Alteration work on dwellings
Fitting replacement windows/doors etc.
Building regulation consent is required to install replacement
windows. This means that if you take out an existing window or door
in your property and replace it with a new one you must
either:
- Use an installer registered under the FENSA scheme run by the Glass and Glazing Federation or
- Make a Building Notice Application to the City Council
For further information please see our guidance notes on replacement windows below:-
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Building Regulation Consent is also required where the
original opening in the brickwork is made wider
Beware however if you are having two storey bay windows
replaced. The brickwork between the two windows is often supported
off the lower frame and the timber used for that window will be
stronger to allow for this weight. UPVC windows may not be strong
enough, so check that your installer uses some other form of
structural support to the window if in doubt, contact us.
Removing (or creating an opening) in a wall
Building Regulation consent is required for all work of this
type to external walls, and to all internal walls unless the wall
concerned is non-loadbearing or providing stability to a
loadbearing wall.
How can you tell?
Try checking the following:
- If your property is timber framed then generally all walls will be loadbearing.
- If you are removing a downstairs wall, check to see if there is another wall upstairs in the same position. If there is, it is likely to be supported by the wall below, which must therefore be loadbearing.
- If there is no wall above, have a look at the direction of the floorboards on the floor above and remember that the floor-joists that support them must span in the opposite direction. If the joists span onto the the wall you intend to remove then it is likely that the wall is loadbearing.
- If the wall is immediately below the roof, have a look in the roof space to see if any joists or walls are supported, this would indicate that it was loadbearing.
Fitting a new toilet or bathroom
If you are simply fitting a new bathroom suite or appliance in
the same place, but are not changing the position of the drainage,
then no consent is needed.
If the bathroom or toilet is completely new however, then an
application will be needed.
Fitting a new central heating system
If the work involves the fitting of a new heating appliance
then an application will be required. Unless:
- The boiler is gas and will be installed by the Gas Board or a CORGI registered fitter
- The boiler is solid fuel and will be installed by a HETAS registered installer
- The boiler is oilfired and will be installed by a OFTEC registered installer
Providing you comply with one of the above you will not be
required to submit an application.
Installing cavity wall insulation
An application is required for this work, but this will
normally be made on your behalf by the installer (and is free).
Please check with your installer to make sure an application is
made.
Installing an unvented hot water system
This is a relatively new type of hot water system where the
water is supplied at mains pressure, rather than from a tank in the
roof.
An application is required for this work , but this will
normally be made on your behalf by the installer (and is free).
Please check with your installer to make sure an application is
made.
Replacing an existing flat roof
Flat roofs are beginning to become unpopular due to their
appearance, and many people are replacing them with more attractive
pitched roofs. A building regulation application will be required
for this work.
Converting a garage into a room
A building regulation
application will generally be required for this work