full plans / building notice at same time ?

[sm_jamieson]

Any problems with full plans / building notice at same time ? Will the BCO get confused and have to take a month's bed rest ? Cheers, Simon.

[Roger Mills (aka Set Square)]

What's the point?

You would normally use a building notice when you need to get on with the work straight away, and can negotiate with the BCO as you go along. You would use full plans when you want to be *sure* that your total design is compliant *before* starting work. Approval takes a finite time (maybe 3 weeks?) after submitting the plans.

What are you hoping to achieve by using both methods at the same time?

[sm_jamieson]

Well, full plans for the extension, due to being near public sewer. Was planning on doing other work on building notice (en-suite / removal of chimney breast at some later date, although they could overlap). Anyway, the full plans application also had a new under-stairs toilet connected to the new drainage. BCO wanted a final layout and vent details for this. I then realised, the room needed to be slightly different and my need some structual work to support the landing since the brick wall under the stairs / next to kitchen will need to be moved. And I am guaranteed the house but don't own it yet, so I cannot poke around too much. So, I removed the toilet from the plans as it was holding things up, and generally being a pain. Thats the reason. I reality they probably will not overlap, but you never know ...! I'm sure a whole-house renovation must often result in this situation. I mean, the 2 types of plans are appropriate to different jobs / circumstances. Cheers, Simon.

[Roger Mills (aka Set Square)]

Ah, I see - it's for two different, but potentially overlapping, jobs. [I had assumed that it was for the *same* job].

I assume that a BCO could cope with this - but it's likely to cost you a lot more in fees than it would if you were to combine it into a single application.

[sm_jamieson]

But the dropped job will be incorporated in a single building notice covering all the other jobs that were never going to be on the full plans ! (removal of chimney, en-suite, new windows ... etc)

By the way, a building notice (not done one before) is priced according to the cost of the job. I am doing the job myself. Can I just give myself a very low quote ? Simon.

[Roger Mills (aka Set Square)]

Maybe - but it had better not be less than the cost of the materials!

Don't suppose you have any disabled members of your family? Certain work to adapt buildings for the use of the disabled is exempt from building regs fees (but still has to satisfy the regs).

[Andy Hall]

They're wise to that one and will be looking at a typical commercial rate, so you won't get away with that one beyond a certain point.

[sm_jamieson]

How would I know what the rate would be for a "cheap" builder then ? Costings + some percentage ? Simon.

[Andy Hall]

Ask a couple to quote, then present the cheapest to the council to justify your application.

[Lobster]

Yes I got pulled up for that very reason on the last application I submitted!

For a start, it's worth looking at the price bands for building notice applications - there's no point agonising over whether you can justify a low figure 'X' GBP instead of a higher figure 'Y' GBP if the fee for both is actually going to be the same. In a similar vein it's probably not prudent to quote a project cost of 9,999 GBP if the price break is at 10K, for example.

David