All You Need To Know About Building Regulations

When planning a new or replacement conservatory or orangery for your home, building rules and regulations aren’t the first thing you think of. In fact, most homeowners won’t even be aware of their existence, until they are made aware of them when showing interest in purchasing either type of home extension from their local home improvement company.

However, they are rules you should NOT ignore – so educate yourself!

If you build a conservatory or orangery without the correct permission or without following the current building rules and regulations, it could result in you being ordered to change or remove it.

So how do you go about gaining permission?

Any honest home improvement specialists will ensure that your conservatory or orangery satisfies building rules and regulations.

If you are investing in a smaller sized conservatory (Lean-To), it will usually be exempt from building regulations. To make it clearer about what is exempt from the obligations, here is a breakdown:

• At ground level and not exceed 30m2 floor area.
• Glazed to satisfy the requirements of Approved Document K of Schedule 1.
• Physically separated internally from the building it is attached to, for example, by a door.
• Without sanitary appliances.
• Not intended for year round habitable use.
• Used to some extent for the propagation of plants.

To achieve complete clarity, and to make sure that you understand when your proposal is exempt, get in touch with your local authority and ask them for an Exempt Buildings form.

Once you have accurately filled it in and sent it off, you will receive written confirmation whether your extension meets building rules and regulations.

As well as following building regulations, you must NOT ignore planning permission!

This has to be applied for before the start of a conservatory or orangery installation. If the design is classed as a ‘permitted development’, then planning permission isn’t needed as it already complies with planning obligations.

To be completely safe and secure, contact the planning department at your local authority to get the final word.

The team at 5 Star has an in-depth understanding of building rules and regulations and planning permission in relation to conservatories and orangeries.

Pick up the phone or visit one of our showrooms for a chat.