Where can I find copies of building regulations drawings?

[Naknah]

Is there anywhere that you can look at building regulations drawings for different types of buildings e.g. are they published online anywhere like planning drawings are or are there books of them or websites that publish examples?

I'm trying to draw my own building regs drawings, not from scratch, but using a set that I had drawn a few years ago for a slightly different extension that I didn't end up building. The chap who drew them says he's too busy to amend them. I don't want to pay for a whole new set of drawings so I'm trying to draw them up and amend them myself. The extension is very similar so it shouldn't be too difficult (it's a wrap-around side return extension). Unfortunately, I don't know what I'm doing so I could do with looking at some other drawings to figure out what to draw/write!

Thank you

 

[tony1851]

If you trawl through planning applications, you will see some drawings (though not many) which would also be done with Building Regs in mind, particularly if the draftsman was confident a scheme would gain planning permission.
Just a case of looking through them - don't just confine yourself to applications within your own area; Building Regs are applied nationally.
It's not just the drawings, though. It's knowing the regs themselves, and how they impact on your particular circumstances.

 

[garyo]

You can have a copy of my last full plans submission if you like Naknah - PM me your email address.

I expect it depends on your individual BCO, but on the three sets of plans I've drawn, the full plans process seems to have a degree of to'ing and fro'ing built in, so if you miss something off, then they'll ask you to specify the detail - e.g. "please specify your rapid ventilation and emergency egress detail"

 

[chappers]

here in Oxford building regs applications are also on the planning portal`. If you find a property it will list both all planning and BR apps though the BR tend to generally be in less detail.

 

[^woody^]

When you've finished plagarising drawings, you might want to do a PhD on the same basis. The sky's the limit, ffs.

 

[Naknah]

Tony - Thank you. Yours is the approach I've taken so far but I haven't had much luck. I am looking at the Approved Documents too but they are a harder read than other BC drawings.

Garyo - Thank you for your kind offer and reminder that BC will tell me if I get it wrong! I will PM you my email address.

Chappers - Thank you for the tip. When I looked earlier I could only find basic information on building regs applications and no drawings. I will have another look.

Woody - I don't think I'm doing anything wrong here. I'm drawing new plans for a different extension referring to a set of old plans that I paid for (re-drawing in a completely different format taking my own measurements). I even offered the chap the work and he turned it down. Is it plagiarising to look at other plans to work out how to do the bits that I'm stuck on? I'm just trying to learn about appropriate construction methods that are BC compliant. I also have books on construction techniques from the library. This is a bog-standard side return extension - I'm not looking to copy anyone's creative design. Having read about a hundred of your posts on here I feel disproportionately sad that you've judged me to be doing the wrong thing. I will try to forget everything I've learnt from your posts!!!

 

[wessex101]

I agree with Woody.

I'm all for DIY and trying to produce your own drawings but why not just ask specific questions here with the points you are stuck on and people like me and Woody and plenty of others will freely give advice. To just copy parts of someone else's drawings and building regulations notes is out of order and I'm surprised at some of the regulars who have suggested it.

It has taken me many years of study, training and experience to be able to produce my drawings and the thought of people just stealing them annoys me. Whenever you look at applications through Council's websites there are clear warnings about copyright theft but I suppose that depends on your moral compass. Besides if you just copy notes and details without understanding them they may not be appropriate for your project and you end up designing in a potentially expensive problem.

 

[Naknah]

I've tried that too *Wessex*. The main thing I'm stuck on (please don't laugh) is this: //www.diynot.com/diy/threads/h...st-another-wall-side-return-extension.474647/ which I've posted on the Building board and haven't had any replies.

 

[wessex101]

I missed the original question. I have posted my comment so that should trigger some debate.

 

[Ian H]

It has taken me many years of study, training and experience to be able to produce my drawings and the thought of people just stealing them annoys me.

I'm going off topic but if a customer came to you with drawings for planning permission from another source, would you do the drawings for the building regs?

 

[^woody^]

I'm going off topic but if a customer came to you with drawings for planning permission from another source, would you do the drawings for the building regs?

As long as the drawings were re-drawn, as opposed to coppied, and as long as the design in general is typical and common and not something that the original designer has created from his own mind, then yes it would be acceptable in law and moraly.

 

[^woody^]

Having read about a hundred of your posts on here I feel disproportionately sad that you've judged me to be doing the wrong thing. I will try to forget everything I've learnt from your posts!!!

There is a big difference to using information given freely on sites such as this, and taking it from documents which are not for that purpose.

Admittedly, its not a such a big issue if Joe Householder does it for purely his own use, as when another person does it for professional gain, but its still taking the work of others. Also, things get passed around.

What I tend to do now, is submit the most basic detail with applications and then send more detail later when I know that wont go online. Particulary when there is some non-standard design work where I've spent hours getting over a problem or making something look a lot better than others would bother to do.

It's annoying because, if I do say so myself, I used to do a nice comprehensive plan with everything needed on it. Now its several documents, which is not ideal.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

As long as the drawings were re-drawn, as opposed to coppied, and as long as the design in general is typical and common and not something that the original designer has created from his own mind, then yes it would be acceptable in law and moraly.

So if you inherit a Building regs job from someone else because the client says he was unhappy with the service or whatever what do you do? Are you saying you would draw something for Building Regs that differed from the approved scheme?

 

[^woody^]

So if you inherit a Building regs job from someone else because the client says he was unhappy with the service or whatever what do you do? Are you saying you would draw something for Building Regs that differed from the approved scheme?

Plan drawing/design is a work of art and so is copyright to the producer. It can't be copied or used for further work by someone else.

In your scenario, it would depend on any implied licence granted to the client for use of the drawing. And contractural terms betweent he designer client - particularly what has he been instructed to do and actually been paid for.

In the absence of an implied licence or actual permission, if the scheme is of unique design, non-standard and suchlike, then anyone using that design for building regs drawing opens themselves up to copyright claims.

If the design is bog standard, then it is possible for a new designer to redraw the plans the appoved design and add his additional detailing - that will add just enough difference to make the new drawings unique. This relies on the new designer using an argument that "everyone would have done a design in that way", for the outline, and then the additional detailing is the new desingers own work.

I have not accepted work drawn by others where I suspected that a copyright claim could be made - especially when a client and designer have parted on bad terms. It's not worth the risk. I also stamp my drawings with a notice stating exactly what can be done with the drawings.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I stopped myself when I got to ‘work of art’, I remembered you don’t live in our dimension.