Renovation
189 sources in the library on renovation, 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 2 of 5.
- very strong RN-XHATOQ cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), Scottish Statutory Instruments
SCOTLAND, latest revised version with no outstanding effects, and several of these contradict England. Type 20 makes a door, window or rooflight warrant-exempt EVEN WHERE THE FRAME IS REPLACED, so a Scottish window replacement needs no building warrant and no FENSA or Certass notification, unlike England where replacing a window is notifiable building work; it must still meet the regulations, including the 1.4 W/m2K or WER Band B standard. Type 19 exempts open raised external decking unless it is at a height of more than 1.2 metres. Type 21 exempts a paved area or hardstanding unless it exceeds 200 SQUARE METRES or forms part of a required access, a far more generous threshold than England's 5 square metre front garden rule. Type 22 exempts extra-low voltage electrical installations not exceeding 50 volts AC or 120 volts DC. Type 24 exempts like-for-like replacement of fittings including sanitary facilities, rainwater gutters and downpipes, solid fuel appliances, electrical fixtures, ventilation fans and kitchen fitments, but expressly NOT doors, windows or rooflights, nor oil or gas fired boilers. Type 25 exempts like-for-like replacement of flooring, lining, cladding, covering or rendering internally or externally. All are conditional on the work meeting the relevant requirements of the regulations.
Cited in Replacing Misted Double Glazing: 2026 UK Cost Guide.
- very strong RN-NUL2UK cited
Welsh Government (gov.wales)
WALES. The Welsh Government publishes its own Approved Documents, and this collection page, last updated 19 June 2025, lists them with their current dates so the right edition can be cited: A structure 3 April 2017, B fire safety 19 June 2025, C site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture 3 April 2017, D toxic substances 3 April 2017, E resistance to the passage of sound 13 April 2022, F ventilation 7 April 2026, G sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency 10 May 2023, H drainage and waste disposal 3 April 2017, J combustion appliances 6 January 2025, K protection from falling 19 March 2025, L conservation of fuel and power 7 April 2026, M access 20 March 2025, N glazing 5 April 2017, O overheating, P electrical safety, Q security and R volumes 1 and 2. Wales still has a live Approved Document N on glazing safety, opening and cleaning, which England withdrew in 2013 when its content moved into Part K, so an England-based note that says Part N no longer exists is wrong for Wales.
- very strong RN-CY8PF5 cited
Welsh Government (gov.wales)
WALES. Loft insulation must meet the minimum energy efficiency values in the Welsh Approved Documents, and where that upgrade is not technically or functionally feasible the element must instead be upgraded to the best standard achievable within a simple payback of no greater than 15 years. Installing loft insulation as part of a roof renovation where MORE THAN 25 PER CENT OF THE ROOF is being renewed triggers the full Approved Document standard, the Welsh version of the renovation of a thermal element trigger. The guidance warns against blocking ventilation at the eaves. Read alongside Table 4.1 of the Welsh Approved Document L Volume 1, which sets 0.13 W/m2K for roofs in both new and existing dwellings.
Cited in Insulation: The Complete Guide.
- strong locally RN-3GGV41 cited
Chesterfield Borough Council
Council home energy advice page on insulation. It gives 270 mm as the recommended loft insulation depth, the benchmark the bullet uses for a thinly insulated loft.
Cited in Underfloor Heating: Costs, Types & Is It Worth It?.
- strong locally RN-4UEJ0T cited
Chichester District Council
Chichester District Council's building control fee schedule. Its building notice column charges £841 plus VAT for electrical work where the installer cannot provide certification, a named example of a council-set fee.
Cited in Underfloor Heating: Costs, Types & Is It Worth It?.
- strong locally RN-P9Y8Z3 cited
Runnymede Borough Council
Council guidance on home energy measures explaining that houses built after the 1920s are likely to have cavity walls, while older houses are more likely to have solid walls.
Cited in Renovating a 1930s House.
