Dispelling The Myths Around Building Regulations

It’s not just planning permission that you need to think about when contemplating growing your property with a home extension as building regulations also need to be fully considered beforehand.

Planning permission and building regulations are two very different things. Building regulations are there to ensure that buildings are constructed safely and offer a safe environment to people. They set the standards for design.

We cannot stress enough that you DO NOT proceed with a conservatory or orangery installation until you have ensured that it fully complies with building regulations, otherwise you could be ordered to modify or even completely demolish the structure – imagine the embarrassment and financial pain that would cause!

So that you don’t fall foul of the rules, read the following guidelines given for when a home extension DOES meet present regulations:

• At ground level and not exceed 30m2 floor area.
• Glazed to satisfy the requirements of Approved Document K of Schedule 1.
• Physically separated internally from the building it is attached to, for example, by a door.
• Without sanitary appliances.
• Not intended for year round habitable use.
• Used to some extent for the propagation of plants.

Also, most small conservatory designs (Lean-To for example) are exempt from the regulations.

To get a conclusive verdict on whether your proposed extension will meet the requirements highlighted above, contact your local authority in North Yorkshire and ask them to send you an Exempt Buildings Form.

You should give a detailed outline of the proposals before returning the form back to them. Usually you will hear back from them in a few weeks when they will tell you if you can go ahead with the project as it stands or not.

The Planning Portal website is also a very valuable resource for anyone concerned about building regulations.  

Put the hard work in our hands

An easier option is to order your conservatory or orangery via Orion Windows and let us take care of any paperwork that needs doing in relation to building regs. We’re also happy to take planning permission requirements out of your hands too. We won’t mess around and promise to have everything organised quickly and efficiently.

All we need you to do is ask for a FREE quote.