Council planning department agreed plans, but now building regs won't sign off work

[SNoraWotzThat]

Architects plans all signed off, work complete to specifications, but local council building regs man won't sign it off, wants £250.00 for his visit to say 'not passing'. Its a major disaster for friends. Loft conversion with new steps and dorma window, none of it has passed.

What can my friends do?

I don't ever see me wanting to do any building work that is extensive enough to warrant the expense of a bunch of nit heads. Infact we had a build regs man come here because we were thinking of an extension. We didn't go ahead thank goodness.

I really want to do a self-build project in the near future but don't think I could cope with all the possible glitches big and small that could arise along the way.

Perhaps if I just twitch my nose like Tabitha, that minamilist glass box in the middle of the Tipperary countryside would just materialize......

You can have complete work studios delivered by crane and dropped into your garden Tnoog. I can't find the website though.

I would love a tree house myself. There was a lovely one in this months Elle Décor magazine.

I saw the treehouse - was lovely

Have you sen John Rocha's place in Cote d'Azur?

< sigh >

He looks like my auntie.

Building regs are entirely separate from Planning Permission and should have been kept informed fo the application and any changes by your friends. What do you mean by stairs not meeting regs then signed off, by whom ?

The architect may well have said that they should look at buildings regs too but then they assumed it was still part of planning - any basic search for info on loft conversions would have told them that it wasn't and what the minimum criteria were. He would have looked at what was structurally and aesthetically possible but the detail into which he would have gone(specifying materials and regs) would depend on his brief and the budget and it rather sounds as if this was an attempt to do it on the cheap so may have been compromised. Builders ought to have queried it but again were they professionals experienced in loft conversions ?

I'm a bco. What Zippi says.

Don't blame us - the regs are strict for a reason!