Extending and Improving Your Home

Written for small builders and tradesmen such as bricklayers and
carpenters, as well as householders wanting to provide more space
and enhanced living conditions without the substantial cost of
moving house. While there are many books that deal with the
construction aspects of extending a house, there are few sources
that combine the planning, construction and regulatory aspects into
one easily accessible source. Extending and Improving a Home
meets that need. By focussing on specific building elements -
foundations, walls, roofs, services, finishes etc - the book
neatly provides a comprehensive, accessible guide to the areas of
home improvement that cause most concern for householders and small
builders.

Extending and Improving a Home will: Guide you through the maze
of legislation that affects most building alterations and
extensions; show how to go about getting a project realised in
terms of design, choice of contractor and construction,
successfully and to budget, and give sound technical solutions for
all the elements of a project that also comply with Building
Regulations.

Auteur
M. J. Billington is a chartered building surveyor and is currently Managing Director of Construction Auditing Services Ltd, a company that specialises in latent defects insurance technical auditing, and Chairman of Certass Ltd, a Building Regulations Competent Person Scheme for replacement windows and doors. C. Gibbs is a building surveyor with over 30 years experience in education and the construction industry.

Résumé

Written for small builders and tradesmen such as bricklayers and carpenters, as well as householders wanting to provide more space and enhanced living conditions without the substantial cost of moving house. While there are many books that deal with the construction aspects of extending a house, there are few sources that combine the planning, construction and regulatory aspects into one easily accessible source. Extending and Improving a Home meets that need. By focussing on specific building elements foundations, walls, roofs, services, finishes etc the book neatly provides a comprehensive, accessible guide to the areas of home improvement that cause most concern for householders and small builders.

Extending and Improving a Home will: Guide you through the maze of legislation that affects most building alterations and extensions; show how to go about getting a project realised in terms of design, choice of contractor and construction, successfully and to budget, and give sound technical solutions for all the elements of a project that also comply with Building Regulations.

Contenu

Preface ix

1 Extending and improving your home - an introduction
1

Why extend or improve your home? 2

Do-it-yourself 4

Extending and improving your home - practices and procedures
6

Practical design tips 9

2 Legal background 14

Introduction 14

Planning permission 14

Listed buildings and conservation areas 25

The Building Act 1984 and the Building Regulations 28

Building Regulations 28

Competent persons schemes 46

The Party Wall Act 48

Energy performance 57

Occupiers' Liability Act 59

3 Arranging and organising the work 60

Use of professional designers 60

Getting a builder or doing it yourself? 61

Cost implications 64

Contractual arrangements 65

Availability of grants 66

Insurances for contract and after 68

Further information 72

4 Issues affecting the property as a whole 73

Structural stability 73

Weatherproofing and damp-proofing the envelope 79

Maintenance 80

Further information 81

5 Site survey and investigation 82

Site investigation 82

Subsoil investigation 84

Significance and proximity of site boundaries 85

Presence and significance of trees 86

Measured survey 88

Further information 90

6 Foundations 91

Introduction 91

Foundation types 92

Further information 101

7 Ground and upper floors 102

Ground floors 102

Upper floors 112

Building Regulations and Approved Document guidance 117

Further information 119

8 External walls 120

Introduction 120

Solid walls 121

Cavity walls 125

Framed wall construction 128

Building Regulations and Approved Document guidance 132

Further information 145

9 Internal walls 147

Partition walls 147

Building Regulations and Approved Document guidance 151

Further information 153

10 Roofs 154

Roof structure and coverings 154

Roof coverings 160

Other coverings 164

Building Regulations and Approved Document guidance 165

Design for thermal efficiency 165

Further information 173

11 Wall and ceiling finishes 174

Wall finishes 174

Ceiling finishes 179

Further information 180

12 Services 181

Introduction 181

Installing new kitchens and bathrooms 182

Above and below ground drainage 183

Electrical installations 196

Heating and ventilating services 197

Hot and cold water supply 202

Further information 205

13 Improving the thermal efficiency of the home 206

Thermal efficiency 206

The green deal 221

Building Regulations and Approved Document guidance 222

Further information 222

14 Conversions 223

What type of conversion 223

Loft conversions 223

Garage conversions 224

Basement conversions 226

Further information 229

Case Study 1 Thermal Upgrading 231

Elements 231

Heat losses 234

Case Study 2 Loft Conversion 237

Existing property 237

Proposal 237

Specifications 238

Additional notes 242

Glossary 245

Index 247