It doesn’t matter whether you’re building an individual residential property or a much larger, commercial building, building compliance is undeniably important. In fact, building compliance is a key part of any construction or renovation project, and it’s there to ensure that buildings are safe, secure and usable. However, building regulations can be complicated, meaning that navigating building compliance can be daunting.
There’s a lot of room for error when trying to comply with building regulations and even the smallest mistakes can lead to costly delays, safety risks, additional work and potential legal issues. Below, we’ve taken a look at six of the most common building compliance mistakes and how you can avoid them.
6 Common Building Regulation Compliance Mistakes You Need to Avoid
There are a variety of mistakes you could make when tackling building regulation compliance, but here are six of the most common.
- Not Keeping Up with Changing Legislation – There’s always something changing in the world of building regulation compliance – if it’s not changing now, it’s sure to change in the future – and it’s important to keep up. Regular regulatory changes can make it difficult to stay on top of what’s required of a building to be compliant, but failing to tick every box could result in serious consequences. This could include costly changes to fix any oversights, damage to your reputation and even legal issues further down the line. That’s why it’s so important to stay up to date with the latest changes to building compliance legislation, even for the smallest of projects.
- Using the Wrong Building Regulation Experts – There’s no shortage of building compliance companies out there, but using the wrong team can result in common mistakes being made, avoidable delays and unnecessary stress. If you choose an unqualified, unreliable and inexperienced building compliance team, you run the risk of subpar work, errors and compliance issues going forward, not to mention the hassle of organising any additional work that’s needed to rectify the issues. To ensure that your building compliance is always in order from the very beginning, find experts you can trust, like the team here at JosTec.
- Leaving Building Compliance Until the Last Minute – There’s a lot to think about when you’re organising a building project, and it’s not uncommon for some things to be forgotten about or left until the last minute. This might be because you’ve got deadlines to meet or because you’re keen to get started before the weather takes a turn, or even because you’re under pressure from others to get going as soon as possible. One thing that’s often overlooked is building compliance, it tends to be put on the backburner and only thought about once construction is in full swing. Unfortunately, if your build isn’t up to scratch and it isn’t fully compliant, you could be faced with a lot of work. It’s much easier and simpler to think about building compliance from the very beginning of a project. Luckily, this is something JosTec can help you with.
- Not Taking Building Compliance Seriously – Don’t make the mistake of not taking building compliance seriously, as it’s by no means an optional part of construction. Regardless of whether you’re building a new residential home, a large commercial development or you’re renovating an existing site, building compliance is serious business. The type of building compliance you need is likely to vary from project to project, but it’s always something that you need to prioritise. To ensure that no mistakes are made and all of the necessary inspections are carried out in time, it’s a good idea to enlist the help of building compliance experts.
- Only Focusing on One Aspect of Building Regulation Compliance – Only focusing on one aspect of building compliance can lead to serious oversights, including to safety risks, increased costs and even legal issues. Building compliance covers various areas – including overheating, noise, sound insulation, air tightness, energy and sustainability – and by only focusing on one area, you run the risk of missing important checks that impact building safety and useability. This can also lead to unexpected delays or expensive changes later on if it’s found that the build isn’t compliant. It’s important to include all aspects of building compliance into your plans, which will give you the safety and peace of mind of knowing that your project is fully compliant and future-proofed.
- Going to 5 Different Companies for 5 Different Reports – There’s a common theory that you need to involve a lot of businesses in building compliances, but this isn’t actually the case. In fact, going to five different companies, asking for five different reports, is likely to be a huge waste of your time. There’s no need to waste time dealing with multiple different entities, as you can get everything you need in one place. It’s simpler, quicker and easier if you focus on one team of experts.
Ticking every building regulation box is a key part of any building project, large or small, simple or complex. By recognising and avoiding the common mistakes listed above, you can steer clear of costly fixes and keep your project moving smoothly.
Building regulations may seem complicated, but with careful planning, regular reviews and the expertise of a professional building regulations team, you can relax knowing that your project meets all regulations. Get in touch with the JosTec team to find out more.