Bathrooms
177 sources in the library on bathrooms, 40 on this page cited in a published note. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 1 of 5.
- very strong RN-5CL50F cited
Building Control Northern Ireland
The index of Northern Ireland's Technical Booklets, the devolved equivalent of England's Approved Documents, and the place to check which NI booklet answers a question. The booklets run B materials and workmanship, C site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture, D structure, E fire safety, F1 conservation of fuel and power in dwellings (2022 edition) and F2 for buildings other than dwellings, G sound, H stairs ramps and guarding, J solid waste, K ventilation, L combustion appliances and fuel storage, M physical infrastructure for high speed electronic communications networks, N drainage, P sanitary appliances and unvented hot water storage, R access to and use of buildings, and V glazing. Amendment booklets AMD7 (amends B, C and E), AMD8 (amends R) and AMD9 (amends E and R) carry the live changes, so the base 2012 booklets must be read with them.
- very strong RN-6V3OPC cited
CCW
The statutory consumer body's explanation of water pressure standards: companies must maintain seven metres static head (0.7 bar) in the communication pipe, with no obligation inside the property.
- very strong RN-VCWFSN cited
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (GOV.UK)
Government announcement of the plastic wet wipes ban. It reports that wet wipes contribute to 94% of sewer blockages and that even wipes labelled flushable should be binned.
- very strong RN-6U13SL cited
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Defra's guidance on the 2011 transfer regulations. It confirms that on 1 October 2011 private sewers and lateral drains draining to a public sewer became the sewerage undertaker's responsibility.
- very strong RN-2PCYXZ cited
Drinking Water Inspectorate
The regulator's account of lead pipework, useful for any period-property or plumbing note. States that before 1970 lead pipework was commonly used to connect properties to the mains, that its use has since been banned, and that a home built before 1970 may have lead pipes while one built after 1970 is unlikely to. Gives a homeowner identification test at the internal stop tap: unpainted lead appears dull grey, often with a swollen joint next to the tap, and is soft enough that a gentle scrape with a coin shows shiny silver metal beneath, with disposable gloves worn and dust not inhaled; contrasts copper as bright, hard and dull brown, iron as dark, very hard and possibly rusty, and plastic as typically blue, or grey or black if older. Explains that lead dissolves while water stands in the pipe, with concentration depending on standing time, pipe condition, temperature (more dissolves in summer and autumn) and water hardness, since harder water forms a protective scale. Notes that water companies dose with orthophosphate where a risk exists, and that a less common cause is the illegal use of lead-based solder on copper pipe, lead solder remaining permitted only in closed central heating systems. Warns lead accumulates in the body, with infants including unborn babies and children most at risk of effects on mental development, and adults at risk of kidney, heart and circulatory harm.
Cited in Renovating a 1930s House.
- very strong RN-LFOI45 cited
Drinking Water Inspectorate
The Drinking Water Inspectorate's consumer page on hard water: hardness bands, a map of typical hardness in England and Wales, and advice to ask the water company because hardness varies locally.
Cited in Choosing Bathroom Taps & Brassware.
- very strong RN-81EIUN cited
GOV.UK
The government's own list of alterations that need building regulations approval, and the page to cite when a reader asks whether a bathroom or kitchen refit is notifiable. Works listed as needing approval include installing a bathroom that will involve plumbing, changing electrics near a bath or shower, replacing a fuse box and connected electrics, replacing windows and doors, replacing roof coverings, installing or replacing a heating system, adding radiators to an existing heating system, and installing fixed air conditioning. Emergency repairs to a boiler or heating system do not need approval in advance, though specific rules then apply. Approval may be obtained from a local authority building control department, a private registered building control approver, or, for higher-risk residential buildings, the Building Safety Regulator. The page states the practical consequence bluntly: without approval you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you want to sell your home. Note that a like-for-like bathroom refit with no new plumbing, no drainage change and no work in the electrical zones is not on the list.
