Building regulations are a set of requirements laid down by parliament to ensure that building work is carried out to approved standards. The considerations for these standards fall into various categories including the health safety and welfare of people in and around buildings and the conservation of fuel and energy within buildings.
As a homeowner, building regulations are there to protect you, other people and the property itself.
For a garage conversion, building regulations affect things like fire doors, vents, window and door openings. Each of these will have a standard applied which must be adhered to in order for the work to be signed off and certified. Years of research and experience goes into the building regulations to ensure the safety of the people using the buildings.
Regulation also applies to energy performance markers such as minimum insulation requirements. This protects you and the environment and these regulations are regularly updated to align with the government energy efficiency targets.
It is very rare that a garage conversion will not require building control sign off so always ensure this is part of your contractor’s pricing. They should guarantee adherence to the regulations and certification at the end as part of your contract.