Building standards technical handbook 2022: domestic

Regulation 5 and schedule 3 specifies what work can be done without the need to obtain a building warrant. However such work must still comply with the regulations.

Building Type 1 means much more work to or in houses does not need a warrant. This could include:

The exceptions are intended to safeguard against changes that might have significant effect, such as the removal of structural walls. The following list provides some examples of the various exceptions:

The exception about increasing the floor area applies because there will be significant implications arising from such work. Other changes, such as the development of a roof space or a garage as habitable space are conversions in terms of regulation 4, a warrant is required and the standards also apply. Where a roof space has limited boarding inserted to allow access to services or to allow attic storage, or where the removal of a non-loadbearing wall creates a marginal increase in floor area these should not be considered as increasing the floor area.

Building Type 2 - buildings, other than domestic buildings or residential buildings, where the public are not normally admitted are granted a similar concession in type 2, allowing many offices and factories for example, to make the kind of small alterations necessary to accommodate changes in production or process. Again, however, the building work done should be to the standard of the building regulations. Exemptions under type 2 recognise security concerns relating to a prison, a building where a person may be legally detained or legally held in custody, the Scottish Parliament and property owned by Her Majesty in right of Her private estates.

Thus, types 1 and 2 permit virtually any work to be carried out to 1 or 2 storey houses and to non-domestic buildings not more than 7.5m high, other than the exceptions listed.

Building Types 3 - 23 - the broad types described above are followed by types 3 to 23 covering more specific work that can be carried out to a wider range of buildings without restricting the work allowed by types 1 and 2. Types 3 to 23 begin with small buildings, particularly those within the curtilage of dwellings (types 4 and 5). Note that some of these may now be in the curtilage of flats or maisonettes provided they are a sufficient distance from the dwellings. A sanitary facility should not be considered to be a wet-floor shower room and such work is not intended to be covered by type 11.

Building Type 17 – the exception to type 17 is intended to apply to any thermal insulation material associated with the application of an external wall cladding system. The guidance in clause 2.7.1 explains the meaning of ‘external wall cladding system’ including the various component parts that could make up the system.

Building Type 23A – a building, used for shelter or sleeping in connection with recreation. This building type is different from other building types in schedule 3 in that they must comply with the requirements of standards 1.1, 3.17 – 3.22 and 4.4. Exceptions are added to recognise galleries, proximity to buildings and boundaries.

Building Types 24 - 26 - are different in that they cover work that is closer to a repair than new work. These replacements are therefore required to be to a standard no worse than the existing, rather than to the standard for completely new work.

Doors, windows and rooflights which are a complete replacement are not considered to be a repair and have to meet the full requirements of the standards (see type 20). For historic buildings, where there is a specific need to match existing doors, windows or rooflights, the principle of ‘like for like’ may still be permitted.

Building Type 25A - limits the exemption for replacement ‘external wall cladding systems’ to ‘minor repairs’ that can be carried out to a standard no worse than existing.

As a consequence of this new type, the reference to ‘cladding’ in type 25 has been omitted.

In relation to work to ‘external wall cladding systems’, ‘minor repair’ means isolated repair or replacement of elements of cladding which are physically damaged or have degraded to the point that the element is no longer fit for its intended purpose.

The changes to type 17 and 25 are intended to safeguard against rapid fire spread on or within external wall cladding systems.

Refer also to requirements specific to work undertaken on cladding systems under regulation 8.