Make sure your home improvements tick all the right boxes
25 October 2006
Nearly half of us (46%) have undertaken some sort of home improvement in the past year and upgrading our home is on the agenda for over a third of us throughout 2007 (36%) according to Halifax.
However, when embarking upon DIY projects it is essential to make sure that all the necessary procedures, rules and regulations have been followed, so that your grand designs don't come back to bite you at a later date.
Halifax's new website homeimprovementadvice.co.uk provides information to DIY enthusiasts to help them plan their projects more effectively and efficiently. As part of this, homeimprovementadvice.co.uk also includes a useful section on the different organisations, associations and trade bodies that can assist or advise you about planning permission and relevant approvals.
Halifax has also provided a simple guide here:
Home Improvements – What you need to know
Central Heating and Heating Appliances
If you want to install, replace or alter the position of any type of fuel burning appliance including a boiler, building regulations will apply.
However if you use a contractor registered with an industry body, such as CORGI, for the works you will not need to involve a building control service. You can check whether your contractor is registered with Corgi at corgi-gas-safety.com .
If you are having a new boiler installed, your contractor should leave you with a completed installation record, a commissioning certificate and a user instruction manual.
homeimprovementadvice.co.uklinks.htm provides a link to the Electrical Contractors' ---Association, Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association, Heating and Hotwater Information Council UK, Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialist Association (KBSA), The Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors and Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation.
Conservatories
Before rushing out to build onto the back of your home check whether or not it will require permission. Porches and conservatories built at ground level and less than 30m2 are currently exempt from building regulations (with some exceptions), provided that the electrics and glazing are compliant.
Some conservatories will fall under 'permitted' development and therefore will not require planning permission, but in many cases it will be required. As the rules are complicated and open to interpretation it is always best to check with the planning department at the local council, or visit opsi.gov.uk for details.
Extensions and Loft Conversions
In addition to planning permission, building regulations will apply if you are planning an extension to your existing property – with the exception of carports and detached garages under 30m2 in floor area. Small detached structures such as green houses, garden sheds or summerhouses are also exempt. However, new rules expected to come into effect in 2007 will take into consideration an alteration's effect in terms of light and view, rather than just size.
Any internal 'material alterations' which involve changing the structure of the building, for example, removing a load bearing wall, joist, beam or chimney breast or even installing cavity wall insulation, are defined as 'building work' and are therefore covered by building regulations.
Loft conversions do not normally require planning permission unless the plans alter the size or external appearance of the property (eg putting in dormer windows) – however, building regulations do apply and without the proper approvals the loft should not be used for any type of liveable accommodation or marketed as such.
Double Glazing or Replacement Windows
If you are replacing the whole of the fixed frame and opening to put in double glazing or replacement windows, this will have to comply with building regulations.
However, if you use a FENSA (Fenestration Self- Assessment Scheme) registered installer you will not need to involve the building control service. Your installer will give your local authority a certificate that the work complies and you will then be sent a certificate of compliance for your records.
homeimprovementadvice.co.uklinks.htm provides a link to the Glass and glazing Federation and FENSA.
New Kitchens and Bathrooms
Recent Halifax research found installing a new fitted kitchen to be the fifth most popular (32%) home improvement over the past 12 months.
When looking at this type of home improvement, it is worth bearing in mind that installing new fittings such as a toilet, shower, washbasin or sink will only be covered by building regulations if the work involves alterations, or new connections, to a drainage stack or underground drain.
homeimprovementadvice.co.uklinks.htm provides a link to the UK Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialist Association (KBSA.)
Electrical Work
A new law which came into force in January 2005 means that most electrical work in the home must now be carried out by a 'competent' person and building regulations apply to all electrical work carried out in dwellings.
However, if you employ a registered contractor, the registration scheme operator will send you a building regulations compliance certificate when the work is complete. If your contractor is unregistered, the building control service will need to inspect the work to check that it complies with regulations before issuing a completion certificate.
Self-certification schemes for competent persons authorised to carry our electrical works include: BRE Certification (brecertification.co.uk), British Standards Institution (bsonline.bsi-global.com), ELECSA Ltd (elecsa.org.uk), NAPIT Certification Ltd and NICEIC Certification Services Ltd.
homeimprovementadvice.co.uklinks.htm provides a link to the Electrical Contractors' Association.
Home Improvement Regulations Checklist
It is also worthwhile checking that any work carried out on your home is up to standard and complies with all the necessary rules and regulations. Otherwise what should be a home improvement could turn into a costly calamity.
Building Regulations
The main responsibility for complying with building regulations lies with the person carrying out the works.
However, it would be the homeowner who would be served with an enforcement notice if work is carried out which does not comply.
If work has been carried out without the necessary notifications andor approvals this may raise issues if you sell - you may be asked to obtain a regularisation certificate to confirm the compliance of unauthorised work. An overview of building regulations can found on the website for the Office for the Deputy Prime Minster (odpm.gov.uk)
Planning Permission
It is the homeowner's responsibility for seeking planning permission if required.
If you go ahead on a development without this, you may be required to make a retrospective application. This may mean that you have to return your property to its original state at your own expense.
If in doubt, ask the planning department of your local council or visit The Planning Portal at planningportal.gov.uk .
Links to the Royal Institute of British Architects, The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Planning Portal for England and Wales, Planning Portal for Scotland and Local Councils are provided at homeimprovementadvice.co.uklinks.htm
Further information about planning permissions can be found at homeimprovementadvice.co.ukplanning.htm
Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
You will need listed building consent if you want to alter or extend a listed building in a manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest.
It is actually a criminal offence to carry out work which needs listed building consent without obtaining it beforehand.
If you live in a conservation area there are special rules governing the demolition of buildings as well as gates, fences, walls and railings where they are next to a highway of public open space.
In addition, the character of the area as a whole will be an added consideration if you submit a planning application.
Information about listed buildings the restrictions surrounding them can be found at English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk) and for details of conservation areas in your region, visit the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (culture.gov.uk).
The Party Wall Act
The Party Wall Act provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes in relation to work involving party walls, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings. An explanatory leaflet about the act is available from odpm.gov.uk.
Anyone intending to carry out work of this type, such as an extension, must give adjoining owners notice of their intentions.
If you start work without consent from your neighbour, they could seek to stop the work through a court injunction or seek other legal redress.
Mark Heaton, head of mortgages at Halifax advises: "Embarking on a home improvement project is exciting and it is easy to get carried away with the organisation and planning involved. However, if you don't pay heed to what legislation and regulations you must comply with they could come back to haunt you. With this in mind, make sure you keep all documentation regarding the work in a safe place as you may need it in the future, particularly if you decide to move house."
