Building Control can't make their mind up

[Baxterdog8]

Have a single-storey extension built to create a new kitchen/dining room area. Used an architect to draft plans and designed with folding-sliding doors on the back (which look stunning but should do after the money I spent on them!).
Submitted a Building Notice rather than Full Plans Application as fairly simple extension. The builder called the BC Surveyor in to check the work at all the relevant stages and no issues or concerns were ever raised. Now we've applied for Completion Certificate and the regular BC officer is off on maternity leave, completely uncontactable, and the replacement says there is no record of any of her visits. And he isn't happy with the size of the folding-sliding doors as he says they are >25% of the floor space so not within building regs -all this from a 2 minute visit where all he did was stand in the kitchen and take a quick look at the extension roof from outside - he took no measurements or anything.
He told my builder all this, so I called him to ask what was happening and he said they still can't find the BC visit records!
So literally a minute after this phone call, knock at the door, 'hello Building Control' - this time a different guy, walks in, looks around, checks the elec. cert and says 'you'll get your certificate next week, no problem'.
Has anyone else had this kind of problem with BC where the left-hand doesn't know what the right-hand is doing?

 

[jeds]

Has anyone else had this kind of problem with BC where the left-hand doesn't know what the right-hand is doing?

You were unlucky. This is such a rare situation I've never even heard of it before... er, NOT. Sorry, what I meant to say was this happens to me about nine times a week.

 

[Baxterdog8]

Blimey how do you cope with the stress!
It's the level of incompetency I can't believe. Lost paperwork, no records of visits.... and not even apologising for it all! Typical council mentality. If I did this kind fo thing at work I'd be on a written warning.

 

[noseall]

he isn't happy with the size of the folding-sliding doors as he says they are >25% of the floor space so not within building regs

The latest fad - folding patio doors, are rather nice and make a dramatic difference to a lot of properties. But the glass per floor area is something that i wondered about the first time i'd seen them installed.

Obviously the bigger the better and the greater the impact but there seems to be a huge heat loss area going on with these doors.

Your architect would be a fool not to realise the heat loss impact, so i guess you are safe as far as b.c. are concerned.

 

[^woody^]

25% of floor area is just a guide, and can in most cases be overcome with a SAP calculation

 

[jeds]

It certainly can be very frustrating. Not all BC inspectors are that bad though. In fact a good number of them are excellent. And I would deal with BC all day long rather than planners. It's really the system that's flawed. Much of the technical guidance is contradictory and some is written in such a way as to make it almost imnpossible to interpret. Then there are staff shortages, stupid admin rules set up by faceless office bods and a general lack of support when things go wrong.

Just last week I called for an inspector on a job and asked for him to call me to arrange access because it is a closed site - this is the normal way of going about these things. Only to be told that 'they don't do that any more'. Apparently inspectors have been told from on high that they're not allowed to make phone calls like that any more and I would have to make sure somebody was on site all day or I would have to call in the morning to find out what time the appointment was for. Hang on a minute, who's the effing client here???

To that end I have just started using a private inspector. It's more expensive and he is no less stringent than the LA inspectors but he will sit down around table and discuss things, come to site meetings and, above all, he treats me like a client.

 

[^woody^]

One guy I know ended up with drain pipework like that from the start of Monty Python after 3 different BCO's came to visit. When a fourth one came further on into the job to look at something else, he said in passing "Why didn't you just run the drain under the extension?"

The guy told me that he did not know which of the four BCO's deserved to be throttled!

 

[AndrewSchofield]

To that end I have just started using a private inspector. It's more expensive and he is no less stringent than the LA inspectors but he will sit down around table and discuss things, come to site meetings and, above all, he treats me like a client.

I'd agree jeds - indpendant inspectors can cost a bit more (not always though) but they can be a bit more flexible, easier to deal with and more consistent. Suppose that's the difference when people are working to get paid and those that get paid no matter what. Councils are in a strange position where the level of service isn't that important because their client's have no choice but to use them - thats changing now with more and more independant Building Inspectors setting up so councils are having to up their service to keep people using them - if only it could happen with planners too!!