the technical design phase and you will to get the input from certain consultants so to get going with this phase you should seek the following quotes:

Structural Engineer

For most significant alterations, extensions and loft conversions you will require structural designs and calculations as part of the building regulations submission and to enable construction. You can use the planning drawings to seek these quotes from qualified structural engineers - we suggest searching the 'Find and Engineer' service on The Institution of Structural Engineers website. 

Building Control

For most building projects you will need to submit a Building Regulations application and you will need to seek quotes and decide who to apply to. There are two main options:

• Local Authority Building Control: If you check your local council's website they will have details of their building control services and a schedule of fees. 

• Private Approved Inspectors: You can find approved inspectors  in your area through the planning portal and you can contact them to seek a fee quote.

SAP Calculations

In some cases it may be necessary to get SAP calculations prepared in order to support the building regulations application. This will be dependant on certain factors and would generally be at the request of the building control authority. As such it may be best to wait until needed before seeking quotes. To find a suitable consultant search for 'energy assessors' and send an enquiry, similar to the structural engineer template below.

The U-Values calculations show thermal compliance and help to inform the build-up of walls, roofs and floors. The notes are prepared to show compliance with all relevant parts of the building regulations.

The U-Values are calculated to demonstrate compliance with Part L1 of the building regulations which relates to thermal performance. The simplest method is to design the structure to meet the 'elemental' standards as listed below. In some cases it may be a little more complex and a fuller analysis of the whole buildings performance may have to be undertaken. This is done by preparing a 'SAP Calculation' (see previous section).

The starting point for establishing the U-Values is to use an online calculator such as the one Kingspan provide. This can be used to select the appropriate building element, choose the build method and calculate the amount of insulation required. From this we can establish the build-up of walls, floors and roofs.

Having done this we would start preparing a full set of building regulations notes to give a performance specification for the building works as a whole. This information can then be cross referenced to the drawings which will also be updated to add more detail and critical dimensions where appropriate (see next section).

This work should be done by a suitably experienced professional

The drawings can now be developed to add further details, cross-reference to the notes and incorporate the structural design information.

Once the elemental specifications for the walls, floors and roofs have been established these can be used to start setting-up more detailed drawings with correct thicknesses shown for the various elements. This also enables development of the key junction details where the different elements meet. 

As the drawings contain more information they are taken up a scale to 1:50 (referred to as 'General Arrangement' drawings) and cross-referenced to the notes. Critical dimensions may also be added to assist in setting-out. These drawings will also need to take account for the structural designs and this information will be incorporated once received to ensure everything is properly coordinated. For larger, complex projects, there may also be mechanical and electrical designs to coordinate at this stage.

For most smaller projects the building regulations application  package would generally be restricted to these 'GA's' and notes which can demonstrate compliance with the regulations. These should also provide sufficient information for a competent builder to price and build from. 

Whilst this level of information is probably enough in most cases, it does leave some room for interpretation and you may want to get a more complete set of drawings prepared to ensure quality. The drawing list in the Project Plan breaks lists further drawings which you may want to consider. 

The detailed drawings, notes and structural calculations need to be submitted to building control for checking prior to works starting.

The building regulations application is probably the most important part of the whole process and it is vital that this is managed properly. The new Building Saftey Act  came into force on 1st April 2023 and this places additional responsibilities on everyone involved in the building process. The main thing to understand is that:

• You, as the client, are responsible for your project being designed and built to the correct standards. You will need to sign a declaration at the end of the project to confirm that this is the case.

• Your builder (the Principal Contractor) will need to sign the paperwork to say that he has built the works i accordance with building regulations.

• Your Architect (the principal designer) will need to sign to say that their designs are in accordance with the regulations.

If you do not specifically appoint either the principal contractor or designer than these duties fall to you as client. If you are not experienced (i.e competent) in either role this would risky - in the unfortunate circumstances of something going wrong you are likely to be held liable for damages. This change to the regulations is intended to improve accountability and in our experience it has made everyone involved become far more focused on their duties and responsibilities. The downside for you as the client is that the increased risk for professionals and builders is likely to be reflected in increased costs.

Please read the Government guidance on client duties

Given the above, we strongly advise you appoint a professional to deal with the building regulations application on your behalf - acting as your principal designer. The process would be as follows:

1. Fee agreed from your preferred building control inspector.

2. Application form completed and submitted with final drawings, notes and structural calculations (plus any other supporting information which ay be needed).

3. You should receive your initial notice and details of when inspections are required and how to arrange them.

4. The submitted documents are checked for compliance and you (or your agent) should receive a tracker outlining points which may require amendment or further clarification.

5. Once everything is consiered compliant you will recieve 'plans approval'. It is wise to have this in place (or at least most points dealt with) before starting works.

6. When works start building control need to be contacted for inspections and your builder should also record how all works are undertaken in accordance with the building regulations.

7. At completion of the works a final inspection will be made and any required certificates should be issued to building control, so a completion certificate can be issued. 

Please make sure everything is fully complete and building regulations approval confirmed before you make your final payments to the builder.

Issue Party Wall Notices where applicable

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