Altering or extending your home?

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• Altering or extending your home?

The building regulations are legal requirements that protect your health and safety when you are in and around buildings. The regulations also cover things like saving energy and making buildings suitable for disabled people.

Building Control Services look after the building regulations in the Royal Borough of Kingston. Our qualified and experienced team of surveyors examine plans and inspect work being done on site. You can use the surveyors' detailed knowledge of materials and building methods at every stage of your project.

Some sorts of work are not covered by the building regulations. These include the following.

1.  Detached buildings

• The regulations do not apply to a detached single-storey building with a floor area no bigger than 30 square metres and no sleeping area. The building must also be:

                   - at least one metre from the boundary of the property; or
                   - mostly made of non-combustible material, for example a detached garage.

• The regulations do not apply to a detached building with a floor area no bigger than 15 square metres and no sleeping area - for example, a greenhouse or garden shed.
  
  
  
  

2.  Extensions

• The regulations do not apply to some extensions at ground level with a floor area no bigger than 30 square metres. These are:

                   - a conservatory, porch, covered yard or covered way; or
                   - a carport open on at least two sides.

However, any glass in a porch or conservatory must meet the building regulation standards. This means that you should use safety glass for most doors and windows next to doors, and also for windows with cills less than 800 millimetres above the floor. If you would like more information, please phone 020 8547 4699.

Electrical installation work where, for example, new circuits are provided may be covered by the building regulations even if the structure itself is not. You will not have to tell us if the electrician is a member of a recognised Competent Person Self-Certification Scheme.

The building regulations cover most building work at your home. This includes:

• making structural changes to a building, for example underpinning, making a through lounge, or partly removing a chimney breast;
• changing the use of a building, for example converting a house to flats;
• putting in new drainage or extending or changing drains, for example by putting in a new toilet under the stairs;
• putting up a new building or extending a building, for example by adding a kitchen extension or loft conversion (you can find out which extensions are not covered by the building regulations in section 3);
• installing replacement windows, although you will not need to tell us if your installer is a member of the Fenestration Self Assessment (Fensa) Scheme; and
• carrying out most electrical installation work, although you will not need to tell us if your electrician is a member of a recognised Competent Person Self-Certification Scheme.

If you are not sure whether you need permission, please phone us on 020 8547 4699.

Building regulations approval is separate from planning permission. You may need planning permission even if your work is not covered by the building regulations. If you need more information, please phone one of our Planning Officers on 020 8547 4696 or 020 8547 4697.

You can get application forms from Environmental Services Reception in Guildhall 2, by phoning us on 020 8547 4699 or by visiting our website. There are two ways to apply, either by sending us full plans or a building notice. If the work involves a building used as a place of work, or is a building or extension near a public sewer, you must send us full plans and a building notice cannot be used. Many sewers cross properties without owners realising so please check with us well before work starts.

Full plans - before work begins on site you need to send us:

• two copies of your plans showing the full construction details;
• your application form; and
• your payment.

Please get professional advice unless you are an expert on building and the building regulations. One of our surveyors will check your application and approve your plans if they meet the regulations. If we need more information or need to make changes, we will tell you.

We will try to approve your application as soon as possible. We must make a decision within five weeks, but if you agree we will extend this to two months. We will inspect the work on site when it starts.

If you use the full plans route, you can be sure that as long as you follow your plans you will meet the regulations.

Building notice - you need to send us:

• your application form; and
• your payment.

You don't usually need to send us any detailed plans if you apply this way. But if it is absolutely necessary, we will ask you for what we need - for example, structural calculations for loft conversions or through rooms. We will not check the work fully before it is done so we won't give you an official decision note. The Building Control Surveyor will try to let you know in advance if there will be problems, but remember it is your responsibility to make sure the regulations are met.

The building notice is most suitable for simple household work such as small extensions or changes inside your home.

Our surveyors can give you advice on the building regulations at all stages of building.
We are always happy to help, so if you need expert advice on your building problems, phone us on 020 8547 4699.

You can start work after:

• you have sent us a building notice or full plans application; and
• you have given us two days notice (preferably in writing) that you want to start.

If relevant, you or your builder should tell us when you have:

• dug the foundations (before you concrete);
• concreted the foundations;
• prepared the oversite to the ground floor (before concreting);
• put in the damp-proof course (before you cover it);
• put in the foul-water drainage (before you backfill it);
• put in the surface-water drainage (before you backfill it); and
• completed the work

The Building Control Surveyor may ask you to make contact at other stages which are not included in the regulations, for example relating to roof timbers. You can phone us for inspections on 020 8547 4699 (24-hour answering service).

The inspections listed above will not always be relevant for every job. For example, in loft conversions we will usually need to inspect the structural supports before they are covered up. If you ask between 8am and 10am for an inspection, we can usually visit that day. We will visit Monday to Friday except for bank holidays and public holidays.

You can find out about charges for building regulations and household work by phoning us on 020 8547 4699, by calling into Building Control Services in Guildhall 2, or by visiting our website. We will also send you details with your application forms. If the work will help a disabled person, you may not have to pay.

Contact us to arrange a final inspection when your work is finished. Do not make the final payment to your builders until we have carried out our last inspection. We will give you a completion certificate when we have checked the work meets our standards.

Our team of experienced and professional surveyors can help you with their wide-ranging local knowledge, including ground conditions and drainage. We are also responsible for dealing with dangerous structures and controlling demolition.
We run an emergency call service for dangerous structures. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Monday to Friday – 8.45am to 5pm – phone 020 8547 4701.
At all other times – phone 020 8547 5800.
We can also give you advice about access and facilities for disabled people. For more information, please phone 020 547 5314.