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Part L of the Building Regulations places limits on the minimum standards of air permeability and requires all new dwellings to have an air pressure test. Failing an air pressure test can cause a headache for the builder, whilst air permeability can have a significant impact on the overall energy…
Buildings will need drying out following initial construction works, water damage from fabric defects or failure of services like water supplies, drainage, or air-conditioning condensate lines, and after a flooding event.
It is not possible to tell whether a material is dry enough to paint or…
Over 61 million people live in the United Kingdom. Around 95 per cent of the population lives in areas where the local authorities – over 570 councils all together – have declared a climate emergency. It is hoped that by 2050, the result of these declarations and subsequent response plans in the UK…
Of the many upsetting things you’ll find in last October’s report from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, perhaps the most painful is the timeline.
Minute by minute, in the sort of bureaucratic language you’d find in a council planning document, the report documents both the spread of the fire that…
Creating a new building from scratch can have its challenges. But achieving the low energy retrofit of an existing building can in some ways present a greater challenge still. Even so, there is a growing number of impressive and successful low energy retrofits across the UK.
What’s the…
As with any industry, there are lots of technical terms and other jargon used in building control so this glossary should help get you up to speed.Click a letter to jump to a section.A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZAAccessibilityThe ability to physically move around an area,…
It is the government’s intention to meet net zero by 2050. The latest guidance in the current Approved Document L Volume 1 in England (2021 edition) and Wales (2022 edition) aims to reduce carbon emissions by 32% and 37% respectively, with the target of 75% lower carbon emissions for new homes…
From the 1st of October 2015 in England and from the 1st of November 2018 in Wales, Building Regulations introduced security requirements in relation to easily accessible windows in new dwellings.
Requirement Q1: security to dwellings applies only in relation to new dwellings and states that…
The first thing that springs to mind when you look at The Dairy in the Yorkshire Dales might not be that it's a holiday cottage suitable for guests with mobility, hearing and visual impairments (although it is). What you might well notice instead is that it's a well designed…
Cavity trays are an important feature in external cavity walls to assist in ensuring any water is directed outside the building. Incorrect specification or installation can lead to defects in the wall and water damage that might be expensive or needlessly destructive to rectify.
Building…