QUICK GUIDE BUILDING CONTROL BODIES
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ost of us don’t get too many shots at creating our dream home. So it’s worth taking time at the early stages to make sure you get it right. With planning in the bag, you’re bound to be feeling excited and more than a little relieved to get past the first hurdle. But don’t put your feet up just yet. Decisions will be coming thick and fast, as you and your architectural team start to develop the technical design and make the key choices that will come to define your finished home.
There are two types of organisation that can help you to ensure that your house complies with the regulations. The most established are local authority building control officers (BCOs). They work for the council, not you or your contrator, and their job is to check that the regs are properly applied to every relevant aspect of the construction. Since 1985, approved inspectors (AIs) have done essentially the same job, but these are private organisations appointed to provide a professional service for your personal project.
Ultimately, some kind of building control body will need to approve the structural drawings as compliant with the legal standards set out in the Building Regulations. But bear in mind the regs are intended only to set out the minimum requirements. Admittedly, they’ve recently got a bit more challenging (more on that later). But in general, you’ll probably be looking to go above and beyond the bare necessities required to get the rubber stamp that confirms you can start construction. Many self builders aim to achieve a higher level of performance and finish – and delivering this will involve a lot more than a set of neat structural drawings that simply beat the basic standard.