Housebuilders are responsible for ensuring that the building regulations are complied with during all relevant developments and construction work. Ultimately, though, it is the landowner who will be held accountable, financially, and legally, by the local planning authorities if any remedial action needs to be taken.
Given this, you should ensure you have a good idea of when the Building Regulations apply and why, before embarking on any construction project. There are regulations covering everything from foundation work to roofing. Click here for a company that can help you with the latter.
The short answer is that if you are contracting with builders to erect a new building, or to extend, or alter an existing one, then Building Regulations will normally come into play. In broad terms, these rules exist to ensure that any new or existing building is constructed or altered safely for the people who use it and for anyone living or working in the vicinity. The regulations cover a wide spectrum of potential hazards of which the following are just a few examples. In terms of altering the structure of a building, for instance, then any such changes must be made without risk of causing instability to neighbouring buildings.
Alterations must take into account the ways in which people will use the building in the future, so there is no risk of collapse under a heavier weight of walls, furniture, and the persons within. Fire safety standards protect users in the event of a fire, and adequate sound-proofing, ventilation, and energy efficiency are also provided. The regulations also cover the use of types of materials by builders, preventing, for instance, toxic materials being used in insulation measures. The best businesses will go through this with you.
What about maintenance, though?
Maintenance contractors may be required for a wide range of development projects, no matter whether you are building a shopping mall or you are adding an extension to your luxe home. No matter what applies, below we are going to take a look at what you should expect from your working relationship with the construction contractors you hire.
Firstly, you should make sure that the company you hire offers an emergency support service. After all, you need to be assured that any type of failure will be dealt with immediately. You should also take a look at the contractor’s customer base. You will want someone that has experience working on projects of a similar scale to yours, be it housing associations and local authorities to contracts with major national retailers and finance firms.
When putting together a contract with the maintenance firm, it needs to be tailored to suit your individual requirements. Let’s say you need lift maintenance. Make sure the contract reflects the life type, use, and the environment. This is not a service whereby a one-size-fits-all approach will suffice. You should also expect all field operations to be carried out by skilled engineers, trained assistants, and certified lift maintenance contractors. They should boast the necessary qualifications. Safe working practices are essential and, of course, you will want to make sure the company works to high levels of efficiency.
