What needs building regs and what stages have to be inspected?

[perky416]

Hi Guys,

As mentioned in a previous post I am buying a new house, and im planning some modifications to the downstairs layout.

If you take a look at the layout attached, I am planning on removing the supporting wall between the kitchen & dining room (red) to make a large kitchen/diner, and in the process blocking off the door that currently leads from the hallway into the kitchen, and the door that leads from the kitchen to the garden (there is a big bi folding door currently in the dining room so there will still be an exit into the back garden).

I also want to fit a set of double partitioning doors between the dining room/living room, fixed to a stud frame, and add a door from the hall to the living room (blue).

I also want to remove the chimney breast (red) from the living room (well...all chimney breasts from the house, but keep the stack intact).

Finally I will be replacing the boiler with a combi boiler.

Im a pretty competent DIY'er, I have assisted in a whole manner of building works in the past, I can plumb and do electrics, and my brother does commercial building maintenance, so to save costs I am thinking about doing most of the work myself. The only things im thinking of getting someone in to do is install the gallows to support the chimney stack, connect the new boiler to the gas and then getting friends (gas fitter, plumber, electrician) to test the system and pass it off.

What I am confused about is what parts of the job I need to get building regs to sign off, and at what stages does the inspector need to come out? (For example to inspect the RSJ before plastering).

I do have people I could ask, however I asked one friend yesterday about building regs and the response I got was "no need for that, just say it was like it when you moved in".

I have googled however I cant find specific information about what things and what stages the inspector needs to come out.

Is anybody able to assist?

Many Thanks.

 

[^woody^]

Any removal of a part of a structural wall - a wall holding something up or a chimney, requires building regulations approval.

Your chosen inspector - council or private, will tell you about what inspections that will take, as they might have different policies.

Gallow brackets are not always appropriate, and some council's won't even accept them. So check first.

Party Wall Act can apply to work on party walls - or chimney removal. And it's a good idea to check if an attached neighbour has not already done the same thing. You don't want the wall tipping over.

 

[cjard]

I can plumb and do electrics,

That's nice, but do recognised certification bodies such as gas-safe, niceeic/napit/elecsa have the same opinion?

I recommend you get you plumber and electrician beforehand and talk with them about the extent of work they're happy for you to do yourself, and then let them do the bits they want to do to be certain the installation meets regulations. They get a few quid, help a mate out and know it's all good. I wouldn't approach it from a "I'll do it all and you can sign it off" perspective, not least because it's mildly insulting to a professional tradesman to have some jumped up DIYer who's "helped out on a couple of building jobs before" assert he's every bit as good at their job as they are, but because technically, legally, they aren't allowed to operate in this fashion and you're risking their professional membership by asking them to lie about the extent of works they've carried out

There are good reasons why specifically trained people work on and sign off electrical and gas installations; diying work like this can be the fastest way to a dead family

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

And if diying (strange that the spelling is quite close to dying) make sure whoever is going to have to sign off the works (assuming you can find someone) see's everything they need to at the right stages or otherwise you'll end up with something that can't be signed off.