Building control

[897654321abcvrufhfgg]

We have just had steel removed and whilst inspecting it building control noticed we had removed patio doors to conservatory. Husband told him we were having a roof put on it. They r now refusing to grant building regulations certificate for steel unless we send in another application for the roof and conservatory renovations even though steel is compliant. Can they do this?

Yes they can, as the new space becomes 'habitable' space and is subject to fire and energy efficiency regulations.

Before, with the external doors in place the conservatory remained outside of your habitable space.

He's seen that the space has become integral, and knows you want to put a roof on. He has no way of knowing the standard to which it will be built.

You can either;
Reinstate the external doors.
Or
Get building control to advise, comply, and get it signed off.

What cooking said.
A conservatory is an unheated space adjacent to a house. It has little thermal resistance, so remove the doors and you are effectively pumping heat into the garden.
Also, there is a good chance the conservatory walls won't support a solid roof without significant upgrade so building control need to assess all this.
Whoever advised on the roof upgrades should have told you this.

We are using a local glazing company who install lightweight tiles. I think they use Leka. He told us the roof would conform it obviously I havechosentotemovw door.😫 looks like I need to find a lightweight folding door to put on.

Annoying though as it ruins the whole idea of the new space and after all the mess involved so far I can’t bear the idea of a small extension!!!

The door between house and conservatory will need to be an external grade one in terms of insulation and draught sealing.
Out of interest, did the glazing company provide a structural analysis, heatloss calculation and condensation analysis of the new roof construction? A client of mine considered this recently but when I asked some of these basic questions the 'expert' glazing company had zero answers and zero knowledge.
Not sure about England but here in Scotland a change from conservatory (glazed roof) to a sun-lounge (solid roof) needs building control consent.
Hope the project works for you but please reassure yourself about the roof cover up

We have got this problem so going to have the conservatory signed off then remove the exterior doors and windows to make it a open plan space.

@tictac86 good luck with those heating bills and hopefully the surveyors and solicitors don't pick it up when you come to sell

Heating will be fine its a insulated cavity wall on two sides then the front is completely glass with a high speck glass roof. Gas cental heating in there and once its up 10 years it wont even be a thing if we decide to sell. If it is then il put the door and windows back in. Its all been thought about and considered

I'm struggling to see why some of the PPs want to dodge or bypass building regs. Building control is there for your protection, and benefit. By following their guidelines you will have a more energy efficient, structurally sound, fire resistant (Grenfell anyone?) property. Deliberately complying and subsequently removing the means of compliance will leave you with an inefficient (expensive), potentially dangerous property. Getting your property signed off then changing it will also void your insurance.

There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't have the property you want and be compliant.

I guess it helps if you know the building trade and what is safe and what isnt. Also how to make things energy efficient. Being in the trade and having a family of engineers helps a lot.

I think there is a big difference between a steel support being signed off as safe and heat loss from a conservatory though daftasabroom. The structural integrity of the building is not being compromised. If we have a roof put on and a door in place it will pass building control but we remove a dodgy old door and all of a sudden it doesn’t comply??? It makes no sense. How can BC say the roof complies when it’s a separate construction to the house?? Surely my heating bills have noting to do with safety??

@tictac the highest spec glass available (say 0.9 uvalue) is nowhere near as energy efficient as a well insulated wall or roof (say 0.15 uvalue). Your glass is probably closer to 1.6 and your walls 0.25 (assuming recent construction) so same applies.
Not sure about ten year period? Your approved drawings are stored digitally at local authority so it's easy to compare what was approved and what has been altered.
It's your house and your money so crack on as you know the risks, but take a note of your heating bill now and compare with future years. Keep the door and window for refitting and make sure your conservatory door has insurance approved locking system
I've had a client whose insurance claim for fire damage was heavily restricted because they had done works without building control approval.
As a final point, if I viewed a house as a purchaser and building regs had been flouted in obvious areas I'd have concerns about other things that were covered up.

We have lightweight tiles and the conservatory is still classed by BC as a conservatory so patio doors still have to remain. Building control are different depending where you live, we enquired if we needed them for the roof and their reply was definitely even though fitters guaranteed we didn’t. They asked for extra support (snow weight due to insulation) and foundations inspected.

I think people are saying by keeping the door it will help keep your bills down.

It is the most ridiculous rule.

My advice would be to remove the door but make it so another can be fitted if needed that way if you sell all regs are met.

I don't understand the external door issue? Surely its up to the home owner if they want to pump heat into the garden?

We have a conservatory with no external doors (bought it like that) and are currently putting radiators in it so that the dining room is usable in winter.

I know it will increase our heating costs but thats my choice. Its not a safety issue so why should building control care?

Be careful, if you had major damage caused to the property you'd have a hard time getting money from your insurance company.

You are meant to inform them before the start of any building work giving them a start date, who's doing the work and exactly what is being done to confirm to regulations. You have to tell them if any changes are made to the property.

If you had a fire for example they could argue that the unregulated areas contributed to airflow and spread the fire. You would have no evidence as you'd not gone through the proper channels.

This seriously might affect a pay out to rebuild.

It's a real risk. Insurance companies are keen to follow their policies to the letter to stay profitable.

You don't have to tell the insurance company if you're just adding in a couple of radiators!

It's not about keeping your bills down, the govt don't care if you want to waste your money. They do care about reducing carbon emissions and energy efficiency but some people don't care so the govt need to enact laws and regulations.
Is the requirement to put insulation in your loft ridiculous?
Would you fit a caravan awning onto your your house and remove the connecting doors? Same principle - an inferior construction attached to a compliant house which makes the house non compliant and energy inefficent.
I get that you're entitled to do what you like and take any risks you wish on your own house - but why advise others to break the law; risk their insurance cover; waste natural resources and their own money?
And as a rule - if the fitters swear that it doesn't need consent and building control swear that it does - I'd probably go with the people issuing the certificates.
The building regs do not vary from town to town although they can vary slightly from country to country.

Think we may just put some new doors on and save up for an extension.

If you're all so clear that your insurers wont mind...give them a call - explain that you're knowingly doing works which don't comply with building regs without consent - will it affect my cover. Let us know how you get on.

A conservatory can be a well structured building or nothing more than a plastic shed. They do not go through stringent BC regulations, Hence they are separated by doors from the rest of the building. If a radiator flooded in the conservatory and caused damage to other rooms it would probably not be covered by house insurance.

@897654321abcvrufhfgg speak to a local architectural designer or building surveyor who can give you independent advice on whether the conservatory can be legally upgraded. Be aware that conservatories generally won't last the lifespan of the house, so even an upgrade may not have the longevity or added value of a habitable room extension. Get quotes for both options and a valuation appraisal for each option - then decide which route is best for you.
Good luck

The building regs are there to protect wider society through CO2 emmisions and energy efficiency etc; local safety and infrastructure through drainage, road access and the like; but most of all the safety of the occupants I.e. fire, structural integrity, ventilation etc.

Grenfell Tower happened because somebody decided to fit non-compliant cladding either by deliberately fudging the tests or otherwise ignoring them.

Why would you not want to comply?

Because I want heat in my conservatory/dining room!

My desire to be warm if I can afford it is all that matters to me.