- strong RN-JJCK5N cited
BSI
STATUS: CURRENT. BS 6576:2005+A1:2012, published 16 November 2005 with the A1 amendment in 2012, is the code of practice for diagnosing rising damp in walls of existing buildings and for installing chemical damp-proof courses. It covers chemical treatment of rising damp in solid walls, cavity walls (unfilled or filled) and random rubble-filled walls, and sets out the essential precautions and procedures for installing a chemical DPC. It excludes walls where treatment is inappropriate, such as stud walls, and walls below ground or under hydrostatic pressure, which go to BS 8102. This is the standard to cite for an injected DPC: BS 8215:1991, the code usually quoted, expressly does not cover the installation of chemical DPCs and points here instead.
Cited in Efflorescence & White Staining on Brick.
- 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-IKHYR0 cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The residential fire safety code of practice that professionals use as the alternative to the Approved Document B route, described by BSI as the UK most widely used fire safety standard. Paywalled, so only the catalogue page is public; it confirms the current edition is BS 9991:2024, page-dated 24 September 2025, status Current, and that it superseded BS 9991:2015, which was withdrawn on 21 November 2024, which in turn superseded BS 9991:2011, withdrawn 31 October 2015. Scope for the 2024 edition covers dwellings (single-family houses, self-contained flats or maisonettes), blocks of flats, residential accommodation blocks with individual bedrooms and kitchen or sanitary facilities, specialized housing and care homes. Care homes are new to the 2024 scope: the 2011 edition expressly excluded residential care and nursing homes. The earlier editions confirm the standard applies not only to new buildings but to material alterations, extensions and material changes of use of an existing building, which is why it is cited on loft conversions and flat conversions, and that it complements BS 9999, the equivalent code for non-residential buildings. The 2015 edition renamed sheltered and extra care housing as specialized housing and added expanded recommendations for escape from basements, lifts, power supplies, cluster accommodation and management of additional needs and disabilities.
Cited in PIR vs Mineral Wool Insulation Compared.
- strong RN-JXKEH0 cited
HETAS
HETAS's consumer page on chimney sweeps. It describes the HETAS Approved Sweep scheme for solid fuel appliances and lets householders search for a registered sweep.
Cited in Restoring Period Features.
- strong RN-2GJ4CO cited
MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme)
The MCS guide used by certified installers to size heat emitters for heat pumps. It states that a heat pump operates more efficiently at lower emitter temperatures, which is why low-temperature UFH suits it.
Cited in Underfloor Heating: Costs, Types & Is It Worth It?.
- strong RN-2WKL0U cited
NICEIC
NICEIC's householder guide to EICRs: no legal duty for owner-occupiers, but an inspection at least every 10 years is recommended, and what the report involves.
Cited in Heating, Plumbing & Electrics: Complete Guide, Renovating a 1930s House.
- strong RN-TEVT92 cited
RICS
RICS consumer guide to damp and mould. It warns against diagnosis by damp meter alone and recommends an independent inspection that complies with the 2022 Joint Position Statement.
- strong RN-TNE6RS cited
RICS, Historic England and Property Care Association
The joint RICS, Historic England and PCA position statement on investigating damp. It warns that salts can distort resistance meter readings and lists gravimetric analysis and gas-carbide meters among the methods an investigator should know.
- strong RN-80KIOM cited
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
RICS description of the Level 3 home survey service: a thorough inspection and detailed report on condition, hidden defects, their probable causes and, where agreed, repair costs.
- strong RN-25YUC4 cited
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The RICS professional statement that defines the three survey levels a homebuyer is offered, and the standard a note should cite instead of describing surveys loosely. Page updated 17 June 2026. The 1st edition was published in 2019 and became effective in 2021; it sets mandatory requirements for RICS members and regulated firms in the UK delivering residential property surveys, and it replaced and harmonised the earlier RICS residential survey publications. It defines four report products, RICS Home Survey Level 1, Level 2 (survey only), Level 2 (survey and valuation) and Level 3, and a member needs a Home Surveys Licence to produce any of them. The old report formats were permitted only during a transition period from 1 March to 31 August 2021, and the new reports have been mandatory since 1 September 2021. The standard is currently under review: a public consultation on a 2nd edition ran from 19 August to 14 October 2025, informed by a survey of 325 members and a UK consumer survey of over 1,400 homeowners, with proposed changes covering AI and drone or camera-pole technology, greater clarity on survey levels, optional valuation at all levels, guidance for additional risk dwellings, and retrofit assessments. RICS states members should continue to use the 1st edition until the 2nd edition takes full effect, so any note dating the change should say the 2nd edition is not yet in force.
