Im sure some of you here have experience of building control people!?
I have a single story extension being put up next week (hopefully) and as part of this we will have regular visits from the council building control
officer..
Anyone have experience of these visits? Is the inspector ONLY there to look at the works notified or can he look at anything on/in the property? There
are a few dubious things that the previous owner has done that I am trying to rectify, but these wont be finished before the inspector comes.. I dont
like my work being criticised at the best of times... (Worth noting that I am doing things "to the book" even though it costs more!)
Are they generally friendly helpful people, or jobsworths like the IVA inspector I had? Just looking for excuses to wind people up?
[Edited on 15/10/10 by tegwin]
Generally helpful - a bit like most SVA/IVA testers really in my experience
A certain case for a hot cup of tea and open up the hobnobs!
By all accounts the general consensus is that they look for obviously dodge stuff but aren't going to start pulling up floorboards to check that
there isn't an inaccessible wiring splice, for example....
They do seem to have a thing for socket heights though- my dad's an architect and he was involved in a building where the builders had put the
sockets 3cm lower than the plans (and regs) required them to be, so the BCO made them move every single one.... obviously may not be an issue in your
build though.
As someone who had to stand in for Building inspectors occasionally as part of my job and to whom they normally reported its best to be friendly to
them but not overly so, and don't give them the impression that you are trying to distract them by chatting to them or showing them
"problems", greet them - take them to the work and leave them to do their job.
As an inspector you quickly learn to spot builders who try to misdirect you and then really start looking for faults (if you are interested in doing
your job)
Been OK in my experience. Seem to just want to get out as quick as possible. They will notice other stuff though - the guy inspecting my rewire first fix during my renovation spent more time poking his clipboard into a bit of exposed ceiling void muttering that there surely wasn't enough of a beam installed in an old extension which removed some of the original rear wall. Nothing to do with the work I was doing at all. I said well it's been there 30 odd years according to the deeds and not even sagged, so I would imagine it's OK. He then declined looking in the loft where most of the wiring he was there to inspect was, and left. Harmless really.
Radio 5 this morning was debating the current UK Health & safety bollox...
In among the jobsworths there , you could easily put building inspectors within the same pigeonhole.
Over zealous, no discretion, no common sense, and no bottle.
Give a knacker some authority, and before you know it, they wear a yellow coat with something written on the back, and carry a clipboard.
I need to move to Spain, this country sucks.
I do enjoy your rants Ivan!
I found the 'inspection' process to be the smoothest part of the whole house build. I was a bit surprised really as up till then my
dealings with the council had been an absolute nightmare!
If I heard one planning official saying. "yes, we know it's stupid, but it's the rules", then I heard a dozen! Well if you all
think the local interpretation of a particular rule is "stupid" then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! 
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
I do enjoy your rants Ivan!
I found the 'inspection' process to be the smoothest part of the whole house build. I was a bit surprised really as up till then my dealings with the council had been an absolute nightmare!
If I heard one planning official saying. "yes, we know it's stupid, but it's the rules", then I heard a dozen! Well if you all think the local interpretation of a particular rule is "stupid" then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
You're wrong
It's three
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
You're wrong
It's three
quote:
put the sockets 3cm lower than the plans (and regs) required them to be
It's a new one, it's what they came up with to combat flooding. This way your tv won't short out and waste electricity when the flood comes so you're just a house out of pocket and not a £900 leccy bill too
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
It's a new one, it's what they came up with to combat flooding. This way your tv won't short out and waste electricity when the flood comes so you're just a house out of pocket and not a £900 leccy bill too
I refer to my earlier observations, mindless bullshat by folk wearing yellow jackets with something written on the back...
My latest experience with planning authorities and building inspectors was a revelation...
We wanted to fit a wood-burning stove, with a new hearth and double-insulated stainless flue. One installer gave a horror story, saying that
we'd never get approval and that we'd need a brick-built chimney... mega-bucks.
When it came down to it, I rang the planning authority: "it is on the front of the house?" - "No, it's on the side" - OK, no
problem. Then I rang the building inspectors: "If it's being installed by a HETAS installer, then we don't need to inspect. If
it's a general builder then we need to approve the design and inspect". As it was being put in by a HETAS installer then we didn't
have to get them installed.
Common-sense ruled, and everyone was happy...
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
It's a new one, it's what they came up with to combat flooding. This way your tv won't short out and waste electricity when the flood comes so you're just a house out of pocket and not a £900 leccy bill too
Was it to do with flooding? I always thought it was to help disabled people access them... IE to low and they cant get to them..... Basically, its a silly rule and no one knows why its there...
I am fairly sure it doesnt apply to renovations on existing properties... only new build...
I found it funny!
After you explained it was a joke.
99% of the health and safety nonsense you read about in the papers is either made up/exaggerated by the papers, the result of a lazy/incompetent
manager who can't be bothered to do a risk assessment or is someone using H&S to avoid taking the blame for an unpopular decision.
The HSE even run a monthly myth on the theme.
See http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/
I remember this one when it was reported as "health and safety gone mad"
quote:
Myth: Graduates are banned from throwing mortar boards
October 2009
The reality
Health and safety law doesn’t stop graduates having fun and celebrating their success in the time-honoured fashion!
The chance of being injured by a flying mortar board is incredibly small, and when the concern is actually about the hats being returned in good condition, it’s time to stop blaming health and safety.
We very rarely use the Local Authority Building Control Officers, preferring instead to use independent Approved Inspectors.
Much more consistent in their approach, taking a sensible view on the regulations.
The one time I didn't use one of my contacts was on my own extension at the back of the house as I was doing it under notice rather than a full
application. Finished the entire thing and the guy came out to sign it off and suddenly wanted to inspect the foundations, insisting I dig a 1m x 1m
x 1m pit to prove them. I showed him where the electricity main was, where the gas main was, where the drains ran and asked him again to show me
where I could get a 1m pit in between them all.
He backed down