We knocked a wall though last year and had an RSJ put in as part of that.
Should we have also had the work certified in some way? There was something on the telly the other night about making it harder to sell the house if structural alterations haven't been certified.
Jonathan
Yes! If it is structural, you should have got Building Regs approval at the time.
But all is not lost - you can get it 'regularised' retrospectively provided you can show that it has been done properly. Have a word with the Building Control department at your local council.
The key words being "provided you can show"... unless the BCO happens to know the builder who installed it, and trusts that he fitted the correct RSJ properly, isn't that likely to mean Building Control would want the plaster pulling down in order to expose the RSJ?
I would have thought that at this stage the best option would be to keep schtum, myself.
David
Well, the OP seemed concerned about the effect that it might have on selling his house. Unless he can successfully pretend to a potential buyer's solicitor that "it's always been like that" the solicitor will want proof that it has been done to regs. I would have throught that it was better to sort it out sooner rather than later.
Unless it was done by cowboys, it's unlikely *not* to have been done right (pardon the double negative!). As long as the OP has some record of the section and length of the RSJ, he should be able to satisfy the BCO that it's ok without exposing it.
This is as I feared. I can't see how going to the BCO will mean much else than them telling me to hack the plaster off so they can look at it.
I think that when it comes to selling the house (a long way off) then we'll see if we need to get it approved. I assume there's no time limit on such an approval?
Jonathan
This is as I feared. I can't see how going to the BCO will mean much else than them telling me to hack the plaster off so they can look at it.
I think that when it comes to selling the house (a long way off) then we'll see if we need to get it approved. I assume there's no time limit on such an approval?
Jonathan
Yes. And the builder who did it should have advised of this. You need calculations to prove it's strong enough, and that the pad stones are adequate, and that it's properly tied to any joists etc.
If it's been cased in and the pad stones plastered over, a BCO might well require them exposed again.
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 17:34:56 +0100, a particular chimpanzee named "Set Square" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
The BCO would still want to see the beam; receipts can be provided for anything, even when it's not used on that site. It may also be necessary to see the padstone and bearings either side. I think the OP will need to be prepared for a bit of replastering.
However, if the OP is prepared to lie, and it's not obvious (i.e., the house itself is less than 20 years old, or the paint around the new opening is a different shade), who's to know that the work wasn't carried out before the solicitor's limitation period applies?
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 17:36:28 +0100, a particular chimpanzee named Jonathan randomly hit the keyboard and produced:
No, but I've heard of it scuppering sales at the last minute if the seller doesn't have it.
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