Como Street, Romford, Essex.

 

Full Plans Building Regulations Application approved for new second floor in Romford, Essex.

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Following an initial planning approval for a raising of the ridge height and the conversion of the enlarged loft space to include two new bedrooms and a bathroom En-Plan: Planning & Architecture were instructed to provide detailed building plans for a Building Regulations Application.  These were duly completed and submitted to Havering Borough Council Building Control who duly approved the plans.  the project is set to start in Spring of 2019.  Watch this space for updates and further information as the project progresses. We also worked with the applicants to alter the exterior finish to render by way of a non material amendment.

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It is interesting to note at this point the challenges faced during the building control phase were the strength of the existing structure in order to take the additional implied load from the new second floor flat. A Structural engineer’s assessment/calculations showed that the low compressive strength of the Thermalite Turbo blockwork inner skin, especially at ground floor was adequate to take the loads from the new construction, and as such Building Control were satisfied with this.

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En-Plan also provided clarification on details for the new roof trusses and these were submitted from Robinson Manufacturing Ltd and included  supporting calculations, bracing details, and specification for cut and pitch infill which demonstrates to Building Control that the proposed roof will be structurally sound.

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As part of any new development ventilation must be specified in accordance with one of the four methods shown in Approved Document f. The most common system is system 1 background ventilators and intermittent extract fans, this will require whole house background ventilation of equivalent area (EA):
a. 35000mm 2 for any design air permeability; or
b. 25000mm 2 for design air permeability greater than 5.
Note in practical terms the higher value of 35000mm 2 should be used as you will normally require a low air permeability to achieve the Target Energy Rating (TER). However in practical terms even if you provide one background/trickle ventilator of EA 5000mm 2 to each window you will only achieve a whole house EA of 15000mm 2 . Therefore we used system 3 continuous mechanical extract ventilation, as this only requires background/trickle ventilation of EA 2500mm 2 to wet rooms (kitchen and bathroom) and 5000mm 2 to all other rooms and all internal doors to be undercut by 10mm to promote a flow of air throughout the building. 

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Thermal calculations including a Target Energy Rating (TER) & Design Energy Rating (DER) and a Target Fabric Energy Efficiency (TFEE) & Design Fabric Energy Efficiency (DFEE) are to be provided at least 48 hours before works commence on site. In practice these should be submitted much earlier as they may fundamentally change the design of the building. These calculations will determine the thermal efficiency of the building and consider not only the U-values of the elements of the structure, but also the amount of
glazing, orientation of the building, efficiency of the heating, air permeability, and the use of renewable energy sources (such as photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pumps, etc.). Note merely meeting the U-values for extensions is unlikely to achieve a pass.  En-Plan work in conjunction with Fentons Energy to ensure this was provided and the specification updated to reflect the level of insulation required.

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If you would like to find out more about Building Regulations or how our Planning Consultancy and Architectural Design Services can work in perfect sync to achieve a successful outcome in the planning system please CONTACT US and we will be only too happy to talk through any questions or development proposals you may have.

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