Anthony Dring

Structural Alterations

There are two ways of securing the mandatory building regulation obligations in carrying out structural alterations to an existing residential or commercial building. One is by a Building Notice, and the other is to obtain Full Plans Building Regulation Approval. Building Control carry out the same inspection regime and charge the same fee for both methods. Under a Building Notice, the Building Control Authority is given notice of the intention to build and it is the responsibility of the applicant and his appointed contractor to build to current regulations and provide structural calculations and construction details to support the structural alterations. Under a Full Plans Application, Building Control are provided with plans and design details for the works, from which they provide approval. The contractor is then obligated to build to the approved plans. We would always recommend securing Full Plans Approval, the risk of inferior build standards is significantly reduced. It also means all contractors giving costs are working to the same details.

For a straight forward structural alteration, Building Control charge somewhere in the region of £300 (depending on authority) for either application method, and includes an inspection of the works before the structural components are covered up. All being well, Building Control provide a Completion Certificate, which is an important document that verifies the structural alteration works conform with the current Building Regulations.

The work carried out by us is to, initially survey the building, assess the structural requirements and then produce structural details and supporting calculations. The plans and details will secure full plans building control approval, allow you to secure competitive costs and facilitate the build. We will, if required, make the online Building Regulation Application on your behalf.

We charge £300 to £480 for a single opening, depending on location, and slightly more if the requirements are for additional opening supports. Given existing and proposed floor plans we can provide costs for more complex alterations.

Advisory Information

Structural Reports

Standard condition reports involve carrying out a visual inspection and taking photographs of the property, and if necessary carrying out a structural analysis as to the cause of the noted defects. A written report with remediation measures and costs where appropriate is provided.

Generally the intent of an initial survey is to establish whether visible defects noted have a cause that is not common or expected. Small cracks are often present in buildings, particularly older properties, and can often be attributed to small ground movements or building component movement due to seasonal changes in temperature and should give no major cause for concern.

Common purposes of structural reports are; to establish whether defects justify an insurance claim; provide an account for the defects and remediation measures and costs to rectify or provide general reassurance.

A survey and short follow up in writing will cost in the region of £180 to £300, depending on site location. The cost of a standard property survey and written report would be somewhere in the region of £360 to £480.

Loft Conversions

Generally, loft conversions do not require planning permission, providing they meet certain criteria and are not being built within a conservation area.

There are two ways of securing the mandatory building control obligations for a loft conversion. One is by a Building Notice and the other is to obtain Building Regulation Full Plans Approval. Building Control carry out the same inspection regime and charge the same fee for both methods. Under a Building Notice, the authority is given notice of the intention to build and it is the responsibility of the applicant and his appointed contractor to build to current regulations and provide documentation to support the method adopted, which will include structural calculations and details to support the structural alterations to the structure. Under Full Plans approval the authority is provided with plans and design details of the works, from which they provide approval. The contractor is then obligated to build to the approved plans. We would always recommend securing Building Regulation Full Plans approval, although there is an increased design cost, the risk of inferior build standards is significantly reduced. It also means all contractors giving costs are working to the same details.

Building Control charge something in the region of £600 (authority dependent) for either application method, which includes inspection of the works at key stages. All being well Building Control issue a Completion Certificate, which is an important document that verifies the loft conversion works conform with the Building Regulations.

To produce full construction plans, including structural proposals, we charge £1200. The plans and details will secure full plans building control approval, allow you to secure competitive costs and facilitate the build.

Household Extensions

There are some household extensions that can be carried out under permitted development rights. It is complicated and details for the rules in Wales can be found on https://gov.wales/planning-permission-permitted-development-rights-householders. Even when the development falls within these rights, it is worth applying to the local planning authority for a Lawful Planning Certificate, which costs £115 and provides assurances that the proposed extension is within permitted rights.

If your proposal does not fall within these parameters, then the initial procedure is to apply to the local planning authority for planning permission. The fee for a house extension application is £230. As part of the application, the planning authority want details of the existing property and the proposed changes in the form of floor plans and elevations, so initially we would need to survey your property to gather the data from which to prepare the existing floor plans and elevations and then, based on your requirements, design the extension and produce floor plans and elevations to show the proposed changes. We charge somewhere in the region of £500 to £960 for planning drawings, depending on the extent of the works.

Planning takes approximately eight to twelve weeks to process, as the authority needs to consult and await responses from interested parties, such as your neighbours.

Assuming you are granted planning permission, then the next stage of the process, which is also mandatory, is to secure building regulation approval. The best way to achieve this is to prepare construction plans that can be submitted to Building Control for Full Plans approval. The construction plans can also be used to get costs and facilitate the chosen contractor in building the works. Building Control charge to both approve the construction plans and inspect the works while under construction. Their charges vary slightly across authorities and depend on the extent of the work, but are typically in the region of £800 for a two storey extension with a building footprint in excess of 50 square metres. We charge somewhere upwards of £500 for construction drawings, depending on the extent of the works.