Building control frustrations! - lack of communication & 4.5m first floor to ground

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

Just need to vent a little frustration and see if I’m the only one…

 

I imagine like many professionals, this comes down to personalities and probably workload, but getting hold of my building control inspector (private) to actually speak to is a real challenge if I can’t take a valuable day off work to be on site for the day he visits. He visits, leaves, writes report and often asks for documentation I’ve already submitted, or refers to details that are inaccurate and need correcting.

 

Latest visit he has stated that the first floor height to ground is over 4.5m and so we need a full fire-protected stairwell. This will result in a lot of fire doors.

I previously discussed this with him in person (on an earlier visit when I’d taken a day’s leave to make sure I could speak to him); the ground slopes and the finished house will have decking on 3 sides at floor level, and so all those windows are very comfortably less than 4.5m (this was his words - so in this case it’s a pragmatic first floor to the surface outside the window, rather than ‘ground’, which is below the decking). This leaves two windows at the end where ground is highest and the first floor height to ground I’ve measured to be 4.0m.

 

Now, I’ve read the Part B many times, and it just refers to the ‘first floor’ height which, being as it doesn’t say first floor window, I have taken at it’s word as first floor height to ground. Has anyone experienced or seen it defined as the window to ground rather than floor? (Our FFL to ground is 4m and the window ledge is, from recollection, 550mm above FFL). I’m looking (hoping) for support / examples that it’s FFL to ground. I am prepared to be disappointed however 😕.

 

We’re aiming for a high standard of build, but I’d rather have the choice over which doors to fit rather than have fire doors imposed upon us.

[Andehh]

Fire doors have a reassuring heft and sound deadening benefit as well... Not always a bad thing to have that in a high quality home!!