Building Control Inspections

Please note: We can recommend BCS Contractors but we are not a Building Control Service Company.

All building work in England and Wales must comply with safety codes, including the Building Safety Act and Building Regulations. Anyone carrying out building work is obligated to notify their local Building Control office, and submit an application for legal approval.

Whether you’re looking to renovate or extend your current property, hoping to build your dream home from the foundations up, or designing a commercial property development, you’ll need to meet strict rules for the work to stand up to the scrutiny of a Building Regulations inspector.

Failing to comply with these regulations can delay build completion, drive up costs, and prove disastrous if a completed building is found to have structural defects that make it unsafe.

You won’t be able to occupy or sell a building if it isn’t considered fit for purpose. This is why you should arrange a Building Control inspection plan, so that an approved surveyor can inspect your progress throughout different stages of the build and make sure that everything is done correctly.

Building Control inspection stages

After submitting a Building Control application and receiving approval to proceed with the work, you must organise a series of inspections at key stages of your planned build. During these regular Building Control inspections, a surveyor will check specific elements of the building work, making sure that it complies with the plans you provided and the relevant legislation.

Your Building Control inspector will discuss the statutory inspections and any additional checks you require in advance, but the typical stages for inspection include:

• Commencement – Checking site conditions on the day that work begins.
• Foundation excavation – Analysing ground conditions before concrete foundations are laid.
• Oversite – Inspecting damp-proof membranes or sub-floors before they’re covered.
• Drains – Checking materials, laying, and access points before backfilling.
• Drainage tests – Testing the effectiveness of the drains once completed.
• Floor joists – Inspecting the size, grade, and centring of floor and ceiling joists.
• Roof timbers – Checking size, grade, bracing, and spacing of roof timbers.
• Occupation – Notifying Building Control if anybody occupies the building before completion.
• Completion – Full inspection of the entire structure within a week of building completion.

The final inspection will cover everything from thermal and sound insulation to safety glazing, ventilation and fire safety to staircases and waste systems. If everything is up to standard, the Building Regulations inspector can sign off on the work and issue a completion certificate.

If you have taken out a Structural Warranty on the build, then you’ll also need regular checks from your provider to help prevent latent structural defects. Though their scope is wider than structural issues, Building Control inspections can also help to identify poor quality work before such problems can develop – which is why using the same provider for both can be convenient.

Approved Inspector for Building Control

Not only do we provide Structural Warranties for all kinds of building types here at Architects Certificate, but we also provide independent Building Control inspections.

Our approved Building Control inspectors are backed by the Construction Industry Council (CIC), being fully trained to provide expert guidance throughout the construction stages of your project. We carry out all inspections to the highest standards, at all times.

Whether you’re looking for Building Control for homeowners for a residential property or Building Control for commercial properties as a developer, we can ensure that your projects comply with all of the relevant building legislation and can receive a completion certificate once the work is done.

If you’re building or altering a property, or making changes to the way the premises will be used, then it’s likely that you’ll also need planning permission from the local authority. This is not the same as Building Regulations, but we can also liaise with other authorities if required to make the entire process smoother all around. Get in touch with ABC+ to make the Building Control application and inspection procedure more efficient and cost-effective. Call us on 0161 928 8804 or email info@architectscertificate.co.uk today – our team is available to assist you between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.