Council Building Control vs Private Company Building Control

[itsdave]

Hi,

We are at the stage of giving a building notice on our project (refurb of single storey rear extension and old house, plus addition of 150m3 2 storey side extension) and are torn between using the council or a private company. Has anyone else got experience of the pro's and con's of using either BC?

I hadn't considered private before until our architect suggested it after our initial approach to the council wasn't overly helpful (they want us to submit 2 seperate notices, one for the refurb and one for the new extension so more cost to us!).

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Cheers.

David.

 

[DevilDamo]

Don't be surprised if the private/approved inspector does not calculate their fees on a similar basis. They normally give you a quote based on the total cost of work so there probably wont be much in it.

I personally tend to go with the LABC unless I have certain issues with LABC officers in a particular area... like we do in Hampshire. Anything within that persons area, we give to an approved inspector.

There are pro's and con's to both. Here's a little article to get you going...

http://www.1stassociated.co.uk/inspectors-building-control.asp

 

[itsdave]

Hi DevilDamo,

Yes I think you are probably right in terms of the fee basis, but the local borough council officer seems to want us to submit two notices, so even for the same overall project value the fees work out higher (£60k project on one application works out at about £1500 I think but about £2000 for two separate notices).

I will check out your link, thanks for that.

 

[^woody^]

There is no reason why the council can't accept one application for the work if it is part of the same scheme and to be done as one job

I don't think that it is for an officer to dictate what goes on one application and what goes on another. Just put the notice in

I am not sure why you would want to do a large extension on a notice though. You must have a lot of trust in the builder, and why have you got an Architect involved if you are doing the work on a building notice - that just defeats the purpose

 

[itsdave]

Hi Woody,

We have used an architect to help us draw up plans for the new extension which requires planning permission. We then had the choice of filling out a building regs application once our planning decision comes back, but the added time would push us quite far back in to the autumn. The other option was to submit a building notice now so we can start work on the renovation aspect of the house on the existing structure, and then move on to the new extension when the planning decision is returned and hopefully approved.

So a building notice would allow us to proceed quicker than the full building regs option.

It is our architect that suggested that we look in to the building notice option if we are eager to proceed as he said the extension should be straight forward for a competent builder (Kitchen downstairs, Bedroom and bathroom upstairs) as it is not using any unusual construction techniques.

The new extension isn't very big really, 150 metres cubed volume (I am thinking in volume at the moment as I am still have my head stuck in local authority planning policy lingo!) , not metres squared floor area, and should be relatively straight forward.

We and our Architect agree with you, we didn't know why the planning officer said he wanted 2 notices. We were just a little worried that its an indication of them being awkward to work with going forward.

As always, thanks for the input!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I know many a competent builder who would not touch an extension without a decent set of drawings maybe your architect is no good at doing regs packages? I think private inspectors tend to be a bit more lax but that is usually at the end users expense not the builder.

 

[itsdave]

I / our Architect did not suggest that a builder should work without any drawings. The reason I am going down the building notice route rather than the building regs application route is an issue of timing and being able to make progress much quicker to take advantage of the summer(!?) weather. I won't go in to specifics of the build and timeframes/decision dates etc, but it is just quicker for our scenario with a notice. In either scenarios we would have a good set of drawings anyway for our builders to work from, and with the building notice route, work closely with the BC (private or council) to make sure they are happy with the build as it progresses.

So, to get back to the main question regards private vs council BC experiences which is what I am hoping to gain an opinion on, you say that private can be a bit lax to the detriment of the end user, what do you mean? Have you ever had problems getting certification after using a private BC company or something?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well round here it takes around 2 weeks to get a Building regs plan check approved anyhoo.

In my experience private inspectors let more things go than LA do. This is (IMO) because private inspectors are a bit more keen to get the next job in so like to keep their clients sweet whereas (even though they need to run at a profit nowadays) the LA generally still retain their civil servant mentality of crossing all the T's and dotting the I's (which I don't think is a bad thing in this situation anyway). One could argue that's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your take on it and depending on whether you like everything done right or are happy with maybe a few shortcuts but as mentioned normally the client knows nothing about this so assumes they are getting a great quality job (cos its bin inspected like) which infact is not any inspectors job to check for quality anyway.

Of course you get good and bad in all walks of life but generally I think LA are more thorough even if they are little more pricey. As mentioned the issue of 2 notices or one if cannot be reasoned with should be taken to a more senior level within Building Control. Though sometimes their logic regarding fees is a little bemusing and I have experienced similar situations.

 

[jeds]

I use exclusively private now. The one I use is much more professional than the local authority. He treats us like a client. You can get him on the phone when you want him. He'll visit site when you want him. I can discuss issues with him and he's helpful. And he's 30% cheaper which can be significant on the larger jobs. Local authority building control in my area are living in the very distant past and if they don't have a major change in attitude soon I don't think they'll exist in 5 years.

For an average extension there should be no delay between submitting a full plans application and starting work. It's usually several days before the foundation is ready for inspection and even the local authority BIs will call and check it off as long as you've got an application number. Might be slightly different for non trad or something really complicated but that's a rarity.

 

[^woody^]

You can still put a full plans application in and start within 48hours and carry on while or before the plans are checked

There is a massive liability, and costs issue if builders are working to plans not approved first. Who, for instance, is responsible for extra work when the builder is working to plans and the inspector wants something different?

 

[itsdave]

Hi all,

thanks for the comments.

Jeds and Woody, just to clarify with you both, when you both say there should be little reason why, in theory, there should only be a small delay between putting plans in and starting work, do you mean putting our planning application in or are you referring to submitting Building Regs Plans?

I did think you meant the planning application but just thought I would check.

Cheers again.

 

[^woody^]

I was thinking of b/regs

There is often no reason to wait for the planning approval before submitting the b/regs application. Sometimes, say if planners may want a small change, then it pays to wait. Or a b/regs drawing can be amended later to match any amended planning requirements

But you can start within 48 hours of submitting the b/regs application so potentially you could start work as soon as you get the planning decision

 

[mikric]

Since the change in the way local authoritys can charge fees they are now able to offer quotes on applications, in todays market they need to be competitive, ask for a quote and compare to the private inspector.
I would personally say that we provide quotes on about 70% of our work nowadays and most clients are pleasantly surprised how much cheaper the LA is, and we offer a better service , but I am biased
In reality no one will give you much grief if you submit an application the day works start, we will even collect it on site while doing first visit if required.
Surely if your architect is a professional he should be on good terms or even first name terms with one or two local BCOs, if not why not ?
For him to suggest a building notice route is a cop out on his part, especially if you have paid him to produce regs drawings.
Full BR applications should take no longer than a couple of weeks to process and nearly always the foundation detail will be noted on drawings to be carried out to the inspectors satisfaction on site.
In the first couple of weeks before approved plans are agreed the site BCO should have enough about them to look at details and advise on any potential issues as would be expected from them with a Building Notice application.
I would say LA all the way but there are unfortunately there are quite a few jobsworth knobs within the profession
If you go building notice route you have to pay all fees up front, what if your planning is refused ?