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Approved Document J outlines the precautions needed to ensure that smoke and gases from appliances can be safely discharged. Diagrams 17 and 18 highlight the outlet heights needed in relation to traditional roofs and easily ignited coverings such as thatch and shingles.In general, outlets need to…
Insulating floors will go a long way towards making a property more energy efficient. But gaps, however small, can often compromise good insulation by allowing air leakage that can lead to cold bridging and other issues. This advice is for floor insulation above a concrete floor and below a screed…
For the past year LABC President, Richard Scott has been fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK. With just a couple of weeks remaining LABC will be opening an online auction of signed celebrity sporting goods to help him reach his target.
Richard has spent the past year relentlessly fundraising…
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) is seeking opinions on proposed changes to permitted development rights. These are designed to support the delivery of housing in England by allowing more development to be carried out using permitted development rights rather than…
From 1 July 2017, reaction to fire cable with a Reaction to Fire requires a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and CE marking under the Construction Products Regulations (CPR). The Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) has developed an online video campaign to highlight CPR requirements and how they…
If you are doubling up floor joists, creating trimmers or trimming joists around stairs and chimneys they all need connecting properly so that they can act as a single unit.
Whilst timber floors and their connection details should be designed by a competent person, the ‘Eurocode 5 Span Tables (…
Why is it important to have a completion certificate for certain types of construction work in your house? Here's why...
A completion certificate helps ensure building work is safe
When building work has been inspected by suitably competent building control surveyors, with a…
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…
Cavity masonry walls have a cavity for good reason - and it’s not to provide a home for excess mortar or general debris as the images below show!
Allowing mortar (and debris) to accumulate within the cavity and on wall ties can seriously affect the sound insulation performance of a…
Rebecca Thompson FCIOB, a specialist in heritage conservation and lecturer in building studies, became the 114th President of the Chartered Institute of Building on 19 June 2017. She is only the second female ever to hold that position.
Rebecca used her inaugural address in front of industry…