Cited in Building Control Inspections Explained, Lintels: Types & Sizing, Renovating a 1930s House, Replace Shower Pan Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide and 1 more.
- very strong RN-2IWEP7 cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's guidance note behind every slip-resistance figure a flooring or paving note quotes, and the source that separates the two tests people conflate. Table 1 classifies slip potential from pendulum test values (PTV): 0 to 24 high, 25 to 35 moderate, 36 and above low. Table 2 gives the parallel Rz microroughness classification. It describes the HSL/UKSRG ramp CoF test, then deals with the German ramp tests separately: DIN 51097 uses barefoot operators with a soap solution and DIN 51130 uses heavily cleated EN ISO 20345 safety boots with motor oil, and HSE states it has reservations about both because neither uses contaminants representative of real workplaces and the way results are reported is a cause for concern. Table 3 sets the DIN 51130 R scale by slip angle: R9 6 to 10 degrees, R10 10 to 19, R11 19 to 27, R12 27 to 35, R13 above 35. It warns that R9 and sometimes R10 surfaces will be slippery when wet and that a single class covers a wide CoF range, R10 alone spanning 0.18 to 0.34, so an R number is not a substitute for a PTV. Note that BS 7976-2, the pendulum method, was withdrawn in February 2022, which makes this HSE page the right citation for the thresholds.
Cited in Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout, Best Flooring for Kitchens, Bathrooms & Living Rooms, Floor Tiles: Porcelain vs Ceramic vs Stone, How to Tile a Floor and 4 more.
- very strong RN-DNUV4Q cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE guidance aimed squarely at worktop installers. It states that respirable crystalline silica is present in most rocks, sands and clays and in products such as bricks, tiles and concrete, and that breathing stone dust containing RCS causes silicosis, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The controls it names are water suppression, or on-tool extraction with a shroud and dust collector attached to an M-class vacuum, and it warns against dry sweeping dust and debris or anything else that makes dust go airborne. For respiratory protection it specifies a face mask such as an FFP3 with an assigned protection factor of at least 20, meaning it reduces the dust inhaled by a factor of 20. Cite it when a note tells a reader what to ask a worktop fitter about site cutting.
Cited in Kitchen Worktops Compared: Quartz, Granite, Laminate.
- very strong RN-JI9X61 cited
LABC Warranty
LABC Warranty technical guidance on wet rooms: floor falls must prevent ponding, with falls around 1:80 to the drainage point.
Cited in Bathroom Layouts & Planning, How Much Does a Bathroom Renovation Cost? (UK), Wet Room Tanking & Waterproofing, Wet Room vs Bathroom: Costs, Pros & Cons.
- very strong RN-QD1SFF cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Table 1.1 sets minimum intermittent extract rates: kitchen with a cooker hood extracting outside 30 l/s, kitchen without one 60 l/s, utility room 30 l/s, bathroom 15 l/s, sanitary accommodation 6 l/s. Extract terminals and fans other than cooker hoods should be as high as practicable and no more than 400mm below the ceiling; a cooker hood should sit between 650mm and 750mm above the hob if the manufacturer gives no figure. Table 1.7 requires background ventilators of at least 8000mm2 equivalent area in habitable rooms and kitchens for a dwelling, 10,000mm2 for a single-storey dwelling. Background ventilators should be at least 1700mm above floor level and at least 500mm from a fan in the same room. On replacement windows, paragraph 3.14 says new windows must carry background ventilators no smaller than the originals, and paragraph 3.15 gives the fallback minimums where the old size is unknown: 8000mm2 habitable rooms, 8000mm2 kitchen, 4000mm2 bathroom. Paragraph 3.32 confirms that replacing an extractor fan or cooker hood on existing cabling is not notifiable.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, All You Need To Know About Double Glazing Repairs, Annexe & Granny Flat: Cost, Planning & Rules, Basement & Cellar Conversions: Cost and 57 more.
