When do you need Building Regulations approval?
Approval is needed for most building work, including:
- Extensions of any size - including many that don't need planning permission
- Structural alterations: removing walls, new openings, new beams
- Loft conversions and any new habitable rooms
- Garage conversions and material changes of use
- New and altered drainage
- Replacement roofs, and certain window and heating works (usually via installer self-certification)
The difference between planning and Building Regulations
Planning permission asks whether the development is acceptable in its context. Building Regulations ask whether the construction itself is safe and compliant. They are applied for separately, assessed by different people, and one does not imply the other. 'Permitted development' removes the planning step for qualifying projects - it never removes Building Regulations.
How Paddick gets you approved
We produce the technical drawings, structural calculations and specifications your application needs, submit to your chosen Building Control body, and handle their queries. Because design and structure come from one practice, there's no gap between the drawings and the calculations - which is where approvals usually stall.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if work was done without Building Regulations approval?
You can apply for regularisation - retrospective approval. It usually involves opening up parts of the work for inspection and providing engineer's calculations for structural elements. We regularly inspect and produce retrospective structural justification for exactly this situation.
Do timber-frame extensions and carports need approval?
Timber-frame extensions need Building Regulations approval like any other extension. Carports are more nuanced - many open-sided carports under 30m² are exempt, but conditions apply, and planning rules are separate. Ask us before assuming an exemption.