Getting around to the building warrant after 4 years....

[NapoleonD]

Yes, i know I've done this totally backwards....

So, August 2020, we undertook some building work in the house. The builders were great, 2 local lads, worked like a couple of Stakhanovites and can't fault the end result. Major kitchen refitting, extended the back door opening to accomodate a 2.5 meter doorway and a raised deck. Abs no issues in the last 4 years, would hire them again.

Except for the building warrants. They were never applied for, and the call to the builders remains unanswered, so I need to follow this up myself.

The warrants as far as I am aware are needed only for the pre-stressed concerte lintel on the outside wall, and the reinforced steel joist on the inside wall. I have photos of them (including the pads they are supported on) prior to the internal plasterboard and external roughcasting being applied, but don't have the exact dimesions or the weight bearing capacity of either. I can probably roughtly calculate the length/width/height of both based on the photos, but the weight bearing capacity is a mystery. Is anyone aware of a method to 'reverse engineer' this? The house itself is a 2 floor semi, built in 1967. I'm in Scotland, if that makes any difference.

I'm aware I may be subjct to a fine for this, which isn't ideal, but there you go.......

[csearle]

My very limited experience is that builders usually employ the services of engineers to provide the calculations for RSJs etc. If you could find out who they used somehow, maybe? That might help? C.

[Dicky99]

You need a Completion Certificate for the work in which case you need to contact your local council Building Control department and enquire about submitting a Regularisation Application.

That effectively means the work needs to be inspected sufficiently to determine it complies with the Regs retrospectively. In some cases that may mean opening up / exposing concealed work to enable inspection, but its not unusual for BCO's to accept photos if they show what needs to be seen. For example it would not be necessary to remove plaster to demonstrate that the beam rests on suitable padstones if they can be clearly seen on a photo.

As for the bearing capacity of the beam, a Structural Engineer's calcs would have been asked for pre-works but if you have evidence of what beam or steels were actually installed a Structural Engineer will have no trouble in providing you with a calc suitable for the BCO to have discharged his responsibility to satisfy him or herself.

Just to add to this my understanding is that Regularisation is not punitive I.e. it's intention is rectify the situation not to fine as punishment but the Regularisation fee may be higher than the Building Notice fee would have been. Also I'm not sure what if any difference there is north of the border.

[Bobreno]

Sounds like you have not increased the size of the property and nothing changed at the front of the building

Why bother telling anyone ......could quite easily have been like that when you bought the property in any case

There is enough to worry about in life and this wouldn't be one of them in my book

[bungeejumper]

Sounds like you have not increased the size of the property and nothing changed at the front of the building

Why bother telling anyone ......could quite easily have been like that when you bought the property in any case

Sounds like you're not familiar with UK planning law. Or with the need for documentation when you're selling a house that's had this kind of work done.

BJ

[servodude]

Sounds like you have not increased the size of the property and nothing changed at the front of the building

Why bother telling anyone ......could quite easily have been like that when you bought the property in any case

Sounds like you're not familiar with UK planning law. Or with the need for documentation when you're selling a house that's had this kind of work done.

BJ

That could explain Bob's other recent posts

[Bobreno]

Sounds like you're not familiar with UK planning law. Or with the need for documentation when you're selling a house that's had this kind of work done.

BJ

..................................................

I am a builder and have build many substantial house extensions, with the correct building warrants

You can go down the road of telling every single change you make on your house if you choose. Any internal alterations is of no concern to the local council

If you don't record any internal work who is to say when or by whom it was done ??? Therefore no need to admit to said work when answering a questionnaire when selling your house

If you want the govt to over reach even further into your live, you crack on

I guess you took all the jabs, wore your mask and fly a Ukrainian flag as well .......virtue signalling is not for me

[bungeejumper]

You can go down the road of telling every single change you make on your house if you choose. Any internal alterations is of no concern to the local council

Ah, that old fairy story. So building regs approval on staircases, lintels, sanitary plumbing, safety distances between wet and elec doesn't matter? Just take the money and scram, swear the customer to amnesia, and most of all don't get caught. Okay, I think I'm getting the picture.

I guess you took all the jabs, wore your mask and fly a Ukrainian flag as well .......virtue signalling is not for me

Congratulations, you have won this month's star prize for spurious off-the-point offensiveness. Well done.

BJ

[Dicky99]

Sounds like you're not familiar with UK planning law. Or with the need for documentation when you're selling a house that's had this kind of work done.

BJ

..................................................

I am a builder and have build many substantial house extensions, with the correct building warrants

You can go down the road of telling every single change you make on your house if you choose. Any internal alterations is of no concern to the local council

If you don't record any internal work who is to say when or by whom it was done ??? Therefore no need to admit to said work when answering a questionnaire when selling your house

If you want the govt to over reach even further into your live, you crack on

I guess you took all the jabs, wore your mask and fly a Ukrainian flag as well .......virtue signalling is not for me

You appear to be mixing up Planning approval with Building Regulations approval, the latter of which is much concerned with internal alterations insofar as they are controlled works which are many and varied.

[NapoleonD]

OK, a small update.

In future, I'll do this the right way around as the retrospective process is expensive.

I have engaged a structural engineer to do the necessary SER and submit and manage the warrant approval process. Spoke to building control at the council who were very helpful. As long as the steel/lintel are adequate and the doorway opens onto a level surface, there should be no issue with granting the warrant. But the SER, engineers fees and warranty application is going to cost 2.5k - an expensive lesson.

The external decking the doors open out on also gave me cause for concern until last night. The height is over the permitted development. My solicitor advised that since the deck is over 4 years old and no objections have been raised nor any enforcement action by the council has started that the decking can't be subject to council action (we do not overlook anyone). It is also just under the height limits where a building warrant woukd be needed.

I am breathing huge sighs of relief at this - we have seen our dream home (rural Scotland) and had a verbal offer accepted, we should complete by the end of the year.

Note: for anyone trawling the Web for advice on this, another option was Indemnity Insurance. Covering the works for £50,000 in the absence of warrants was a one-off cost of about £90. This means that if enforcement action is undertaken by planning/building control, the policy pays out for the neccesary works. The caveat is if you decide to apply for retrospective warrants / planning, the policy is invalidated.