Blog>Cost Guides>How much do building regs cost?
Last updated: 22 November 2024
How much do building regs cost?
If you’re building, renovating, extending or converting a property, you’re going to come into contact with building regulations. Here, we’ll break down how much compliance will cost.
Fast Facts
A full plans application will range from £250 - £550 for a single-storey extension
A building notice for a single-storey extension costs around £450 - £800
Building regs inspections for a single-storey extension are roughly £330 - £400
Costs will vary depending on the size, type, scope and location of your project - as well as the type of application you make
Building regulations (building regs) are guidelines that are in place to ensure that any work being carried out to create or adapt a property is done in a safe, secure and sturdy way.
To prove that work complies, you’ll need a building regulations certificate and, potentially, building regulations approval.
So, how much do building regs cost? Here’s the lowdown. But first…
What are building regulations?
Building regs are guidelines that lay out the standards that work carried out on your property has to meet.
They cover rules to do with lots of different aspects of building work, such as:
Structural safety
Fire safety
Soundproofing
Ventilation
Electrical wiring
When you have work carried out that needs to meet certain building regs, you’ll need a compliance certificate that proves the work complies.
Usually, if you hire a qualified tradesperson who’s part of a Competent Person Scheme in the UK, they’ll be able to self-certify their work – which means they can arrange for the certificate to be issued for you as part of the job.
However, if you hire a non-registered tradesperson or carry out the work yourself, you may need to apply for Building Regulations approval.
In this case, you’ll usually be appointed a Building Control Officer (BCO) for the duration of your project to monitor and inspect the work being done.
Average costs of building regs in the UK
If you need to go ahead and apply for building regs approval, costs can vary from council to council in England.
However, these ballpark figures should cover the majority of domestic requirements.
| Item | Average |
|---|---|
| Decision Notices or Completion Notice | £60 |
| Copies of correspondence relating to Building Regulation applications | £15 |
| Researching Domestic site histories | £70 |
| Researching Commercial site histories | £100 |
| Issue of Completion Certificates in connection with archived and dormant Building Regulations applications with a site visit | £150 |
| Issue of Completion Certificates in connection with archived and dormant Building Regulations applications with no site visit | £80 |
| Dangerous structures out of hours call-out charge | £250 |
| Time on site over 4 hours charged at per hour or part hour | £80 per hour |
| Application for Certificate of Building Regulations Exemption | £140 |
| Provision of office based pre-submission consultancy advice | £80 per hour |
| Provision of on-site based pre-submission consultancy advice | £150 per hour |
| Registering of pre-submission site visits to maintain Planning Permission | £140 |
| Late discharge of condition | £80 |
| Building Control hourly rate | £65 per hour |
| Charges for Domestic Work | |
| Single storey extensions - Plan charge | £250 - £550 |
| Single storey extensions - Inspection charge | £330 - £400 |
| Single storey extensions - Building notice charge | £450 - £800 |
| Two storey extensions - Plan charge | £250 - £300 |
| Two storey extensions - Inspection charge | £370 - £470 |
| Two storey extensions - Building notice charge | £750 - £900 |
| Loft conversion - Plan charge | £260 - £360 |
| Loft conversion - Inspection charge | £160 |
| Loft conversion - Building notice charge | £430 - £510 |
| Last updated: November 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | |
As you can see, there are lots of associated costs involved – not all of which will necessarily be relevant to your project.
Rather, costs can vary based on several different factors. Which brings us onto…
Factors that affect the cost of building regs approval
Here are some of the main considerations to take into account when calculating your likely building regs approval costs.
Type of project
The type of project and its scope will determine which building regs need to be adhered to.
For instance, electrical work and structural work have very different considerations.
If we take a house extension as an example, your project will typically need to meet building regs in connection to…
Energy performance
Structural integrity
Protection against falls and unsafe walls
Electric and gas safety
Fire protection
As a general rule, larger projects will need to meet more complex regulations than smaller ones.
Location of the property
In England, each council will determine its own building regs application fees.
So, costs can vary up and down the UK – although they’ll all be based on factors like:
The size of your project
The type of work involved
The number of visits needed
Most local authorities have tables or fee calculators on their websites to help you gain an idea of the various costs involved before applying.
Who you use
Most people choose to go through their Local Authority Building Control (LABC) to get building regs approval.
However, it isn’t the only route. You can also use private building control companies.
Approved Inspectors from private companies will do the same job as your LABC. They can:
Check plans
Notify your local authority of the work (called an ‘Initial Notice’)
Inspect the work at key points
At the end, they’ll issue the compliance certificate.
In this case, you won’t need to worry about the application process or the fees – but you will need to pay the company you choose!
This will be a rate negotiated between you but is usually around the same as going down the LABC route.
