Building defects database - Building Regulations not met

Record details

© Copyright Philip Santo	(a) This glazed roof and patio door enclosed a former external area which had provided light and ventilation to four rooms in a 1970s bungalow, see (c) and (d) below). The double glazed roof panels were misted and required replacement: simple replacement of defective glazing is permitted without requiring improvements under Part L of the Building Regulations. Optimistically described as a conservatory the enclosure meant that the natural ventilation to one room no longer met the minimum requirements, see (c) below.
© Copyright Philip Santo	(b) A bituminous damp-proof course is partly visible above the copper pipes, between the bases of the two wooden sills, but the tiled floor surface is two brick courses below that, so the enclosure clearly fails to meet standards for residential accommodation. Yet the pipework clearly connects the radiator, just visible, with the domestic heating system, see (c) below. As the heating is not separate from the main system the enclosure is not an exempt conservatory addition and the full requirements of Part L should apply.
© Copyright Philip Santo	(c) These windows serve 2 bedrooms, which now have borrowed light and ventilation through the enclosed area. The size of the doorway to the right hand room meant that the ventilation requirements through the enclosed space could be met, but this did not apply to the left-hand bedroom with its small top-hung window. It is likely that safety glass had not been used in the bottom panels of the window and door.
© Copyright Philip Santo	(d) The modest proportions of this enclosure are clear from this photograph. Many owners would simply regard it as useful additional space but for the surveyor, there are a series of significant non-compliance implications. Complete removal of the enclosure and restoration as an external area would resolve the regulatory issues but would mean loss of the amenity and the expense of upgrading the original single glazed windows.