Building regulations govern how work is built — structure, insulation, fire safety, ventilation, drainage and electrics. Understanding the two routes through building control, and where inspections fall, removes most of the anxiety around it.
Full plans versus building notice
Full plans means submitting drawings and calculations for approval before work starts. A building notice is a shorter route suited to smaller, well-understood work, where the inspector checks as the job proceeds.
The inspections that matter
Typical hold points are foundation excavation before concrete, damp-proof membrane and insulation before the floor is closed, structural steel installation, drainage before backfill, and a final inspection.
Certificates from specialist trades
Electrical and gas work is self-certified by registered installers, and those certificates form part of the completion pack alongside the building control certificate.
Why the completion certificate matters
It is the document a buyer's solicitor asks for. Work without it can slow or complicate a future sale, which is reason enough to run everything through building control properly.