- strong RN-K45EY4 cited
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The rulebook behind every professional cost per square metre figure, and free to download as a PDF from RICS, which makes it directly citable rather than paraphrased. NRM 1 is issued by the RICS Quantity Surveying and Construction Professional Group as one of a suite of three (NRM 1 order of cost estimating and cost planning, NRM 2 detailed measurement for building works, NRM 3 order of cost estimating and elemental cost planning for building maintenance works), all reissued in October 2022 as practice information having been published in October 2021 as guidance notes, with no material change to content. NRM 1 covers quantification of building works for cost estimates and cost plans, and also how to quantify the items that are not measurable building work: preliminaries, overheads and profit, project team and design team fees, risk allowances, inflation, and other development and project costs. It sets out the floor area method for order of cost estimates and defines the terms a note should use precisely: cost per m2 of gross internal floor area (cost/m2 of GIFA) is the unit rate which, when multiplied by the gross internal floor area, gives the total building works estimate, and gross internal floor area (GIFA, also gross internal area or GIA) is defined in Appendix A with reference to the latest edition of the RICS Code of Measuring Practice. It also distinguishes GEA (gross external area) and NIA (net internal area). This is the source to cite for why a cost per m2 figure is meaningless without stating which area basis it uses.
Cited in Quantity Surveyors for Homeowners: Do You Need One, Quote vs Estimate: What's the Difference.
- strong RN-3UXQIL cited
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The RICS scope table for a Level 1 survey, useful for a note explaining why the cheapest survey misses things. A Level 1 is a visual inspection less extensive than Level 2 or 3, with no tests of building fabric or services, no detailed advice on repairs, and RICS states it is better suited to conventionally built, modern dwellings in satisfactory condition. Concretely: windows are opened at a minimum of one on each elevation; in the roof space the member will NOT remove secured access panels or lift insulation, stored goods or other contents, and inspects only what can be seen from the access hatch; floors are inspected at the surface only with no lifting of carpets, floor coverings or floorboards, no moving of furniture and no hatch lifting or inverted head and shoulders inspection, although a heel-drop deflection test is still done; and inspection chamber covers to drains and septic tanks are NOT lifted. RICS advises the client to consider upgrading to Level 2 or 3 before the service is undertaken if more detailed advice is needed.
- strong RN-098KFI cited
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The RICS scope table for a Level 3 survey, which lets a note say exactly what the surveyor will and will not do rather than repeating marketing copy. For every level, the member inspects roof space no more than three metres above floor level using a ladder where safe and reasonable. At Level 3 specifically the member enters the roof space and visually inspects the roof structure, lifts small corners of thermal insulation to identify its thickness and type and the nature of the ceiling below, and repositions a small number of lightweight possessions where permission is given; attempts to open all windows where permission, keys and safety allow; lifts the corners of loose and unfitted floor coverings and assesses all floors for excessive deflection by a heel-drop test, carrying out an inverted head and shoulders subfloor inspection and entering the underfloor area where safe; lifts accessible inspection chamber covers to drains and septic tanks and observes the drains in normal use; visually inspects all visible parts of the service systems, operating a sample of lights and extractor fans and asking the occupier to operate the heating; and performs a comprehensive inspection of the grounds. Services are never tested, only observed in normal operation, and the member does not perform or comment on design calculations. Appendices A and B of the Home Survey Standard are the benchmark tables the levels are built from.