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Pre-submission consultancy advice
As well as paying for the application itself, you’ll also need to pay to have structural calculations and technical drawings completed.
These will need to be submitted to your LABC as part of helping them to understand your project.
If you’re also applying for planning permission, you might be wondering if you can use the same plans. Sadly, the answer is not usually!
The plans needed for building control are typically a lot more detailed than those needed for planning permission – so, they’re often commissioned as an additional service.
A chartered structural engineer will be able to provide them for you, along with potentially offering advice and guidance to help you submit a strong application. As a rough guide, you’re looking at an hourly rate of £100–£200.
Types of building regs application
If you decide to use your Local Authority Building Control, you’ll be able to choose from three kinds of building regs applications.
1. Full plans
This is the most common kind of application for projects involving construction.
Essentially, it involves getting all your plans thoroughly checked by the building inspector before you start work.
You’ll send them:
A description of the proposed works
Technical drawings
A structural engineer’s calculations
A location plan
Your application will usually be processed in 5-8 weeks, and if it’s approved, it’ll remain valid for the next three years.
In this way, you’ll have peace of mind that your plans fully comply with building regs before you start, minimising your level of risk – although building inspectors will still visit you to check that works are compliant at key stages in the project.
2. Building notice
If you don’t have the patience for full plans approval, you can instead submit a building notice.
This involves informing the local authority that you’re intending to start your project, without submitting the full plans. Essentially, you’re promising that you’ll comply with building regulations.
Complete a form providing details of the work
Give a detailed site plan that shows boundaries and drainage details
Building inspections will be carried out throughout the build and if work doesn’t comply with relevant standards, it will need to be modified or removed and reconstructed.
You won’t get a completion certificate until all the work meets regulations.
In this way, it’s a handy option for small alterations but often isn’t feasible for larger projects.
Plus, there are some exclusions – for instance, you can’t go down this route if the work is related to fire safety or if it’s close to drains that are pinpointed on sewer maps.
3. Regularisation
Regularisation is an application for retrospective approval.
If you’ve carried out building work without prior approval, this route will allow you to obtain a ‘regularisation certificate’ – basically confirming that the work adheres to building regs in retrospect.
Just bear in mind that you may need to carry out corrective work if the initial work didn’t comply with building standards.
Average cost of building regs approval for extensions and conversions
As you can see, the cost of building regs can vary massively from project to project.
To give you a clearer idea, here are some common projects along with the typical costs associated with submitting full plans and obtaining building regs approval.
Single-storey extension: £250 - £550 (full plans) + £330 - £400 (inspections)
Double-story extension: £250 - £300 (full plans) + £370 - £470 (inspections)
Loft conversion: £260 - £360 (full plans) + £160 (inspections)
On the other hand, if you decide to risk it with a building notice instead of full plans, here are some ballpark figures:
Single-storey extension: £450 - £800 (building notice) + £330 - £400 (inspections)
Double-story extension: £750 - £900 (building notice) + £370 - £470 (inspections)
Loft conversion: £430 - £510 (building notice) + £160 (inspections)
Just remember that you’ll also need to budget for additional costs like building regs drawings and structural calculations.
How to budget for building regs
Don’t let building regs become an afterthought!
Instead, make sure you properly plan for building regs approval in your budget. After all, if the work you carry out doesn’t comply, you may be forced to alter it or even remove it altogether!
With that in mind, here are some budgeting tips.
Start early
Factor in the cost of building regs approval from the outset, so you can plan for it when you make other decisions.
Get quotes
We always recommend getting at least three quotes from structural engineers and other professionals, to ensure you’re getting a fair and competitive price for their work.
Go for full plans
Submitting a full plans application might be more time-consuming than a simple building notice. But it’ll minimise the risk of having to pay more to correct work that doesn’t comply later down the line.
Build in a contingency
Make sure to build a contingency into your budget so you’re not left in the lurch if unexpected costs crop up. We recommend a contingency of 20%.
How Checkatrade can help you manage your building regs costs
At Checkatrade, our directory is full of professionals registered with Competent Person Schemes in all areas of construction and home improvement.
The advantage? Trades registered with a CPS can self-certify their work, which means no building control fee to pay! Plus, everything will be carried out and signed off by the same person.
However, if you do decide to apply for building regs approval yourself, we’re here for you too!
Do you need a structural engineer to complete buildings regs drawings?
Looking for an Approved Inspector from a private company?
Our trusted directory is the place to find them. All our tradespeople have to pass up to 12 checks and are regularly reviewed on everything from punctuality to professionalism.
In fact, we’re so confident in the quality of the trades on Checkatrade that if you book through us, we guarantee their work up to £1,000 (guaranteed for 12 months – Eligibility and T&Cs apply).
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