References

Room by Room

91 sources in the library on room by room. 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 3.

1. very strong RN-7M23NG

   Building Control Northern Ireland

   Northern Ireland's conservatory and outbuilding exemptions, which are stricter than England's and must not be conflated with them. A conservatory is exempt only if built at ground level, under 30 square metres, glazed to Part V for safety glass, thermally separated from the dwelling, with not less than 75 per cent of the roof area and not less than 50 per cent of the wall area in translucent material, with the house heating or cooling system not extended into it and no fixed combustion or cooling appliance installed. A porch is exempt on similar terms with a floor area under 5 square metres. A small detached building is exempt if single storey, under 30 square metres, with no sleeping accommodation and substantially non-combustible; if built of combustible materials such as timber walls and felt roof it must be at least 1.0 m from the dwelling, the road and the boundary. Version dated June 2024.

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2. very strong RN-4ATLE5

   Building Control Northern Ireland (the 11 district councils)

   NORTHERN IRELAND. The Northern Ireland Building Regulations are made by the Department of Finance and administered by the 11 DISTRICT COUNCILS, so there is no private sector alternative: Northern Ireland has no approved inspectors and no registered building control approvers, and the England route of appointing a private building control body simply does not exist. The page lists the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 with the amending regulations of 2014, 2016 and 2022, and links the current and historical Technical Booklets plus the contraventions and appeals route. The regulations are intended to secure the safety, health, welfare and convenience of people in and around buildings and to further the conservation of fuel and energy. The site names all 11 councils including Belfast City, Derry City and Strabane, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Newry Mourne and Down, Mid Ulster and Fermanagh and Omagh.

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3. very strong RN-Y4IPA0

   Department of Finance (Northern Ireland)

   Northern Ireland's accessibility rules for a dwelling's sanitary provision, October 2012. Section 10 requires a water closet in the entrance storey, or the principal storey, reachable from the habitable rooms of that storey without negotiating a stair; where a bathroom exists on that storey the WC may sit inside it. Paragraph 10.2 requires a clear space of not less than 900 mm by 750 mm at the WC for a person with a disability, and allows the washbasin to project into that space provided it does not impede access; frontal access centres the space on the pan, oblique access offsets it towards the approach. Paragraph 10.4 requires the doorway to be positioned so a wheelchair user can reach the clear space and, for oblique access, that the door edge is not in front of or 250 mm behind the WC unless there is room to manoeuvre. Paragraph 10.5 requires the door to open outwards or not to impinge on the clear space at any point of its swing. Table 10.1 sets clear opening widths against circulation route width: 750 mm head on from a 900 mm route, 750 mm not head on from 1200 mm, 775 mm not head on from 1050 mm, 800 mm not head on from 900 mm. Section 11 covers socket outlet and switch heights.

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4. very strong RN-JHFWQB

   World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

   Published 15 October 2009, ISBN 9789289041737, the health-based benchmark for night-time noise that a soundproofing or acoustic glazing note can cite for what level of quiet is worth achieving. Using Lnight,outside as defined in the Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC, it sets an Lnight,outside of 40 dB as the target of the night noise guideline to protect the public including the most vulnerable groups, named as children, the chronically ill and the elderly. It recommends an Lnight,outside of 55 dB as an interim target for countries that cannot achieve the guideline in the short term and adopt a stepwise approach. The guidelines were agreed by a working group of experts with industry, government and non-governmental stakeholders in December 2006, and extend and update the WHO Guidelines for community noise of 1999.

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5. very strong RN-33L9HJ

   GOV.UK

   The council grant for adapting a home, and what work it can pay for. Eligibility covers physical disability, learning disability, age-related needs, autism, cognitive impairment such as dementia, a progressive condition such as motor neurone disease, terminal illness and mental health conditions. The listed works are wide enough to cover substantial building work: widening doors and installing ramps or grab rails, improving access to rooms and facilities with a stairlift or level access shower, improving access to the garden, building an extension such as a downstairs bedroom, providing a heating system suitable for the applicant's needs, and adapting heating or lighting controls. Confirms a Disabled Facilities Grant does not affect any other benefits the applicant receives.

