What do I do now?

At least 48 hours before you start work on site you should notify us of commencement.  Further site visits can be arranged by contacting us on the day  the inspection is required before 10.30am weekdays (in normal circumstances) although more notice is preferable.

You can contact us by telephone, fax, letter, email or in person at our offices or you can book a site inspection by clicking below,

On-line Inspection Request form.

PLEASE QUOTE THE APPLICATION NUMBER WHEN BOOKING A SITE INSPECTION I.e. FP, BN, RG followed by the year of application 00, 01 etc, followed by the four digit number of the application, for example FP/02/0978.

A Building Control Officer will visit the site once works have started and discuss the further inspections that have to be made. It is you or your builder's responsibility to notify us once thee stages listed below are reached to enable an inspection to be carried out.

After our first inspection the applicant will be invoiced for a one-off inspection charge this covers all subsequent inspections made during the course of the works.  Unless you submitted a Building Notice or Regularisation application when the inspection fee is paid at the time of application.

For most domestic new build or extensions the following inspections will be made:-

1. Commencement of work (statutory)

This is an opportunity for the Building Control Officer to generally discuss the project and to remind the builder of any conditions there might be on the application. It also provided the opportunity to check that the site and the proposal is as shown on any submitted plans.

2. Excavations before concrete (statutory)

Allows ground conditions to be checked and the Building Control Officer will consider all or some of the following:

• The bearing capacity of the ground
• Proximity and depth of any drains and manholes
• Depth of existing foundation
• Proximity of any trees or recently removed trees
• Whether or not the building is on made up ground

3. Preparation of oversite (statutory)

This inspection is to determine the suitability of the hardcore used, the provision of sand blinding (if required), the damp proof membrane (dpm) is checked for its thickness, and sufficient laps with new and existing damp proof courses. This floor insulation may also be inspected at this stage.

4. Damp proof course (statutory)

The damp proof course (dpc) will be checked to ensure suitability, width, laps etc.

5. Drains - foul and storm (statutory)

All new drainage is inspected prior to covering. The items checked on this inspection include:

• Suitability of material used
• Fall and line of the drain
• Material used for bed and surround
• Access points

6. Drains test (statutory)

Where-ever possible the above and below ground drainage systems will be checked for air or water tightness.

7. First floor joists.

The size, grade and the centre of the joists will be checked together with the lateral restraint strapping and herringbone strutting.

8. Roof members

The size, grade and the centre of the timbers/ trusses will be checked together with the lateral resistant strapping, herringbone strutting and wind bracing.

9. Insulation

We will generally try to inspect the insulation prior to covering to ensure that the correct thickness and type has been installed.

10. Occupation (statutory)

When a building is occupied before completion the Local Authority should be notified.

11. Completion (statutory)

This is the inspection for which notification is often forgotten. The inspection checks such items as:

• Ventilation to rooms and roof voids
• Waste details
• Roof coverings
• Fire precautions and requirements
• Safety glazing
• Staircase details

On the satisfactory completion of the building work a completion certificate will be issued.

Completion certificates are important documents which should be kept safe because they may need to be presented to financial institutions, solicitors, surveyors etc when moving house or seeking loans.

For projects involving electrical works see our Part P Electrical Guidence Note.

Finally, we would strongly recommend that before you make any final payment to your builder, you ensure that the work has been inspected and approved by this office and a completion certificate has been issued.

For further information please refer to our frequently asked questions.