- strong RN-BNGAID cited
United Kingdom Accreditation Service
The live UKAS register of accredited bodies currently under sanction. It records the British Board of Agrement under imposed suspension from 26 February 2026 across all four of its accreditations: ISO/IEC 17065 product certification and ISO/IEC 17021 management systems under reference 0113, ISO/IEC 17020 inspection under 4345, and ISO/IEC 17025 testing under 0357. This is the page to check before repeating any advice that treats a BBA certificate as accredited third party assurance.
Cited in Breathable Membranes for Roofs & Walls, Damp Proof Membranes (DPM) & DPC: Types & Installation, EPC Ratings Explained & How to Improve Yours, External Wall Insulation (EWI) Systems & Finishes and 4 more.
- good RN-G85WBH cited
Property Care Association
The Property Care Association's homeowner guidance on basement waterproofing. It explains Type A tanking and Type C drained cavity systems, which collect water in a cavity and take it to a drain or sump.
Cited in Cellar Tanking & Waterproofing, Damp Proofing: Methods, Costs & When You Need It.
- good RN-DRQ3NZ cited
Property Care Association
The Property Care Association's guidance on damp proof courses. It states the good-practice minimum height of a damp proof course above external ground level.
- good RN-S8PJSQ cited
Property Care Association
The Property Care Association's guidance on contractor guarantees. It explains that an insurance-backed guarantee honours the installer's written guarantee if the contractor ceases to trade, and that PCA members' IBGs are issued through GPI.
Cited in Damp Proofing: Methods, Costs & When You Need It, DPC Injection vs Membrane for Rising Damp.
- good RN-KJ25R8 cited
Property Care Association
Property Care Association homeowner guidance on treating rising damp. It says salt-contaminated plaster is normally removed and reinstated with specially formulated salt-resistant plaster.
- good RN-0Y9W9P cited
Property Care Association
The Property Care Association's guidance on treating rising damp. It lists bridging by raised ground levels, render or cavity debris as causes, and explains capillary rise and salt accumulation.
Cited in DPC Injection vs Membrane for Rising Damp, Rising Damp vs Penetrating Damp: Causes & Fixes.
- good RN-RSPEYA cited
Property Care Association
The Property Care Association's professional guidance on structural waterproofing under BS 8102, including the 2022 revision. It explains Type A (tanked), Type B and Type C (drained cavity) protection and the grades of use.
Cited in Cellar Tanking & Waterproofing, Damp Proofing: Methods, Costs & When You Need It.
- good RN-EB3RPE cited
Property Care Association
Names the qualification a homeowner should ask a damp or waterproofing surveyor for, and expands the abbreviation that notes usually leave unexplained. CSSW is the Certificated Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing, described as a nationally recognised professional qualification for individuals diagnosing defects connected to water entering structures below ground level, and the industry benchmark for structural waterproofing professionals. Successful candidates receive the ABBE/PCA Level 3 Certificated Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing, awarded through ABBE, the Awarding Body for the Built Environment. The companion damp and timber qualification is CSTDB, Certificated Surveyor of Timber and Dampness in Buildings, which supersedes the older CSRT; the PCA pages for that one moved and returned 404 on 9 September 2026, so CSRT versus CSTDB still needs checking by hand.
Cited in Basement & Cellar Conversions: Cost, Basement Conversion Cost & Feasibility (UK), Efflorescence & White Staining on Brick.
- good RN-I1FTBR cited
Property Care Association
Property Care Association homeowner guidance on the signs of rising damp. It says the staining typically rises to about 1 metre above the skirting, with salt-stained plaster.
- good RN-NBGTE7 cited
Property Care Association
The trade association's guide to wood-boring beetles: deathwatch beetle leaves 3 mm flight holes and bun-shaped frass; smaller beetles leave smaller holes.
Cited in Reclaimed Materials: Buying & Using.
