Is my Conservatory or Home Extension subject to Building Regulations?

In one of our other handy guides (linked here) we discussed planning permission and where it may, or may not, apply to conservatories and home extensions. However, another important thing to consider is Building Regulations. Some conservatories and home extensions may need one, both or neither of these things and this guide aims to talk you through what building regulations are and whether you will need to abide by them. For more information on planning permission, check out the linked article.

What are Building Regulations?

Building Regulations focus on a build being energy efficient and safe, regardless of whether it needs planning permission or not. For example, any new extensions or developments must have strong foundations and be made with the appropriate insulation. They are also subject to checks to ensure any electrics have been properly and safely installed and that we have used suitable products and installed them in the correct way.

Will my conservatory be subject to building regulations?

Well, not necessarily! Depending on certain criteria, some conservatories are exempt from Building Regulations.  However, conservatories that are not exempt are still perfectly possible. Every conservatory quote that Cousins provides includes a Building Regulations certificate in the price (where applicable), something that other companies often fail to provide. This means that the majority of the time, a conservatory that is subject to Building Regulations doesn’t really carry any extra hassle for you. 

Generally, standard glass roof conservatories will not be subject to Building Regulations providing they are:

• Built at ground level

• Cover less than 30 sq metres of floor space

• Separated from the house by walls, doors and windows that are of external quality

If your proposed conservatory does not meet the above requirements, it’s likely that it is subject to Building Regulations. For example, a standard glass roof conservatory could be subject to building regulations in circumstances where it would be classed as an extension and not a conservatory. To be classed as a conservatory, it needs to be separate to the original house, with the separating walls, doors and windows being of external quality. It also needs a separate heating system to the rest of the house with its own on/off and temperature controls. However, Cousins are always happy to advise you on what would suit your needs best, in line with current legislation.

But what about solid roof Home Extensions?

Solid roof conservatories, such as the popular Livin Roof or Ultra-tile 380 roof, are really more of a single-storey home extension than a true conservatory and, as such, are subject to Building Regulations, in order to prove that they are manufactured and installed in a safe and secure way. Every Livin Roof and Ultratile project we do will always go through building control – failing to do so when installing these types of projects results in a non-compliant building.

All Cousins Livin Roof and UltraTile 380 installations come with a Building Regulations Certificate, which, as well as giving you peace of mind, is also essential if you ever wanted to sell your property. Without this certificate to prove our extension was building control compliant, trying to sell your property in the future would be very difficult and likely very costly too, especially as retrospective building control can be difficult to achieve.

What about if I wanted a Roof Replacement?

Building Regulations still apply if you add a new solid roof (such as Livin Roof or Ultratile) to the frames and base of your existing conservatory. During your initial site survey by Cousins, we would inspect your existing base and frames to ensure they are solid enough to support a replacement Livin or Ultratile roof, as they do carry extra weight compared to most existing roofs. Providing we determine that the existing base and frames are suitable to support the replacement, we can then process the Building Regulations paperwork in the same way we would for an entirely new conservatory and issue you with your certificate at the end of the project.

What other legislation could apply to me?

SAP Calculations

Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculations are a requirement that fall under Building Regulations and are required for all new build developments and well as some extensions.  SAP calculations allow the energy efficiency of a property to be calculated, which, in turn, generates an EPC certificate. If required for your build, the EPC certificate would form part of the signing off procedure by building control, without which, it would fail inspection as well as being unable to be sold or rented.

SAP calculations are not needed for the more traditional concept of conservatories, where the conservatory is separated from the original house by walls and doors/windows, providing those walls and doors are of external quality. However, if you are wanting your conservatory to be used more as a home extension and therefore be open plan to the rest of your house, SAP calculations will be required. This is a service that Cousins can offer as an additional extra to your build, in order to take any hassle away from you.

Water Board Authority Approval

If your proposed build will be on a public sewer, or within 3 metres of one, permission is required from your water board in order for work to proceed. Then, after work is completed, a building control officer would need to inspect it in order to sign it off. If you think you may require Water Board Authority Approval, please do let us know during your enquiry or initial site survey and we can advise you on your next steps.

Party Wall Approval

When building a new conservatory in England or Wales, a Party Wall Approval/Agreement may be necessary, depending on where you plan to have it installed. ‘Party Wall’ refers to both walls that form a part of a building as well as other structures such as fences.  You are required to officially inform your neighbour if you want to:

• Build on or at the boundary of your properties

• Dig below and/or near to their foundations

• Work on an already in place party wall

Prior to making any alterations on or near to a boundary, you are required to notify your neighbour in writing at least two months in advance and then the agreement you reach should be in writing. Your neighbour must respond before you can proceed as no response does not give you the right to commence works.  Your neighbour must respond to your notice within 14 days and, although there is a dispute resolution process if they refuse consent, in our experience, consent to party wall works such as we carry out are rarely a problem.

For more information and access to the Party Wall explanatory booklet, which includes letter templates, visit:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance

Cousins have many years of experience with Building Control governed extensions and are proud to say we always operate within guidelines and keep up to date on the most current industry standards. If you would like to discuss further, please contact us on 01403 255456 and we would be happy to assist.