Building control experience?

[teuchter]

If you want to argue against what they are insisting on, you need to construct your argument for why it's not required by the building regs. And if you aren't able to do that yourself, you need to pay someone to do it for you, unfortunately.

They sound rather unhelpful though, and I think there is a process that allows you to extract yourself from one building regs inspector and transfer to another, but can't recall how it works or how much of a pain it is. That might allow you to transfer to a more helpful, private, Approved Inspector.

 

[WouldBe]

Wait til you get to the fire safety bit.

Oh I've had that bit. They want to know how flammable cement cladding is.

 

[WouldBe]

They sound rather unhelpful though, and I think there is a process that allows you to extract yourself from one building regs inspector and transfer to another, but can't recall how it works or how much of a pain it is. That might allow you to transfer to a more helpful, private, Approved Inspector.

It's easier getting a refund from HMRC than getting info out of these clowns.

They want me to give detailed designs of everything including the foundations but they don't know how deep or wide they need to be until I've dug them out.

They have mentioned about 'mesh' in the foundations so went looking on Google and came across the LABC website that gives far more information in a few minute read than I've had in weeks from this lot. So they are capable of giving advice.

1 of the things they asked about the other day was the DPM layer. I suggested either 1000 gauge or 1200 gauge that are commonly available. They've said they want 2000 gauge which you can get. So I don't see the point in giving them minute details if they are just going to turn round and recommend something else.

 

[teuchter]

Oh I've had that bit. They want to know how flammable cement cladding is.

Is that actually what they asked though? Because it gets complicated and resistance to fire is not the same as flammability and the two things are important in different circumstances.

And getting this mixed up is part of the story of what happened at Grenfell.

 

[WouldBe]

Is that actually what they asked though? Because it gets complicated and resistance to fire is not the same as flammability and the two things are important in different circumstances.

And getting this mixed up is part of the story of what happened at Grenfell.

Who knows. Their demands are so vague they could mean anything.

E2a: When you ask for clarification you just get the same demand fired back at you.

 

[teuchter]

Who knows. Their demands are so vague they could mean anything.

E2a: When you ask for clarification you just get the same demand fired back at you.

What were the actual words they typed though? The reason I ask, is to judge whether you should make a complaint or not.

 

[WouldBe]

What were the actual words they typed though? The reason I ask, is to judge whether you should make a complaint or not.

"Yes fire protection is required and I require details of how the cladding is fire protected, any steelwork how that is protected, how is the frame fire protected etc."

There is no steelwork in the extension apart from screws and joist hangers. Plasterboard provides fire protection to the inside of the frame. Just need to know the thickness or whether they specifically want fire proof plasterboard.

 

[WouldBe]

Having had another look at the e-mail he's specified 2 layers of A393 mesh in the foundations. Yet according to the quick read of the LABC website A type mesh is for use in a slab or floor, B type mesh is for foundations as there are more longitudinal bars to give better strength.

 

[sleaterkinney]

Is that actually what they asked though? Because it gets complicated and resistance to fire is not the same as flammability and the two things are important in different circumstances.

And getting this mixed up is part of the story of what happened at Grenfell.

They have tightened up a lot since then. Understandable, but also sad. We have to have some kind of smoke activated window to let fumes out.

 

[WouldBe]

They have tightened up a lot since then. Understandable, but also sad. We have to have some kind of smoke activated window to let fumes out.

And yet the advice had always been to shut all the doors and windows and get out to slow the spread of the fire.

 

[teuchter]

"Yes fire protection is required and I require details of how the cladding is fire protected, any steelwork how that is protected, how is the frame fire protected etc."

This seems unhelpfully non specific, especially if it is clear from your drawings that there will be no structural steelwork.

If it's just single storey, you don't actually need to provide any fire protection to the structure - unless it's close to a site boundary. If it's close to a site boundary then the fire resistance you need to provide depends on how close it is.

Asking "how the cladding is fire protected" is bad wording. If there's external cladding there are two things that might need to be considered - how combustible it is, and whether it offers any fire resistance to the wall structure behind it. Neither of these involve "protecting" the cladding system itself. Both depend on how close the wall is to the boundary.

If you are using a cladding system then I would ask the manufacturers of the cladding system, firstly what its rating is for combustibility, secondly whether it provides any fire resistance from the outside. Even if it's a cement system that's not combustible as such, it might not offer any fire resistance (because of gaps, or the fact that the fixings supporting it would fail in a fire) in which case you need to add a fire resistant layer behind it (often something like Supalux board is used).

Firs question though is whether any of the walls are within 1m of a site boundary.

 

[WouldBe]

.

Firs question though is whether any of the walls are within 1m of a site boundary.

South wall is 2m from neighbours brick built extension. West wall will be clad up to the party wall.

It's a 2 story extension, kitchen with en-suite above.

 

[teuchter]

South wall is 2m from neighbours brick built extension.

It's distance to the boundary that matters, rather than to their extension.

 

[WouldBe]

It's distance to the boundary that matters, rather than to their extension.

Their wall is the boundary. Same on the other side.

 

[WouldBe]

Also wanted to know about fire escape windows. If he'd bothered to look at the plans he would have seen that downstairs is a kitchen with a back door so why would it need a fire escape window as well?

Upstairs is an en-suite bathroom. According to info I've seen you only need an escape window in a habitable room and bathrooms aren't classed as habitable so no need for an escape window. Hence why a lot of new builds have the bathroom in the middle of the house where it's impossible to fit a window of any sort.

Getting pissed off with the whole thing now so may just replace the asbestos kitchen roof and be done with it.