Fitting Doors - A Guide To Building Regulations And Planning Permission Relating To Doors
Planning Permission
You do not normally need to have planning permission when you are replacing existing doors, however you should always remember
that if you live in a conservation area, an area considered to be of outstanding natural beauty or in a listed
building you should ensure that you always contact building control or your local planning office before
undertaking any kind of home improvement project as the rules relating to these kind of properties and areas
are different to those of non listed or standard residential areas.
If you are fitting new glazing to doors you should bear in mind legislation relating to glazing works which
take into consideration safety, heat loss and environmental matters.
Building Regulations Relating To Fitting Doors
If you are making a new door opening in an external wall or a load bearing wall you may have to comply with
building regulations. It is important that you investigate this with your local building control office
as in the event that you come to sell your property, any major structural work (which may well include making
external openings in walls or openings in load bearing walls) would need to be certified by building control
and failure to provide proper certification may even lead to your having to reinstate the property to its prior
condition.
When selling your home, clearly, the last thing you would want is to have hold ups because you failed to
carry out works to your property without being compliant with paperwork.
If In Doubt - Check It Out
For the sake of a phonecall or even an online enquiry it really is not worth holdups and trouble further down
the line. It is always important to ensure that any home improvement work is carried out in accordance with
current building legislation and has the appropriate planning permission if required.
Building regulations are constantly changing so it is important to check out whether your latest project
requires any kind of permission or certification before proceeding.
A good contractor will have a good idea of the current legislation regarding building works, however it is
best to speak to an impartial source for advice when seriously considering home improvement.