Building Safety Act Principle Designer - what to do if DIY build?

[DoctorFaustus]

Building a small oak framed orangery - completely DIY except for electrician

I wanted to hire a structural engineer to check my design / do beam calcs but they are saying:

"since the BSA can in to play, we would be considered the PD (different to the CDM PD, confusing named the same thing) and as such would have all the obligations including ensure the building meets all regs, including fire, access, etc.

Because of this our insurers ask that we avoid any projects without architects."

This legislation didn't exist the last time I did an extension. Yet more red tape strangling this country and bit of a killer for DIY builds! Any ideas on how to get calcs done, which I'd really like to do for piece of mind?

 

[^woody^]

DIY does not invoke the need for a PD, as there is only one designer and contractor.

Appointing occasional trades or a professional of some sort, does technically create a situation, even if brief of there potentially being more than one contractor or designer. This is a grey area, as the Act is really intended for large commercial projects, and it's unclear if the DIYer is a designer or contractor anyway.

Appointing an SE does not automatically make them the PD, as there is no team of other designers to manage or coordinate. They merely become a designer.

 

[tony1851]

As above, the BSA is a bit of a mess. Contractors and designers do not have to be 'registered' under some official body, they only need to be competent to undertake work in their respective fields. 'Competence' is not just limited to passing an exam and having a piece of paper to prove it.

However, while it is not legally necessary for anyone undertaking - eg structural design - to be chartered, insurance companies can insist on it. The only requirement under the BSA is that such persons should have the 'skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours' of someone normally expected to do this work. As an example, many people - perhaps most - who draw plans for domestic building work are not chartered architects, but many who do this can be perfectly competent - experience counts for a lot.
There is an expectation that the person undertaking the work would have their own insurance.

On completion, the form Building Control expects a designer to sign states that they confirm that the work complies with the relevant Building Regulations. As this seems to be shifting responsibility, it begs the question as to what you pay the Building Control body for?

The BSA was the result of the Report by Dame Judith Hackitt after the Grenfell fire, and who seemed to know the square root of 0 about the building industry. All the Act seems to have done is demand more paperwork and box-ticking, to the point where major projects are being held up. Its no wonder nothing gets built in this country nowadays.