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What information do Building Control actually need?


Triassic

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I'm starting to pull together the information I need for submission to Building Control company,  Then I realised I don't actually know the full extent of the information required, could someone enlighten me? 

Edited by Triassic
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The bits of paper I sent them are here: http://www.mayfly.eu/housebuild/part-fifteen-the-site-is-finally-ready/

 

I missed a couple of details, about Part P sign off and linked fire/smoke alarms amongst others, so had to send them an addendum pointing out that I'd be using a competent electrician and that I'd be fitting linked alarms, etc; all those docs can be downloaded from that link.

 

When it came to the final Completion Inspection, then I ended up providing a load of stuff that the inspector didn't want to look at!  The details of that are here: http://www.mayfly.eu/housebuild/part-forty-three-completion-and-getting-the-vat-back/

Edited by JSHarris
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I am in the same boat and have spent the last few days putting information on a set of plans.

I did in the end subscribe to a web site that suggested it was it would help prepare plans but to be honest it has only really saved me time typing out the stock information that is normally needed.

I did look at @JSHarris blog and wondered if he went down the building notice route or full plans.

As I am using MBC I am waiting for the plans from them as they should include all the structural stuff.

 

 

 

 

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Building notice is usually the plans that were used for planning plus any other information you have. It costs a bit more as they visit an awful lot more. However we used this last time and they only came out 6 times. Each time i covered what was needed for the next stage and confirmed it in email.

Full plans should cover all the regulations and structural details, they are inspected and signed off before you start.

Our BC has such a backlog they now give you provisional approval so you can start and ask for a 5 week extension as soon as you apply.

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I went down the "full plans" route, and looking back I think it was the right way to go for our build.  There isn't much more that BC need up-front, and you have the advantage that the building inspector isn't going to ask you to change something part-way through, because it was all approved in principle in advance.

 

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43 minutes ago, dogman said:

I am in the same boat and have spent the last few days putting information on a set of plans.

I did in the end subscribe to a web site that suggested it was it would help prepare plans but to be honest it has only really saved me time typing out the stock information that is normally needed.

I did look at @JSHarris blog and wondered if he went down the building notice route or full plans.

As I am using MBC I am waiting for the plans from them as they should include all the structural stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

As above, we went for "full plans".  MBC will send you drawings, but more importantly, they sign off the whole structure, foundations, frame, the lot, so there's no requirement for any Part A stuff for Building Control, our LABC just accepted the MBC structural sign off as evidence of compliance.  That's mainly what made going for the "full plans" route attractive, as it meant I hardly needed to do any more than would have been needed for a Building Notice application.

Edited by JSHarris
typo, "of" when I meant "off"
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3 minutes ago, dogman said:

I have to say I have very much followed the guidance from @JSHarris and ensured that i have that information on the plans. I am waiting for the MBC information before sending it off

 

Hope I got it right, then, and your building control people are as helpful as ours were!  Our initial inspector was a delight to work with, really interested in the way the house was built and keen to learn about low energy construction methods. 

Edited by JSHarris
typo - again...............
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I am a bit nervous, as ours are already asking about the slab. MBC are using a different company and there is a backlog for the slab design. Will have to see when i get everything back from them.

 

We had two BC officers last time one made us jump through hoops, but half way through we had they swapped and the second was absolutely wonderful  from a builders point of view;)

I am Sure you did get everything right:)

Edited by dogman
additional info
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Is "weight of paper" good in this case? As in present a neatly labelled THICK file maybe with an index of all the bits they could ever want to see and they'll just think "he knows what he's doing obviously" and rubber stamp it rather than wading through it all?

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2 hours ago, JSHarris said:

The bits of paper I sent them are here: http://www.mayfly.eu/housebuild/part-fifteen-the-site-is-finally-ready/

 

I missed a couple of details, about Part P sign off and linked fire/smoke alarms amongst others, so had to send them an addendum pointing out that I'd be using a competent electrician and that I'd be fitting linked alarms, etc; all those docs can be downloaded from that link.

