Building Regulations Drawings | UK Architectural Services

HOW IT WORKS

Building Regulations

Hassle free building starts here…

1

Choose Your Package

Select a Building Regulations drawing package that suits your projects requirements, if you cannot find one then please contact our team.

2

Send Your Details

Send us the information we need to get started. We provide detailed, easy to follow instructions and guidance on all the information we require but if you are ever unsure about anything our team are always on hand to assist.

3

Receive Your Drawings

Receive your draft set of professional building regulations drawings delivered to you within 10 working days or sooner. You can then review the drawings, any amendments made as necessary and the application submitted but only when your fully satisfied with the drawings. We will then manage and monitor the application on your behalf throughout the process, amending the drawings if required.

FAQ

We submit the Building Regulations application through the Planning Portal or Local Authorities website and will then liaise with them on your behalf throughout the process, as part of the submission we will nominate you “the customer” to pay the application fee directly. All our packages work on the basis of a full plan’s application being submitted but if you would prefer a building notice application or prefer to use an Approved Inspector than please contact our team.

Building Notice is quicker and doesn’t require architectural drawings although we would always highly recommend that you do to avoid surprise costs and delays on site. It is designed to enable some types of building work to get under way quickly and is best suited to small projects where reliable relationships between reputable builders, customers and other parties involved are present. You need to be confident that the work will comply with building regulations as you do not have the protection provided by the approval of a 'full plans application' and risk having to correct any work on site if your Local Authority requests changes.

A Full Plans application is a more formal, in-depth submission of detailed drawings and structural calculations before building work starts. It ensures your project complies with building regulations, offering a "passed" approval notice that provides security and confidence for homeowners and buildings. Unlike a building notice, the full plans approach requires waiting for an approval, but is generally preferred by builders and for complex projects as it provides assurance that work will pass inspections, reducing the risk of expensive changes and delays during the construction works.

The fee for submitting an application will vary depending on the Local Authority and level / scope of work for each project.

All our Building Regulation packages include the mandatory drawings / services listed below which fulfil most requirements for “standard” applications in England. However, the Local Authority or Private Inspector has the discretion to request additional information which may require the involvement of a third party. All of our information / drawings will be prepared in line with the Building Regulations 2010 (as amended), Approved Documents A-Q, and the requirements of the Local Authority Building Control or Approved Inspector.

Package Includes:

Purchases of Ordnance Survey Map
Location Plan at 1:1250 / 1:2500 scale
Existing and Proposed Block Plan at 1:200 or 1:500
General Arrangement Existing and Proposed Elevations at 1:50
General Arrangement Existing and Proposed Floor and Roof Plans at 1:50
General Arrangement Proposed Section/s at 1:20
*Structural Engineers Details
Application Forms and Submitting Application
Managing and Monitoring the Application

Depending on specific packages the number of drawings may vary but it is important to note all the required information is still included but to ensure drawings are clear, concise and easily understood for all parties we may condense some information’s / drawings.

*Additional Structural Engineer Works - All of our Building Regulations packages include Structural Engineer’s details based on a “standard” requirement for that specific package, these are provided by an experienced third party Civil and Structural Engineer and accompany our drawings as part of the complete package. Depending on your project specifics and scale / complexity of the design additional work/input may be required from the Structural Engineer which is subject to an additional cost which will be agreed with the customer prior to them “Structural Engineer” proceeding with the works. For example your project could require additional ground investigation services depending on the soil conditions or apex glazing , both are not considered to be "standard" structural engineering works.

All building regulations package fees are based on receiving DWG / AutoCAD files for your project which our team can work from. If we have undertaken the planning stage of your project than we will have these on our files. Alternatively, you may have them from another source which we can use, if you don’t have any previous drawings, please contact us to discuss your project further and obtain a quote.

We want to be completely transparent to avoid surprise costs and/or delays during your application so have detailed some potential additional costs which may occur depending on Local Authorities or Private Inspectors requirements, location, design and scale of the proposed works. Some examples which may be required by third parties include;

Party Wall Notice and Award – A Party Wall Notice is a formal, written document served by a property owner to their neighbours before starting construction work on or near a shared wall, boundary, or structure. It provides legal notification of planned works, such as building on a boundary, altering a party wall, or excavating nearby, allowing neighbours to consent or dissent.

Depending on your neighbour’s response to the Party Wall Notice a Party Wall Award maybe required. This is a legally binding document that outlines terms for building work on or near a shared wall, boundary, or structure and is required when neighbours do not consent to a party wall notice and is implemented to protect the interests of all parties involved.

More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/party-walls-building-works. Here at I Plan Architectural Services, we do not provide this service directly as it is best executed by a professional Party Wall Surveyor but we are happy to assist with obtaining quotes and any questions you may have regards it.

Build Over Agreements - Legally binding documents between a property owner and a Local Authority, required when constructing an extension or new structure within 3 metres of a public sewer or 1 metre of a lateral drain. They ensure the sewer is not damaged, ensure access for maintenance, and prevent the Local Authority from requiring the demolition of new structures if agreements aren’t in place.

There are multiple ways to obtain a build over agreement if required, by you the homeowner applying, by us and our Structural Engineer providing and submitting drawings (subject to an additional cost – please contact us for further information) or by your builder liaising directly with building control and the local water authority.

Area Weighted U-value Calculation - Most commonly required, when the total area of windows, doors, and rooflights in the proposed exceeds 25% of the extension's floor area most commonly in large glazed extensions, sunrooms and orangeries. Here at i Plan Architectural Services we do not provide this service directly as it is best executed by a professional accredited energy assessor but we are happy to assist with obtaining quotes and any questions you may have regards it.

Additional Structural Engineer Works - All of our Building Regulations packages include Structural Engineer’s details based on a “standard” requirement for that specific package, these are provided by an experienced third party Civil and Structural Engineer and accompany our drawings as part of the complete package. Depending on your project specifics and scale / complexity of the design additional work/input may be required from the Structural Engineer which is subject to an additional cost which will be agreed with the customer prior to them “Structural Engineer” proceeding with the works. For example your project could require additional ground investigation services depending on the soil conditions or apex glazing , both are not considered to be "standard" structural engineering works.

Projects exceeding the notification thresholds must be notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The notification should be submitted as soon as practicable before the construction phase begins.

The F10 notification form is a form that must be submitted to the HSE for all notifiable projects.

The notification thresholds are where the project will:

a. Last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project, or

b. Exceed 500 person days

More information can be found at

https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/faq/index.htm#notifications

i Plan Architectural Services act solely online with no in-person meetings therefore do not offer any type of service during the construction phase of a project.

This is not a problem, we understand that if you have a good pre-existing relationship with a Structural Engineer then it would be beneficial for you to utilise their services on your project. If this is the case please get in contact with us prior to purchasing your package as we may be able to offer some discount.