catnic lintels - building control required?

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Just had a builder round to quote for removing an internal load bearing wall. Told him I want it all done properly to regs etc. and he said that they don't need building control to do the job if they use a Catnic lintel. He said if using a standard RSJ then you would need structural engineers calculations and would then need to go through building control. I questioned this but he said no that is definitely correct. Sounds wrong to me - can anyone confirm please. He also wants to put two new doorways in internal walls without building regs (both brick requiring a small lintel).
Thanks.
 
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He is definitely incorrect, any structural alterations require Building Control Approval whether an off the shelf Catnic is used or a steel.
 
An "off the shelf" lintel comes with a chart stating loading capacity at various lengths.
This means that no engineer's calcs are required to determine the beam size required.
You will still, however, have to work out the total load onto the lintel.

So, in summary, engineer's calcs are not required, but building regs approval is.
 
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Catnic do provide a max load for the box section beams that you might be able to use but you still need to work out what the load is.

The beam might be able to carry 30kN over 2m for example, but how do you know if the load is 20kN or 200kN?

A structural engineer will certainly be required as will building regulation approval.
 
I think this is not an uncommon situation where the builder is confused. Not requiring calculations for the beam, is not the same as not requiring building control approval for the work
 
Thanks for all your replies. I will speak to the builder and let him know it's got to go through building control if he wants the job. I'm sure he must know this anyway and thinks it's just easier not to bother as no one is going to find out but I want to do it properly so there are no issues when selling.
 
There is no reason for this type of work not to go through building control

The customer pays the fee, so there is no cost to the builder. There are no hold-ups either, and the risk of choosing the beam or lintel is passed to someone else. So there is no reason for any builder to be bothered by this ..... unless he does not want his work inspected
 
That is interesting noseall, I would have thought it was the person actually doing the work that should be responsible. After all, how would joe public know the latest building regs - they just ring a builder and go with what he tells them. Seems like a system open to abuse !!!
 
Unfortunately whilst a good builder will (should) have a good knowledge of what work is and is not notifiable and in an ideal world will bring this to the attention to the homeowner you are right that it is an imperfect system as they are under no obligation to do so. Its not a system that is widely abused as such, more of a system that does not work and relies on Joe Public to be the knowledgeable ones. There are many who turn up here having discovered they should have got approval for this or that. For some reason there seems to be many builders reluctant to have their work overseen by BC ....
 
That is interesting noseall, I would have thought it was the person actually doing the work that should be responsible. After all, how would joe public know the latest building regs - they just ring a builder and go with what he tells them. Seems like a system open to abuse !!!
Your builder doesn't understand the regulations, so what's the difference? What noseall says is correct. It is the homeowners responsibility to ensure compliance with building regulation requirements. Building control doesn't expect homeowners to necessarily understand the requirements themselves. They would say if you don't understand employ somebody who does.
 
After all, how would joe public know the latest building regs

You either employ a designer that is au-fait with the latest reg's or you rely upon a conscientious, professional builder that will advise you to seek approval.

Ultimately it is up to the homeowner to use things like the internet etc to muddle their way through. Pretty handy innit.
 

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