- very strong RN-NUBKZ8 cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The 2026 edition of Approved Document F Volume 1, supporting Requirement F1 and regulations 39, 40C, 42 and 44. It takes effect on 24 March 2027 in England for building work not connected with higher-risk building work, and on 24 September 2027 for work in connection with higher-risk building work, with transitional arrangements in Circular Letter 01/2026. The extract rates are unchanged from the 2021 edition: paragraph 1.13 requires extract to outside in kitchens, utility rooms, bathrooms and sanitary accommodation, and Table 1.1 keeps 30 l/s for a kitchen with a cooker hood extracting outside, 60 l/s where there is no hood or the hood does not extract outside, and 30 l/s for a utility room. Paragraph 1.16 keeps extract terminals within 400 mm of the ceiling and 1.17 keeps the cooker hood 650 to 750 mm above the hob. Paragraph 1.11 states background ventilator sizes are given as an equivalent area in mm2, not free area, measured to BS EN 13141-1, and 1.12 requires that equivalent area to be marked visibly from inside.
Cited in Trickle Vents & Background Ventilation.
- very strong RN-YAW64M cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Requirement G3(4) states the hot water supply to any fixed bath must be designed so the water delivered to that bath cannot exceed 48 degrees C; paragraph 3.65 says this is achieved with an in-line blending valve or other temperature control device with a maximum temperature stop, and 3.66 accepts valves to BS EN 1111:1999 or BS EN 1287:1999 that fail safe. G3(3) requires unvented storage vessels to prevent stored water exceeding 100 degrees C and to convey safety discharge somewhere visible and safe. Regulation 36 and Requirement G2 cap potential consumption in a new dwelling at 125 litres per person per day, or the optional 110 litres per person per day where a planning condition specifies it; G2 applies only to dwellings erected or formed by material change of use. Sections G4 sanitary conveniences, G5 bathrooms and G6 food preparation areas set scale of provision.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, Basins & Vanity Units: A Buyer's Guide, Bathroom Layouts & Planning, Boiler Replacement & Central Heating Costs (UK) and 7 more.
- very strong RN-XH6E39 cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The standard that decides whether a loft ladder is legal and when a raised deck needs a balustrade. Published 3 January 2013, it covers protection from falling, collision and impact including stairs, ladders, ramps, guarding and vehicle barriers. Paragraph 1.31 states that retractable ladders must not be used as a means of escape. Paragraph 1.32 permits a fixed ladder, with fixed handrails on both sides, only for access in a loft conversion containing one habitable room, and only where there is not enough space without altering the existing space for a compliant stair, which is the rule that catches most loft ladder installations. Paragraph 1.29 restricts alternating tread stairs to loft conversions. For a private stair the maximum pitch is 42 degrees (Table 1.1 note 1), the normal relationship between rise and going is twice the rise plus the going between 550mm and 700mm, and for dwellings external tapered steps forming part of the building need a going of at least 280mm. Paragraph 3.1 requires guarding wherever it is reasonably necessary for safety at the edge of a floor, gallery, balcony, roof, light well, basement or similar sunken area. Paragraph 3.2 requires guarding to be at least the height in Diagram 3.1, allows any wall, parapet or balustrade to serve as guarding, and requires it to resist the loads in BS EN 1991-1-1 with its UK National Annex and PD 6688-1-1, with BS 6180 for barrier and infill panel design. Handrails should be positioned 900mm to 1000mm from the pitch line or floor.
Cited in All You Need To Know About Double Glazing Repairs, Basement & Cellar Conversions: Cost, Basement Conversion Cost & Feasibility (UK), Bifold Doors: Cost, Sizes & Alternatives and 56 more.
