New Build - Building Control and Foundations Engineers

[uuf361]

After just 16.5 months, I have finally received planning permission to build a new 2 bed detached bungalow and am now busy sourcing people to help! ([Artist impression below!)

Building Control private companies and Foundations Engineers seem to be in short supply locally (but guess they don't need to be local)

Any recommendations ?

[The Three D Mucketeer]

I'm using Approved Inspectors but may not cover the South

https://www.approvedinspectorsltd.co.uk/

[bobtail4x4]

The Three D Mucketeer said:

I'm using Approved Inspectors but may not cover the South

https://www.approvedinspectorsltd.co.uk/

I always found they didnt bother coming out anyway, entire house built without a site visit,
why look for a local one?

[uuf361]

I’ll enquire and see what they say.

[Sheepshanks]

Our Architect pointed us to Quadrant, who I see have been taken over by Socotec.

I guess it depends who is assigned to you, but their person seemed to be here quite a lot, requested by the builders. My wife was here for the final check and she said it seemed very superficial - she just walked around saying how marvellous it was.

I think we got away with some things which we didn’t want - no trickle vents in rooms that only have patio windows (the doors have a vent position but apparently it technically doesn’t qualify), no extractor in the utility room etc.

[danielwebb]

Congratulations on getting planning permission! I’d start by asking your local authority for a list of approved building control providers and checking recommendations from your architect or structural engineer. For foundations, look for a structural engineer with experience in residential new builds and ground investigation reports. They don’t necessarily need to be local, but make sure they can visit the site if needed.

[Dazdot]

Socotec are hard work and very impersonal.

If you want a recommendation for a Civil/Structural Engineer who specialises in foundation design and foundation repairs, and who covers the whole of England, let me know.

[Pistaaah]

You don't say where you are building, but looks like you're around Sussex. We have used CBC Group when we were building in and around West Sussex. Si Wrigley is your man - he's sensible, knowledgeable and takes a pragmatic approach - better than the local authority guys we used prior. https://www.cbcgroup.co.uk

[theposhboy]

Private building control can disappear, see Aedis. I was caught with several projects on the go, lost thousands and took years in one case to retrospectively sort. If your with a private company and they go pop you cant move to another, its back to local authority with whatever fee they throw out. Your then also the project that didn't use them in the first place and asking the inspector to sign off work they havent seen and can't easily see,think steel inside raft foundation etc.

Id also advise getting the new home warranty from someone as if you need to sell within 10 years you'll need for buyer to mortgage

[Andeh1]

We made it work with a private company, but when the staff changed places and needed to back date it nearly got a bit tricky. Fortunately I had taken so many photos of every step, from different angles it made it relatively pain free to conclude things

[smokey mow]

danielwebb said:

I d start by asking your local authority for a list of approved building control providers and checking recommendations from your architect

Good luck! I doubt asking a Local authority for a list of their main competitors will go well.

If you want the full list of RBCA’s it can be found here.

https://www.find-a-building-control-approver.servi...

[uuf361]

Thanks for all the info, very helpful.

I’ll look up those that have been recommended.

I am in West Sussex

[uuf361]

Dazdot said:

Socotec are hard work and very impersonal.

If you want a recommendation for a Civil/Structural Engineer who specialises in foundation design and foundation repairs, and who covers the whole of England, let me know.

I am looking for someone to do the foundations design/engineering once I’ve found someone to do the soil testing so a recommendation would be good.

Annoyingly, I already know some of the composition of the soil as I’ve had a 24m deep bore soakaway installed (the reason for it taking so long to get planning through).

[The Three D Mucketeer]

bobtail4x4 said:

The Three D Mucketeer said:

I'm using Approved Inspectors but may not cover the South

https://www.approvedinspectorsltd.co.uk/

I always found they didnt bother coming out anyway, entire house built without a site visit,
why look for a local one?

I wondereld why they were asking for photos with gps location and time stamps . I'm not bothered if they don't come out , I'm not sure how much benefit I get from an Inspection but I will need the sign off .
My Planning Permission was also given without a face to face visit , AI will be doing it all soon

[Jeremy-75qq8]

The structural engineer will usually design the foundation.

Building control we're happy with our design and then after the foundations were dug asked for a soil survey try getting on at nil notice! Site stopped for 2 weeks. All good carry on.

I would personally consider getting a soil survey now so there are no surprises later. They were not expensive compared to bat surveys and all the other crap we had to get

[uuf361]

Yep, I'm organising he soil survey at the moment, then will find a structural engineer

[Grumbly]

Jeremy-75qq8 said:

The structural engineer will usually design the foundation.

Building control we're happy with our design and then after the foundations were dug asked for a soil survey try getting on at nil notice! Site stopped for 2 weeks. All good carry on.

I would personally consider getting a soil survey now so there are no surprises later. They were not expensive compared to bat surveys and all the other crap we had to get

As a structural engineer, it astonishes me how often clients expect the foundation design to be included when I design the timber/steel structure, without providing any information on which to base such a design. Any engineer who is prepared to specify a foundation design without at least some site specific soils information is taking a big risk.

[uuf361]

I've just spoken to a local structural engineer who has given me a much more cost effective and simple way of conducting the soil testing, but that still meets all the requirements to be able to effectively design the foundations and superstructure and meet the building regs requirements for the council.

[Grumbly]

uuf361 said:

I've just spoken to a local structural engineer who has given me a much more cost effective and simple way of conducting the soil testing, but that still meets all the requirements to be able to effectively design the foundations and superstructure and meet the building regs requirements for the council.

As a proffesion we are generally good eggs.

[LooneyTunes]

Potentially worth ensuring that the SE sees the full plans and prices as a package beyond just the foundations - there will likely be considerations around wall bracing, perhaps steelwork, that can all be integrated into one submission for building regs.