Is a building notice cheaper than full plans?

It costs less to start, because there is no drawing package to approve in advance. It is usually more expensive to finish, because problems are found on site with materials bought and labour standing, rather than on paper. We recommend full plans on anything beyond the smallest work.

Do I need a structural engineer as well?

For almost any project involving beams, new openings, foundations or removed walls, yes. The engineer sizes the structure and issues calculations. We coordinate those with the drawings so the two documents agree before they reach site.

Can I use planning drawings to build from?

No. Planning drawings show what the building looks like and where it sits. They deliberately do not contain the construction information a builder needs, and building from them leads to decisions being made on site by whoever is holding the trowel.

Who submits the package to Building Control?

We do, as part of the service, and we deal with the queries that come back. You can also submit it yourself or hand it to an approved inspector if you prefer that route.

How detailed is detailed enough?

The working test is whether a competent builder could price the job accurately and build it without ringing to ask a question that the drawings should have answered. If they could not, the set is not finished.

Guide · Drawings

What building regulation drawings actually include

If you have been quoted for building regulation drawings and have no idea what you are buying, this is what the package should contain and why each part exists. The difference between a thin set and a proper one is rarely visible to a homeowner at the point of purchase, but it becomes very visible when three builders return three very different prices for the same job.

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The general arrangement drawings

These are the drawings everyone recognises. Plans of every floor, elevations of every face, and sections cut through the building, normally at 1:50. They set out room sizes, opening positions, floor levels, ridge and eaves heights and the overall geometry the rest of the package hangs from.

Existing and proposed plans at 1:50
All affected elevations at 1:50
One or more sections through the new work
Site plan and location plan at the standard scales

The construction details

This is where a package earns its fee. Details at 1:10 or 1:5 through the junctions that decide whether a building performs: eaves, verges, thresholds, window and door reveals, wall to roof and wall to floor junctions, and any point where insulation, structure and weathering meet. A set without these is asking the builder to invent them.

The compliance information

Building Control is checking the work against the Approved Documents, so the package has to state how it complies rather than leaving it implied. That means insulation values written on the drawing, ventilation provision scheduled room by room, fire safety and escape shown where it applies, drainage laid out with falls and connections, and accessibility addressed where relevant.

Thermal build-ups with stated performance for floors, walls and roofs
Ventilation schedule with the provision for each room
Fire safety, escape routes and alarm provision where applicable
Below ground and above ground drainage layout
Structural openings coordinated with the engineer's calculations

The specification

Products named by reference rather than described vaguely. The reason is commercial, not academic. When a drawing says the builder is to confirm something, the builder prices the risk, and you pay for it either in the quote or in a variation later. A specified package lets three builders price exactly the same job, which is the only way a comparison means anything.

Frequently asked

Straight answers.

Is a building notice cheaper than full plans?: It costs less to start, because there is no drawing package to approve in advance. It is usually more expensive to finish, because problems are found on site with materials bought and labour standing, rather than on paper. We recommend full plans on anything beyond the smallest work.
Do I need a structural engineer as well?: For almost any project involving beams, new openings, foundations or removed walls, yes. The engineer sizes the structure and issues calculations. We coordinate those with the drawings so the two documents agree before they reach site.
Can I use planning drawings to build from?: No. Planning drawings show what the building looks like and where it sits. They deliberately do not contain the construction information a builder needs, and building from them leads to decisions being made on site by whoever is holding the trowel.
Who submits the package to Building Control?: We do, as part of the service, and we deal with the queries that come back. You can also submit it yourself or hand it to an approved inspector if you prefer that route.
How detailed is detailed enough?: The working test is whether a competent builder could price the job accurately and build it without ringing to ask a question that the drawings should have answered. If they could not, the set is not finished.

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