- very strong RN-5IVIKF cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Paragraph 1645 of the M4(2) guidance requires a minimum 1,200 mm clear space in front of and between all kitchen units and appliances in living, kitchen and eating areas. Wall switches, socket outlets, stopcocks and controls must have their centre line between 450 mm and 1,200 mm above floor level (Diagram 1.5), consumer units are mounted with switches 1,350 to 1,450 mm above floor level, and boiler timer controls and thermostats between 900 mm and 1,200 mm. Communal approach routes and flights need a minimum clear width of 1,200 mm and every landing a minimum 1,200 mm clear of any door swing. Handrail guidance is measured 450 mm above the pitch line of the treads.
Cited in Bathroom Layouts & Planning, Bathroom Storage Solutions, Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout, Creating a Downstairs Toilet: Cost & Rules and 16 more.
- very strong RN-JYJ3I5 cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The document that decides what electrical work a homeowner may legally do themselves, and the exact list of notifiable jobs. Regulation 12(6A), reproduced at paragraph 2.5, makes only three things notifiable: the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. Regulation 12(9) defines special location as, in a room containing a bath or shower, the zone extending vertically from finished floor level to 2.25 metres (or the shower head position if higher) and horizontally 600mm from the edge of the bath tub or shower tray. Paragraph 2.7 states that all other electrical installation work is not notifiable, namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere. Paragraph 2.8 gives worked examples: a built-in cooker is not notifiable unless a new cooker circuit is needed, and connecting an electric gate or garage door to an existing isolator is not notifiable but running a new circuit from the consumer unit to that isolator is. Paragraph 2.2 confirms Part P reaches outdoor work including fixed garden lighting, pond pumps and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and domestic greenhouses. Notifiable work must be certified by self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification, or a building control body (paragraph 3.1), with the compliance certificate issued within 30 days (paragraph 3.4). Note that Approved Document P is a source of guidance rather than a ban: non-notifiable work still has to comply with BS 7671.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, Adding Plug Socket Room Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Annexe & Granny Flat: Cost, Planning & Rules, Awning Installation Cost: Patio & Garden Awnings and 114 more.
- very strong RN-8TQQJJ cited
Ofwat
The water regulator's guide to who maintains which pipes. It says householders are responsible for drains up to the public sewer, which since the 2011 transfer is usually the property boundary.
- very strong RN-LIQ6ZI cited
Scottish Government (gov.scot)
Scotland's ventilation guidance under the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, and the source for extract rates north of the border. Clause 3.14.3 sets mechanical extraction of at least 30 litres per second intermittent above a hob, or at least 60 litres per second intermittent if elsewhere, for a kitchen; at least 30 litres per second intermittent for a utility room; at least 15 litres per second intermittent for a bathroom; and at least 3 air changes per hour for a toilet. Clause 3.14.1 states there is no need to ventilate a room with a floor area of not more than 4 square metres, expressly excluding a domestic sized kitchen or utility room. Clause 3.14.5 covers spaces designated for drying washing, which need either mechanical extraction of at least 15 litres per second intermittent with the fan connected through a humidistat set to activate when relative humidity is between 50 and 65 per cent, or a passive stack system. Trickle ventilator areas assume infiltration of 5 to 10 m3/h/m2 at 50 Pa; below 5 the tabulated areas may not suffice and an alternative strategy is needed, and where a trickle ventilator is ducted the recommended areas should be doubled. Where an extract fan is fitted in a building containing an open-flued combustion appliance, extract rates should be reduced, referring to Standard 3.17 and OFTEC Technical Book 3.
Cited in Trickle Vents & Background Ventilation.
- very strong RN-9D70L2 cited
The National Archives
The statutory repairing covenant implied into short residential leases, covering drains and installations for sanitation including sanitary conveniences.
Cited in How to Unblock Toilet.
- very strong RN-H7BSJ6 cited
The National Archives
The water fittings requirements for WCs: no single flush over 6 litres, and on a dual-flush device the lesser flush no more than two-thirds of the largest.
Cited in Smart Toilet Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-MY6E6E cited
The National Archives
Schedule 2 to the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which applies in England and Wales. It caps WC flush volumes and requires backflow prevention on every water system.