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6. very strong RN-JPYSJ1

   GOV.UK

   Carries the maximum grant by nation, which differs across the UK and is the figure most articles quote wrongly. England up to 30,000 pounds, Wales up to 36,000 pounds, Northern Ireland up to 25,000 pounds, and in Scotland Disabled Facilities Grants are not available at all, with support instead provided through equipment and adaptations schemes. Some councils may give more. The award is means tested on household income and household savings over 6,000 pounds, but disabled children under 18 can get a grant without their parents' income being taken into account, and landlords can get one without their income and savings being assessed, though the council may require the property to be let to another disabled person if the tenant moves within 5 years. Warns that starting work before the council approves the application may mean no grant at all. Payment is either in instalments as work progresses or in full on completion, paid to the contractor directly or through the applicant, and where the applicant or a relative does the work the council will normally only accept invoices for materials or services bought.

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7. very strong RN-K69RBW

   GOV.UK / Valuation Office Agency

   States that you do not usually have to pay business rates for a home-based business if you use a small part of your home for the business, for example using a bedroom as an office, or if you sell goods by post. It sets out when you may have to pay business rates as well as council tax: where the property is part business and part domestic, for example living above a shop; where you sell goods or services to people who visit the property; where you employ other people to work at the property; or where you have made changes to your home for the business. It directs the reader to contact the Valuation Office to find out whether they should be paying business rates. This is the citation a home office or garden office note needs before it tells a reader to fit out a room for client visits.

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8. very strong RN-60960T

   Health and Safety Executive

   The regulator's position on a home office, which a note about converting a spare room or garden room for work should reflect. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations apply to workers who work at home permanently or long term and to those routinely splitting time between workplace and home, and a person is a DSE user if they work on display screen equipment daily for continuous periods of an hour or more. The regulations do not apply to occasional or short-period home use. Where they apply the employer must carry out a DSE assessment for individual workers, which can usually be a trained self-assessment without a home visit, must cover both home and office where both are used, and must be followed by risk reduction so far as reasonably practicable. It also notes workers may not need office furniture to achieve a comfortable sustainable posture, but their own equipment must be checked as suitable.

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9. very strong RN-YP8R7O

   HM Revenue and Customs

   The five conditions that must all be met for a sale to be free of Capital Gains Tax under Private Residence Relief, two of which renovation choices can break. You must have one home and have lived in it as your main home for the whole period of ownership; you must not have let part of it out, though having a lodger does not count; you must not have used part of the home exclusively for business purposes, and using a room as a temporary or occasional office expressly does not count as exclusive business use; the grounds including all buildings must be less than 5,000 square metres, just over an acre; and you must not have bought it just to make a gain. Where all apply the relief is automatic and no tax is due; where any fails there may be tax to pay. Married couples and civil partners can only count one property as their main home at any one time. The exclusive-business-use point is what a dedicated garden office or converted consulting room can trigger.

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10. very strong RN-M9H2XK

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Non-statutory guidance published 13 July 2026 and updated 31 July 2026 when the PDF was replaced by an HTML version, applying to England, issued as an annex to the Awaab's Law Phase 2 guidance for social landlords. Its key date is that Phase 2 of Awaab's Law comes into effect on 30 November 2026, which extends the duty beyond the damp and mould and emergency hazards of Phase 1 to a wider set of hazards. The document sets the thresholds a social landlord uses to triage each hazard, which is the practical test of whether a reported defect starts the statutory repair clock. Useful for distinguishing what social tenants can require of a landlord from what a private homeowner or private tenant can, since Awaab's Law applies to the social rented sector.