- good RN-777J8G cited
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)
SPAB's technical advice on lime, the binder used for mortars, plasters, renders and washes in nearly all old British buildings before the mid-19th century. Explains the lime cycle: quicklime is produced by heating limestone in a kiln, slaked lime is made by combining it with water to give a putty stored in tubs, a bagged hydrate powder, or a dry-slaked mix where the reaction takes place in sand, and lime-based products then harden by absorbing carbon dioxide and reverting to calcium carbonate, a process called carbonation. Sets out the two types used in conservation work: non-hydraulic lime from relatively pure limestone, classified CL under European standards, which hardens only by carbonation and is described as 'fat' when purest and 'lean' when less pure; and natural hydraulic lime from limestone containing reactive silica and aluminium impurities, which sets harder because calcium silicates and aluminates form in the presence of water. Notes that lime lets structures breathe and move gently, that building with lime is slow and demands skill, and that Portland cement, gypsum plaster and plastic paints can seriously harm historic fabric.
Cited in Cladding and Render: The Complete UK Guide (2026), Lime Plaster & Lime Mortar Explained, Renovating a Listed Building: Practical Guide, Repairing & Renewing Render.
- fair RN-CBC4YC cited
Electrical Safety First
Electrical Safety First's consumer answer on rewiring. It says there are no set rules on when to rewire, that old wiring is not necessarily unsafe, and advises inspection every 10 years (5 years when rented).
Cited in Cost to Rewire vs Repair Old Wiring, How Much Does Rewiring a House Cost? (UK), Signs You Need a Rewire.
- fair RN-0QLYEC cited
Electrical Safety First
Electrical Safety First home safety advice listing the visible signs of old or faulty electrics: round-pin sockets, braided flex to ceiling lights, sockets in skirting boards, burn marks and heat.
Cited in How Much Does Rewiring a House Cost? (UK), Signs You Need a Rewire.
- fair RN-9LGYH1 cited
National Gas
National Gas's history of the UK gas industry, including the move from manufactured town gas to North Sea natural gas and the 1967 to 1977 conversion of customers' appliances.
Cited in Renovating a 1930s House.
- fair RN-MKMAIM cited
UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks' page on domestic main fuse upgrades. It explains upgrading a 30 or 60 amp fuse to 80 or 100 amps for heat pumps and other new loads.
Cited in Boiler Replacement & Central Heating Costs (UK), EV Charger Installation at Home: Cost & Rules.
- supplier figure RN-S2AVNV cited
BAL Adhesives
Adhesive maker's technical guidance on calcium sulfate screeds. It gives the drying rule of thumb of about 1 mm a day to 40 mm at 20°C and 65% RH, slower for thicker screeds.
Cited in Structural Materials: The Complete Guide, Tiling a Floor Over Underfloor Heating: What to Know, Underfloor Heating: Costs, Types & Is It Worth It?.
- supplier figure RN-K61QUX cited
British Board of Agrément (issued to Safeguard Europe)
The independent BBA certificate for a silane/siloxane damp-proofing cream. It gives the expected drying time of a treated solid brick wall, the replastering requirements and the waiting period before replastering.
- supplier figure RN-MVUH0L cited
Conserv
A lime supplier's product page for a 25 kg bag of Secil NHL 3.5 at £16.95 plus VAT, about £20.34 with VAT, the top of the note's £14–£21 bag price.
Cited in Lime Plaster & Lime Mortar Explained.
- supplier figure RN-R5Z0OJ cited
Cornish Lime
A lime maker's product page for non-hydraulic lime putty. It states the putty is matured for at least four months before sale, which shows putty is aged before use rather than used soon after slaking.
Cited in Lime Plaster & Lime Mortar Explained.
- supplier figure RN-WT4REA cited
Dorton Reclaim
A reclamation yard's listing for reclaimed London yellow stock bricks at £1.90 plus VAT each (£2.28 including VAT), priced September 2026.
Cited in Reclaimed Materials: Buying & Using.
- supplier figure RN-TWMB6B cited
Homerads
Specialist retailer's product page reproducing Paladin's data for an 8-section 760 mm Piccadilly 2-column radiator: 923 W (3,148 BTU) at ΔT50.
Cited in Restoring Cast Iron Radiators.