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Providing all of the above can be met then an application,
under Building Regulations, to build the conservatory is
currently not required and neither will the building control
department of your local council need to inspect it.
(Please note - building regulations is a separate
issue from Planning Permission. You should always check
to see if planning permission is also required before going
ahead and building a conservatory.
It should be noted that there has been discussion about
making all conservatories subject to building regulations
and it could be that in the next 1 - 2 years ALL conservatories
will be subject to building regulations.
If Building Regulation consent is required, what regulations
apply?
Energy Conservation
Because the UK Government is committed to reducing energy
consumption and carbon emissions at UK power stations, Building
Regulations now place limits on the amount and type
of glazing in extensions (and also new buildings).
To meet the Regulations in this case, there is a choice:
| 1. |
To provide your local building control department
with calculations that show the amount of glazing in
the windows, doors and roof of the conservatory/extension,
together with the amount of glazing in the windows,
doors and any roof lights in the original house, do
not exceed 25% of the floor area of the conservatory
and all floors of the house added together. The new
windows and doors in the Conservatory/extension
will need to meet the current U values. Examples of
types of glazing which will meet this are given in Table
1 below. |
| 2. |
To provide Building Control with calculations or plans
that show the amount of glazing in the windows, doors
and roof of the 'conservatory'/extension do not
exceed 25% of the floor area of the 'conservatory'/extension.
Often, this can be difficult to achieve. The new windows
and doors in the 'conservatory'/ extension will
need to meet the current U values. Examples of types
of glazing which will meet this are given in Table 1
below. |
Table 1
| Material of the frame to the Window,
door or roof light |
U Value required |
Example which meets Regulations |
| Wood |
2.0 |
e.g. Double glazing with low E glass
and 12mm air gap |
| PVC-u |
2.0 |
e.g. Double glazing with low E glass,
and 16mm air gap |
| Metal (e.g. aluminium, steel) |
2.2 |
e.g. Triple glazing with low E glass
and 12mm air gap |
Structural Alterations
Whether or not the conservatory is exempt, Building Regulation
approval will always be required where it is necessary
to form a new or wider opening in the original house wall.
This is because carrying out this type of work is a structural
alteration and your local building control department need
to check that the beam or lintel that is used to support
the wall above the opening is of adequate size and properly
fire protected.
Safety Glazing
Whether or not the conservatory is exempt, glazing in some
of the windows and doors will need to be either toughened
or laminated safety glass to meet British Standard
6206. Generally, the locations, which need safety glass,
are doors and side panels and also where the glass in windows
is within 800mm of floor level.
Other Regulations
Where a "Conservatory" is treated as an extension,
as well as energy conservation, there are additional regulations,
which will also apply. These include:
| 1. |
Foundation design. (Raft foundations may not be suitable
- check with your local building control department) |
| 2. |
Fire spread across the boundary. (Large amounts of
glazing are not permitted on or close to the boundary
- check with your local building control department. |
| 3. |
Preventing damp. (Cavity walls with damp proof courses
and floors with damp proof membranes) |
| 4. |
Drainage (Surface water from gutters and down pipes
will need to discharge to a proper drain and not simply
into a rainwater butt) |
| 5. |
Ventilation of adjacent rooms. (Diagram 2 shows the
Dining Room window enclosed but in order to comply with
building regulations we believe that the dining room
and living room would need to be made into one room
(open plan) with ventilation then being provided by
the Living Room window) |
Other Recommendations
For a Conservatory that is exempt, energy savings can be
achieved by:
| 1. |
Fitting energy efficient lamp-holders which can house
compact fluorescent bulbs. |
| 2. |
Fitting an independent thermostat in the Conservatory
to control energy consumption if fixed radiators / heaters
are installed. |
| 3. |
Fitting independent on/off switches / isolators to
radiators / heaters to ensure energy is not wasted when
the conservatory is not in use during the winter. |
In Summary
Building Regulations
Generally speaking conservatories/sunrooms on residential
property are exempted under Building Regulations.
Below are some of the Exemption Criteria - under the Building
Regulations 1991 (as amended). These criteria must be met
for a conservatory extension to be classified as exempt:
At the current time conservatories are normally exempt
from building regulations if:
| - |
They are situated at ground level, single storey and
are permanently separated from the remainder of the
property by a door |
| - |
The walls are glazed by a min of half their size |
| - |
The roof must be completely translucent or transparent
with at least 75% of the area formed by glazing using
polycarbonate sheets or similar translucent material |
| - |
Glazing must be toughened safety glass |
| - |
Any radiator in the conservatory has to be controllable
and must have their own separate on/off controls |
| - |
The conservatory must not contain any drainage facilities
for a washing machine, dishwasher etc
|
| - |
The total floor area does not exceed 30m2 |
We recommend that you consult your local building control
department and discuss your project with them to ensure
that the addition is not subject to building regulations.
There is a proposed intention to include conservatories
under building regulations within the next year or so and
you should bear this in mind if you are planning to add
a conservatory in the future.
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