Cited in Bathroom Layouts & Planning, Baths Compared: Freestanding, Inset & Shower Baths, Cost of a New Bathroom (Full Breakdown), Fixing a Running or Leaking Toilet and 7 more.
- very strong RN-WKDENH cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Section 2(2) lists the building owner's rights over a party structure: (a) underpin, thicken or raise; (b) make good, repair or rebuild a defective party structure; (c) to (e) demolish and rebuild non-conforming partitions, connected buildings and party structures of insufficient strength or height; (f) to cut into a party structure for any purpose, which may include inserting a damp proof course; (g) to cut away a footing, projecting chimney breast, jamb, flue or other projection to enable a wall to be built; (h) to cut away overhanging parts of an adjoining building; (j) insert flashings; (k) execute incidental works; (l) raise or rebuild a party fence wall; (m) reduce wall heights; (n) expose a previously enclosed party wall. Paragraph (f) is the one that catches chasing or breaking through a shared wall for pipework, which makes it party wall work requiring a party structure notice.
Cited in Building Regs for Loft Conversions: Homeowner Checklist, Cellar Tanking & Waterproofing, Chimney Repair, Removal & Flashing Costs, Do You Need Planning Permission for an Extension? and 13 more.
- very strong RN-HUA3K9 cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Lists the building work that is not notifiable. Paragraph 1(j) is the sanitary one: replacing a sanitary convenience with one that uses no more water than the one it replaces, a washbasin, sink or bidet, a fixed bath, a shower, a rainwater gutter or a rainwater downpipe, in each case where the work does not include any work to underground drainage. Installing a new WC, as opposed to replacing one, therefore stays notifiable, and so does any replacement that touches underground drainage or uses more water. The Schedule also covers replacement of non-structural windows in certain circumstances and various electrical and heating replacements, all subject to the work not prejudicing health or safety.
Cited in Install A Macerating Toilet Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-SR05VT cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
The paragraph that fixes toilet flush volumes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the one people misquote. Every WC pan must be supplied with water from a flushing cistern, a pressure flushing cistern or a pressure flushing valve, and must clear its contents effectively with a single flush. No flushing device installed for use with a WC pan may give a single flush of more than 6 litres, with a transitional allowance of 7.5 litres that ran only until 1 January 2001, and a separate transitional route for replacing a cistern installed before 1 July 1999. Where a device can deliver more than one flush volume, the smaller flush must not be less than two thirds of the largest, which is why a genuine dual flush is 6 and 4 litres rather than 6 and 3. Flushing cisterns must be clearly marked with their flush volume, and a device offering variable volumes must carry visible instructions for its operation. A pressure flushing valve must be fitted with a backflow prevention device positioned at least 300 mm above the spillover level of the pan.
- very strong RN-IKLPS9 cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), UK Statutory Instrument 1999/1148
The exact list of plumbing work that must be notified to the water undertaker, with its consent obtained, before it begins. Regulation 5(1) requires notice, consent not to be unreasonably withheld, and compliance with any conditions. The Table item 4 covers installing: (a) a bath over 230 litres measured to the centre line of overflow; (b) a bidet with ascending spray or flexible hose; (c) a single shower unit of a type specified by the regulator connected directly or indirectly to a supply pipe; (d) a pump or booster drawing more than 12 litres per minute connected directly or indirectly to a supply pipe; (e) reverse osmosis; (f) a water treatment unit producing waste water; (g) an RPZ valve or other device for fluid category 4 or 5; (h) a garden watering system not operated by hand; (i) any water system laid outside a building less than 750mm or more than 1350mm below ground. Item 5 covers construction of a pond or swimming pool over 10,000 litres designed to be replenished by automatic means from a water undertaker's supply. Regulation 5(2) exempts approved contractors for items 2, 4(b) and 4(g).