 

When it came to the final Completion Inspection, then I ended up providing a load of stuff that the inspector didn't want to look at!  The details of that are here: http://www.mayfly.eu/housebuild/part-forty-three-completion-and-getting-the-vat-back/

 

Thanks @JSHarris  I've put together a similar pack with a specification document that goes with it. Difference for me is that it's a conversion/extension rather than a new build so there are some regs that are more "relaxed"...

 

One thing - did they ask you for any structural engineer calculations for the glulam beams ..? I've got a whole stack of steel calcs but don't know whether to send them on or not ..? 

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8 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Is "weight of paper" good in this case? As in present a neatly labelled THICK file maybe with an index of all the bits they could ever want to see and they'll just think "he knows what he's doing obviously" and rubber stamp it rather than wading through it all?

I once had the responsibility of getting an electronics company through BS 5750 and the best piece of advice I had from the inspectors was to provide the minimum info necessary to meet the requirements. Anything more detailed just boxes you into a corner you may struggle to get out of. 

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5 minutes ago, PeterW said:

 

Thanks @JSHarris  I've put together a similar pack with a specification document that goes with it. Difference for me is that it's a conversion/extension rather than a new build so there are some regs that are more "relaxed"...

 

One thing - did they ask you for any structural engineer calculations for the glulam beams ..? I've got a whole stack of steel calcs but don't know whether to send them on or not ..? 

 

Glad it was of help. 

 

I wasn't asked for any structural calcs at all, but that's because MBC sign off the whole structure using their SE, and in our case that included a large laminated ridge beam plus a smaller laminated beam for the gable (which also uses ridge-hung rafters and no purlins or ties).

 

I think your best bet may be to call the senior building control officer and ask.  I did this after I'd submitted our application and found our chap was extremely helpful and pragmatic.

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56 minutes ago, dogman said:

I am a bit nervous, as ours are already asking about the slab. MBC are using a different company and there is a backlog for the slab design. Will have to see when i get everything back from them.

 

We had two BC officers last time one made us jump through hoops, but half way through we had they swapped and the second was absolutely wonderful  from a builders point of view;)

I am Sure you did get everything right:)

 

Our BCO was happy to accept the Kore report on the foundation system as being OK, they didn't ask for any further info at all.  There is a version of that available direct from Kore, now, I believe (or at least I've been told there is).  They'd never seen a passive slab system, either, and when the inspector paid his first visit he was pretty curious about the whole thing, but generally very impressed with the standard of work being done, and I think that went a long way to making him feel comfortable that the company knew what they were doing (and I think that probably counts as much as the paperwork submitted, or at least that was the feeling I got).

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9 minutes ago, NSS said:

I once had the responsibility of getting an electronics company through BS 5750 and the best piece of advice I had from the inspectors was to provide the minimum info necessary to meet the requirements. Anything more detailed just boxes you into a corner you may struggle to get out of. 

 

I had the same experience when a place I ran was being UKAS accredited as a Notified Body, under the EMC and LV Directives.  Keep all the paperwork to the bare minimum needed to show compliance, else you make a rod for your own back in keeping it updated, plus, as you say, it give the assessors fewer opportunities to find fault...........

Edited by JSHarris
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7 minutes ago, dogman said:

I understand the design at least is being completed by http://www.build-liteuk.co.uk/about-build-lite-uk/

 

They have a bit of a backlog and we delayed it a few weeks to finish demolition.

Interestingly they quote the u value as 0.08 rather than 0.1

 

 

They quoted our slab U value as 0.1W/m².K, but when I calculated it out properly it was lower than that by a bit, around 0.09W/m².K  IIRC.  The same system gives differing U values depending on the shape and area of the floor, because of the perimeter impact, and also there's some variation from any structural internal walls, as the insulation depth under these is usually only 200mm, rather than 300mm. 

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Was this the company that designed your slab?

or is it since they moved manufacture to the UK.

At least it will stop my BC officer going on about it complying with UK regs and having a UK based engineer sign it off.

 

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