Knowledge hub

Practical guidance for better projects.

Clear explanations of the regulations, contracts and processes that shape a building project, written by our team and reviewed regularly.

Planning

Permitted development for extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings

What you can build in England without a planning application: the main limits for rear and side extensions, loft conversions, rooflights and garden buildings, and why a Lawful Development Certificate is worth getting first.

Read · 7 min →

Neighbours & boundaries

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996: notices, timescales and surveyors

When the Party Wall Act applies, which notice to serve and how long before work starts, what happens if your neighbour does not reply, and how party wall awards work.

Read · 6 min →

Health & safety

CDM 2015 for homeowners: what it means for your building project

How the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply to work on your own home: who takes on the client duties, when a principal designer and principal contractor are needed, and when HSE must be notified.

Read · 5 min →

Regulation

Building Regulations dutyholders explained (Part 2A)

The dutyholder and competence regime introduced into the Building Regulations 2010 from October 2023: who the dutyholders are, what each must do, and how it relates to CDM 2015.

Read · 6 min →

Procurement

Pre-construction services agreements and two-stage tendering

How early contractor involvement works under a pre-construction services agreement, what the contractor does in each stage of a two-stage tender, and when it gives a better result than a single-stage lump sum.

Read · 5 min →

Contracts

Choosing a JCT contract: Homeowner, Minor Works, Intermediate and Design and Build

A practical comparison of the JCT contracts most used for residential, refurbishment and commercial building work, and when NEC4 may be a better fit.

Read · 6 min →

Contracts

Payment notices under the Construction Act: due dates, pay less notices and suspension

How payment works under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 as amended: due dates and final dates, payment and pay less notices, the right to suspend, adjudication, and the residential occupier exclusion.

Read · 6 min →

Building regulations

Fire safety in loft conversions: escape routes, fire doors and smoke alarms

How Approved Document B Volume 1 applies when a loft conversion adds a storey to a house: escape windows, protected stairways, fire doors, fire separation and the alarms building control will expect.

Read · 6 min →

Handover

The health and safety file and regulation 38 fire safety information

What must be handed over at the end of a building project: the CDM 2015 health and safety file, and the fire safety information required by regulation 38 of the Building Regulations for non-domestic buildings.

Read · 5 min →

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