Cited in Pond Fibreglassing Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Rain Shower Price Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-4MRYEN cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), UK Statutory Instrument 1999/1148
The substantive requirements every water fitting in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must meet, and the source of several hard numbers. Paragraph 25(d) caps a single flush from a WC flushing device at 6 litres (7.5 litres under the transitional wording at paragraph 25 as originally applied). Paragraph 17 requires safety devices on every unvented water heater other than an instantaneous heater of 15 litres capacity or less, and on every secondary coil in a primary system. Paragraph 23(1) requires a temperature relief valve or combined temperature and pressure relief valve on every unvented hot water storage vessel with a capacity greater than 15 litres. Paragraph 5 requires every fitting to withstand an internal pressure of not less than 1.5 times its maximum design pressure. Water efficiency limits are also fixed here: 27 litres per kilogram of washload for domestic horizontal axis washing machines on a standard 60 degrees C cotton cycle, 48 litres per kilogram for washer driers, and 4.5 litres per place setting for domestic dishwashers.
Cited in Outdoor Kitchens: Cost & Planning, Toilets Explained: Close-Coupled, Wall-Hung & Rimless, Unblocking Toilet Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-KXCXCY cited
Welsh Government (gov.wales)
WALES. First published 3 April 2017, last updated 7 April 2026. Wales publishes its own Approved Document F, and the page carries the current volume 1 for dwellings (910 KB PDF) and volume 2 for buildings other than dwellings, plus replacement volumes that TAKE EFFECT ON 4 MARCH 2027, the same changeover date as the Welsh Approved Document L and distinct from England's 24 March 2027. Welsh Part F diverged from England's when England issued its 2021 edition alongside Part L and Part O, so extract rates and background ventilator provisions for a Welsh bathroom, kitchen or loft conversion should be taken from this document rather than from England's Approved Document F.
Cited in Trickle Vents & Background Ventilation.
- strong RN-0NVN0R cited
BSI
Part 4 of the BS 5385 tiling series and the part that governs wet areas, which is the standard a wet room specification should name. Published 31 Oct 2015 and current. It gives recommendations for design and installation of ceramic and mosaic wall and floor tiling where there are specific functional requirements such as sterile conditions, specific environmental requirements such as wet areas, or potentially detrimental conditions such as chemical attack on either the installation or the background. It covers choice of materials, application practice and the design of backgrounds and structural bases, and augments Parts 1 (internal walls), 2 (external walls), 3 (internal and external floors) and 5 (terrazzo, natural and agglomerated stone).
Cited in Cost to Tile a Bathroom, Floor Tiles: Porcelain vs Ceramic vs Stone.
- strong RN-XEZK0G cited
BSI
BS 6465-2:2017, in effect 31 July 2017, prepared by Technical Committee B/209 General building codes, current. It supersedes BS 6465-2:1996, which is withdrawn. It gives recommendations for the space required around all sanitary appliances so they are convenient in use and can be maintained and cleaned, which is the source for activity space and clearance dimensions in front of a WC, basin, bath and shower. It is one of a suite of four: Part 1 scales of provision, Part 3 selection and installation, Part 4 public toilets. As a code of practice its recommendations are guidance rather than specification, so a claim should be worded as recommended clearance, not a legal minimum.
Cited in Bathroom Layouts & Planning.
- strong RN-UTBMKQ cited
BSI
The current edition of the UK waterproofing code, published 31 March 2022, superseding BS 8102:2009. It gives recommendations and guidance on dealing with and preventing the entry of water from external sources into structures partly or wholly below ground, and it recognises three types of protection which a specification must name: Type A waterproofing barrier materials applied to the structure, Type B structurally integral watertight construction, and Type C drained cavity construction. It requires the waterproofing strategy to be set at the earliest planning and design stage, covering structural design, overall weatherproofing design, waterproofing design, construction sequencing and buildability, and it treats external drainage and openings as part of the strategy rather than as details. It also sets out evaluation of groundwater conditions, consideration of harmful ground gases, and the risk assessment that drives the choice of grade. Descriptors include basements, tanking, vapour barriers, render, ground-water drainage and site investigations. This is the standard to cite for a basement shower room or a below-ground floor build-up.
