Will I Need Building Regulations Approval For An Extension?

Moving home requires so much upheaval. There’s all your stuff that needs shifting for starters and relocating might mean being estranged from friends and relatives.

If the fundamental factor behind a house move is a necessity for more space and there is capacity to extend at an existing property, it can often be a lot easier and less emotionally stressful to have an extension fitted.

Home extensions are one of our prime offerings – we provide everything from conservatories to kitchen extensions.

But we won’t proceed with constructing any extension until we have clarity on whether it needs building regulations approval as the last thing, we want is for a customer to land in trouble, further down the line.

You may need a building warrant from your local authority building standards verifier, as well as planning permission. We can assist with obtaining both.

When drawing up plans for a proposed extension, we also factor in things like it potentially interfering with home and garden access and whether it will disturb the amount of natural light that enters a house, to help it meet building regulations.

In line with the requirements of LABSS (Local Authority Building Standards Scotland), any home extension plans will also account for the following:

• Foundations – ground conditions, depth, damp proofing and radon protection
• Floors and walls – structure and strengthening, insulation and sound proofing
• Roofs – flat or pitched, insulation, supports and beams, headroom
• Drainage – connections to existing drains, manholes and water supply Electrics, power and heating Windows, doors and ventilation and disabled accessibility
• Fire safety – escape routes and smoke detectors. In addition, if an extension is planned to be two or more storeys, the plans will also need to cover:
• Stairs, handrails and banisters
• Sound proofing – particularly in any sleeping accommodation
• Fire escape from upper floors.

In the case of conservatories, some can be constructed without building regulation approval. They must be smaller than 30m², or made from non-combustible material, or separated from nearby buildings or land and not offer sleeping accommodation.

The biggest piece of advice we can give you is to speak to your local building control team before work commences on building you a home extension.

Go to the Homeowners section of the LABSS website for the relevant support or just leave it to Bon Accord Glass to do it on your behalf.