What building regulations cover
- Structure — the load path for new floors, beams, roof alterations and foundations.
- Fire safety — means of escape, fire resistance, and where a protected route or fire doors are needed.
- Thermal performance — insulation values and junctions for walls, roofs and floors.
- Ventilation — background ventilation and extract for kitchens, bathrooms and habitable rooms.
- Drainage and damp proofing — new connections, levels, and the waterproofing of the new envelope.
- Glazing — safety glazing in critical locations and thermal performance of windows and doors.
What our drawings include
- Dimensioned plans, sections and elevations with construction detail rather than outline only.
- Notes on construction, materials and workmanship for the elements being altered.
- Specification of insulation, glazing, doors and ventilation so the compliance route is explicit.
- Structural calculations for the structural elements, issued with the same package.
- Coordinated drawings where the design changes during the process, so the builder is never building from a superseded sheet.
Not sure what your property needs?
Send us the address and what you are trying to achieve. We will tell you what is likely to be possible, what approvals it involves, and what the design work would cost.
Full plans or building notice
A full plans application is assessed before work starts, which means problems are found on paper instead of on site, and it produces an approved set of drawings your builder can work from. A building notice is a lighter submission that is checked as the work proceeds; it suits small alterations but gives you less certainty. For extensions and loft conversions we recommend full plans, and we prepare the submission accordingly.
Working with building control
We coordinate with the local authority building control team or an approved inspector, respond to their comments, and revise the drawings where they require it. If your project also needs structural calculations, both are produced together so the structure shown on the drawings matches the calculations that justify it.
Where we work
We prepare building regulations submissions across London and the surrounding areas, including Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Islington, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Camden, Haringey, Enfield, Barnet, Ealing, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Richmond, Kingston, Merton, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon, Bromley, Bexley, Havering, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Frequently asked questions
Is building regulations approval the same as planning permission?
No. Planning permission decides whether you may carry out the work; building regulations decide how it must be built. Most projects need both, and they are applied for separately, often to different departments of the same council.
Can my builder start before building regulations approval?
Usually not advisable. With a full plans application the drawings are checked before work begins, which is where conflicts are cheapest to resolve. Starting first means discovering problems in the built work, which is where they are most expensive.
Who can do the building regulations drawings — an architect or a technician?
Either can, provided the drawings carry enough construction detail and the structural elements are backed by calculations from a qualified engineer. What matters is that the package is complete: drawings, specification and calculations that agree with each other.
Do I need structural calculations for building regulations?
For most extensions, loft conversions and knock-throughs, yes. Building control will normally require calculations for new beams, altered load paths and foundations, and they need to be produced by a structural engineer.
Planning and building regulations guidance on this page is general and applies to England. The position depends on your property, its history and your council's policies, so it is not a substitute for advice on your address. We check the specifics before any work begins.