Cited in Basement & Cellar Conversions: Cost, Basement Conversion Cost & Feasibility (UK), Build Basement Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Cellar Tanking & Waterproofing and 3 more.
- strong RN-TL1I4R cited
BSI
BS EN 12004-1:2017, published 28 February 2017, committee B/539, prepared by CEN/TC 67 Ceramic tiles, current; it supersedes BS EN 12004:2007+A1:2012. The scope covers three types of ceramic tile adhesive: cementitious for internal and external installations, and dispersion and reaction resin for internal installations only, on walls and floors. It gives the terminology for the products, working methods and application properties, specifies the performance requirements and the appurtenant test methods, the assessment and verification of constancy of performance, and the classification, designation and marking of tile adhesives, which is where the C, D and R type letters and class numbers on a bag of adhesive come from. It expressly does not provide criteria or recommendations for the design and installation of ceramic tiles, which is BS 5385. It notes tile adhesives may also be used for natural and agglomerated stones if they do not adversely affect the material. BS EN 12004-2:2017 gives the test methods.
Cited in Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout, Grab Adhesive & Construction Adhesives, How to Tile a Wall or Floor, Tile Adhesive & Grout Explained and 2 more.
- strong RN-330XDS cited
BSI
BSI catalogue entry for BS EN 15570. It confirms the standard's title and scope: strength and durability testing of furniture hinges, not soft-close performance as such.
Cited in Bathroom Storage Solutions.
- strong RN-G3S6FT cited
BSI
BSI's catalogue page for BS EN 15651-3; it confirms the standard exists, is current, and covers sealants for joints in bathrooms, showers and kitchens.
Cited in How to Seal Shower Screen.
- strong RN-445W51 cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The accessibility code of practice that Approved Document M sits alongside. Paywalled, so only the catalogue page is public; it confirms BS 8300-2:2018, published 31 January 2018, status Current, and that it is part 2 of a two-part standard, with BS 8300-1:2018 (also published 31 January 2018, also Current) covering the external environment including parking, setting-down points, access routes and approaches to entrances. Part 2 covers external features affecting external access routes, and building interiors including entrances, reception facilities, horizontal and vertical movement and building facilities. Crucially for a home renovation note, the catalogue page states plainly that BS 8300-2 does NOT apply to individual dwellings; its residential scope is nursing, residential and care homes, student accommodation and the COMMON PARTS of blocks of flats. It also confirms the recommendations apply largely to new buildings but can be used to assess and improve existing ones, and that the extent to which they apply to listed and historic buildings is decided case by case.
Cited in Bathroom Storage Solutions, Choosing Paint Colours: A Practical Guide.
- strong RN-P0GUEN cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The British Standard for rainwater harvesting, the reference a note on collecting and reusing rainwater needs. Published 31 Jan 2009 and withdrawn 19 Jul 2018, so cite it as the established code rather than a current one. Its scope gives recommendations on the design, installation, testing and maintenance of rainwater harvesting systems supplying non-potable water in the UK. It covers systems supplying water for domestic uses in residential, commercial, industrial or public premises that do not require potable water quality, and it names those uses explicitly as laundry, WC flushing and garden watering. That scope is the key point for a homeowner: harvested rainwater is fluid category 5 under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and must not be connected to drinking or washing supplies, so the standard's non-potable limitation is a legal boundary as well as a design one.
Cited in Rainwater Harvesting Systems.
