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If you're having a new conservatory installed in your Lancashire home, there are a few things to consider – not least the fact that you must comply with Building Regulations. With planning departments besieged by people adding extensions and conservatories to their homes, the laws governing extensions on private homes were relaxed in 2008. Obviously, that's music to your ears if you want to have a conservatory or orangery built onto your house. All you have to do is to keep within the government's limits on your conservatory build and you won't require planning permission. However, you'll also need to think about Building Regulations. You may have heard about them, but might not be sure what they entail. Building Regulations are a set of rules prepared by the government to stop you falling victim to cowboy builders carrying out incompetent work. Building Regulations for your conservatory build are enforced by Building Control. It's an official system of inspection and approval that's looked after by your local authority. Check your local council's website for more information. In the meantime, it's vital that the conservatory business you take on to complete your conservatory has a good grasp of Building Regulations. This helps protect you in a number of ways. The first way is health and safety. You ensure that the materials and the construction won't cause any damage to you or your home. The second element is insurance claims – if your conservatory was damaged, your claim could be void if building regulations were not followed. The value of your home in future could also be affected. When you sell, you must provide documentary proof that improvements you made to your property complied with building regulations. In general, though, there are a few precautions you can take when designing your Lancashire conservatories or orangeries to limit the need for building control. Intervention will be minimal if your conservatory's floor area is no greater than 30 square metres, if it's separate from exterior walls and windows, and if you don't plan to alter the entrance that leads into the conservatory. Just one final note of caution: you should also be aware of the Party Wall Act. If your new conservatory has an impact on a wall shared with a neighbour or if foundations are close to a boundary, you must give all your immediate neighbours written notice well ahead of any work. But don't let any of this put you off. Despite the odd horror story, local authorities and neighbours are generally pretty amenable to changes that will lift the value of your property and improve the area. So, as ever, just apply common sense and all should be well.
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