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With an increase in people working from home, it seems a useful time to revisit the topic of building regulations and small detached buildings, especially those that are to be constructed in domestic settings as home offices, workshops and other uses.As a rule, the construction of any new building…
Masonry buildings are by their nature and materials resistant to fire; but all buildings have cavities and some concealed spaces where fire can spread undetected.
To minimise the dangers of undetected fires you must provide barriers to reduce the area of the void space and to contain any spread…
It’s a mistake to assume that all pressure treated wood is the same. Whilst one piece of treated wood may look very much like any other the level of preservative protection could be very different.
That’s because the British Standard for wood preservation, BS8417, says that the level of…
Fires on building sites cost the construction industry over one million pounds per day, with over two thirds of them started deliberately. All buildings under construction are vulnerable and no construction method or material is immune: brick and stone can crack, flake and disintegrate; concrete…
Severe driving rain is a common occurrence in the UK and these days even sheltered locations may be subject to high levels of deluge. Flashings and cavity trays offer a way around this problem, but should they be provided to canopy roofs?
Site-formed canopies
Where a site-formed canopy is…
The above photograph was taken by one of our building control surveyors carrying out a site inspection, and shows how attention to detail (or a lack of!) can lead to future problems. This extension will suffer from moisture problems, but there is not one reason why – there are three.
Look…
Did you know that removing plaster, plasterboard, cladding and render from uninsulated external walls is notifiable work if you’re affecting more than 50% of the wall? This means you must involve building control - making a Building Notice application to your local authority is an easy way to get…
With the horrific events of recent months, the importance of fire safety has rightly never been more in the spotlight.
The annual Fire Door Safety Week 2017 runs from 25 September to 1 October and in the run up to the event we’re highlighting some of the key issues to stop misunderstandings…
One of the consequences of major disasters is an abundance of alternative solutions. Unfortunately after Grenfell a number of products have appeared offering reassurances of a safe means of escape.
Approved Document B focusses on acceptable means of escape and offers many routes to achieving…
A recent CROSS report detailed a situation where a reporter was asked to check the roof of a building which had been leaking for a few years but was still occupied. The roof consisted of flat cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels with falls provided by firing pieces with insulation and supporting…