- strong RN-VKPEGH cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 12150-1:2015+A1:2019 was published 31 May 2019 and supersedes BS EN 12150-1:2015, which had itself replaced BS EN 12150-1:2000. It establishes tolerances, flatness, edgework, fragmentation and the physical and mechanical characteristics of monolithic flat thermally toughened soda lime silicate safety glass for use in buildings. Curved toughened glass is described in Annex A but is not part of the standard, and glass built into laminated or insulating glass units, or coated after toughening, falls under the relevant assembly product standard instead. Part 2 (BS EN 12150-2) covers evaluation of conformity. The catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
Cited in Splashbacks: Glass, Tile & Stone Options, Worktop Edges, Upstands & Splashbacks.
- strong RN-OPTOJC cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 12600:2002 was published 9 January 2003 and is the pendulum impact test that classifies flat glass products into three principal classes by performance under impact and by mode of breakage, the classification that Approved Document K uses for critical locations in glazing. The class code is a three part designation of the form Class 1(B)1 or 2(B)2, where the first figure is the drop height passed, the letter the mode of breakage and the last figure the highest class achieved. The stated purpose is increasing personal safety by reducing cutting and piercing injuries and by assessing containment. It does not cover application requirements or durability, and it superseded the old British test BS 6206:1981, which used classes A, B and C, so a note quoting BS 6206 class A glass is quoting a superseded classification. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
Cited in Rooflights & Skylights: Materials & Types, Windows and Doors: The Complete UK Guide (2026).
- strong RN-623IHB cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The product standard for shower enclosures and screens, the counterpart to BS EN 14527 for trays. Published 30 Nov 2018, current but under review. It specifies characteristics for shower enclosures for domestic purposes which ensure the product gives satisfactory performance when used as intended and installed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions, with domestic purposes defined to include hotels, student accommodation, hospitals and similar buildings except where special medical provisions are required. Two exclusions are worth citing in a buying guide: it does not apply to shower cabinets or curtains, and it does not specify aesthetic or dimensional characteristics, so enclosure sizes are a manufacturer choice rather than standardised, which is why replacement glass rarely fits an existing frame from another brand.
Cited in Shower Enclosures & Trays: Sizes & Cost.
- strong RN-0BO72H cited
BSI Knowledge
Published 15 September 2000 and current. This is the standard behind soil and waste pipe sizing and layout inside a house, and the document that replaced the withdrawn BS 5572 code of practice for sanitary pipework on the same date. It applies to wastewater drainage systems operating under gravity in dwellings and in commercial, institutional and industrial buildings, and sets out the principles to be followed for both layout and calculation of sanitary pipework, with only limited provisions for trade effluent and pumped fluids. It sits alongside BS EN 12056-1 for general and performance requirements, -3 for roof drainage, -4 for wastewater lifting plants and -5 for installation, testing and maintenance. Cite it, with Approved Document H, when a note gives soil stack or branch waste pipe diameters, trap seal depths or branch gradients.
Cited in Install A Macerating Toilet Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- strong RN-YWX7VM cited
BSI Knowledge
BSI catalogue page for BS EN 14411:2016, published 31 July 2016, status Current, Under Review; supersedes BS EN 14411:2012, which is Withdrawn. The standard defines terms and specifies characteristics for ceramic tiles including mosaics (any piece fitting into a 49 cm2 square) produced by extrusion or dry pressing, for internal and external floors including stairs and for walls. It classifies tiles into groups by two parameters: forming method, group A extruded and group B dry-pressed, and water absorption level, which is where the BIa to BIII designations on a porcelain or ceramic tile data sheet come from. It sets the level of requirements for those characteristics, references the test methods, and covers assessment and verification of constancy of performance, designation and marking. It expressly does not apply to mesh-backed products, ceramic trims and accessories, tiles made by processes other than extrusion or dry pressing, dry-pressed unglazed tiles with water absorption above 10 per cent, external road finishes, or ceiling finishes. 2016 changes include a new Clause 6 on AVCP and the exclusion of decorative pieces and mesh-backed products.
Cited in Bathroom Tiles: Types, Cost & Layout.