Building regs full plans - changes during build

[JimExtension]

Our design company is doing building regs full plans drawings.
Once approved by BC how closely to these plans does the builder need to stick?
Can materials or the build be altered at build time (presumably with approval of the approved inspector) - or is this something that the inspectors would look down on?

Thank you!

 

[^woody^]

The inspector is only interested in compliance with the regulations not how you do that or what you use to do it.

The problem with not complying with the approved plan is that you need to be sure that the end result complies. No inspector likes an applicant to be constantly asking him what to use and how to build.

And if your builder has priced for working to the plans that is what he should do. Otherwise, you will end up paying more for unknown work.

 

[Murdochcat]

Be careful because you might need to involve planning and building control.

 

[mrrusty]

You'll only need to involve planning if there are fundamental changes to the form and function. The key thing to bear in mind as @^woody^ suggests is once you deviate from the agreed plans, who is carrying design responsibility. If you have paid for drawings and passed them to the builder, the design is your responsibility, the builder carries no risk in design, and you have comfort in knowing BC have approved them.

If the builder deviates (even with your permission), is he going to then accept design responsibility? What happens if the inspector doesn't approve the amendment? who pays? It's still your responsibility to build to the regs and get approval, so unless you have a 100% buy-in from the builder that they are willing to take on the design responsibility of the deviations, I would insist the builder builds to the plans.

 

[Notch7]

Our design company is doing building regs full plans drawings.
Once approved by BC how closely to these plans does the builder need to stick?
Can materials or the build be altered at build time (presumably with approval of the approved inspector) - or is this something that the inspectors would look down on?

Thank you!

it depends

Its pretty standard for something’s to change a bit on a build.

if the builder buys a different lightweight block to the one specified on the b/regs dwg, it’s prob fine if the strength and thermal properties match

if the b/regs dwg has a concrete slab floor but the builder finds the ground poor then changing to a suspended floor will be fine.


if you start changing window / doors sizes and positions then that will be a design change and won’t comply with planning, may not comply with b/regs either


Maybe you could indicate what sort of thing you might want to change.

 

[JimExtension]

Thanks all - that’s useful feedback and a good set of answers to the question

 

[mrrusty]

Its pretty standard for something’s to change a bit on a build.

if the builder buys a different lightweight block to the one specified on the b/regs dwg, it’s prob fine if the strength and thermal properties match

if the b/regs dwg has a concrete slab floor but the builder finds the ground poor then changing to a suspended floor will be fine.

Totally agree, BUT occasionally things go wrong, and unless contractually the bases are covered, it can get very messy. As soon as there is a design change, the designer can wash their hands of it (assuming they aren't in the loop), so not their problem. The builder can say "I asked you, mr client if this was OK, and you said it was, therefore not my problem. BC can say, we approved plans with x design and this is y, and I can't approve it.

Woolly design responsibility cost my stepbrother a packet - BC wouldn't approve, builder denied it was his responsibility to change. He had to eventually sack the builder, take the hit, and get a new builder in to build something that was satisfactory.

 

[Notch7]

Totally agree, BUT occasionally things go wrong, and unless contractually the bases are covered, it can get very messy. As soon as there is a design change, the designer can wash their hands of it (assuming they aren't in the loop), so not their problem. The builder can say "I asked you, mr client if this was OK, and you said it was, therefore not my problem. BC can say, we approved plans with x design and this is y, and I can't approve it.

Woolly design responsibility cost my stepbrother a packet - BC wouldn't approve, builder denied it was his responsibility to change. He had to eventually sack the builder, take the hit, and get a new builder in to build something that was satisfactory.

Yes indeed, often the client doesn’t know enough to be able to agree to changes.

Sometimes I feel domestic building work is too unregulated, there is such a lot of potential for huge financial risk for a home owner.

 

[^woody^]

Sometimes I feel domestic building work is too unregulated

There's the same amount of regulation as multi million pound building projects.