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11. very strong RN-0RWQTJ

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Statutory guidance published 23 June 2026, applying to England, issued under section 9 of the Housing Act 2004, which local authorities must have regard to when assessing hazards, and which replaces the previous operating guidance issued in 2006. The critical correction it carries is the hazard count: the HHSRS now covers 21 potential hazards, not the 29 in the 2006 guidance, and Part 2 contains a hazard profile for each of the 21. Confirms that a local authority must take enforcement action where it finds a category 1 hazard and has a power, not a duty, to enforce category 2 hazards. Issued in three parts: Part 1 an introductory guide (24 pages) on the theory, principles and assessment process; Part 2 a technical guide for assessors (174 pages) with the hazard profiles; Part 3 a supplementary guide to the hazard of fire and explosions (66 pages).

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12. very strong RN-XMTR5S

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The stable gov.uk landing page for Approved Document O, Overheating, 2021 edition, in force for England. It carries the free-area requirements a note would cite from Section 1: for cross-ventilated buildings the total minimum free area is the greater of 6% of floor area or 70% of glazing area in a high risk location, and the greater of 9% of floor area or 55% of glazing area in a moderate risk location (Table 1.3); without cross-ventilation it is the greater of 10% of floor area or 95% of glazing area (high risk) and 12% or 80% (moderate) (Table 1.4). Bedroom minimum free area is 13% of the room floor area in high risk locations and 4% in moderate. In high risk locations, glazing facing between north-east and north-west via south also needs shading by external shutters with ventilation, glazing with a maximum g-value of 0.4 and minimum light transmittance of 0.7, or overhangs with a 50 degree altitude cut-off on due south facades only; internal blinds, curtains and tree foliage may not be counted (paragraphs 2.8 and 2.9).

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13. very strong RN-ZM5DZM

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The landing page for the 2019 research, published 1 October 2019 and applying to England, hosting the 87 page 3.97 MB report. States the primary aim was to evaluate whether the ventilation provisions recommended in the 2010 edition of Approved Document F provide satisfactory indoor air quality in new homes, with a secondary aim of establishing the extent to which installed systems comply with the minimum ADF provisions. Its headline conclusion is the one to cite: the study found poor indoor air quality in a number of the monitored homes, and failure to meet indoor air quality indicators corresponded in all cases with failure to meet the ADF ventilation recommendations, so the shortfall lay in installation and commissioning rather than in the standard itself.

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14. very strong RN-W3L96O

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    An 87 page field study published 1 October 2019 measuring what installed ventilation actually delivers, and its numbers demolish the assumption that a new or upgraded system performs as designed. Of 25 homes visited with continuous mechanical extract, only one met Approved Document F guidance on both extract fan air flow rates and trickle ventilator provision, with whole dwelling extract flow rates in normal low-rate mode ranging from 85 per cent below to 8 per cent above the recommended rate. Only half the homes met the minimum trickle ventilator areas, ranging from 60 per cent below to 107 per cent above the recommended area. On two of three dMEV development sites trickle ventilators had been fitted in the same rooms as the extract fans, contrary to ADF guidance, which can stop fans drawing air through the whole house. On air quality: 11 per cent of the limited monitoring sample had a room where weekly average relative humidity exceeded the recommended monthly average, always the bedroom, and condensation or mould was reported in each such room; 30 per cent exceeded the derived carbon dioxide guideline in the bedroom; and 60 per cent of the detailed monitoring sample exceeded the ADF total volatile organic compound performance standard. Ventilation was found adequate for nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide but not for moisture, body odour and VOCs. Notes that Part F 2010 introduced a legal requirement to test and commission installed fans and for the installer to notify the building control body of commissioning and air flow rates.

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15. very strong RN-DIXAZ8

    Planning Portal

    The Planning Portal's working-from-home page for garden offices. It confirms that building regulations do not normally apply to a small detached building where the floor area is less than 15 square metres and it contains no sleeping accommodation, and states that the rules governing outbuildings apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages as well as garden offices. It carries the standard caveats that additional local rules may affect what permissions are needed and that the guidance relates to the planning regime for England only, which matters for a note aimed at readers across the UK.

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16. very strong RN-MX6K3L

    Planning Portal

    The four questions that decide whether a home office needs planning permission in England, and the answer a note should give instead of a flat yes or no. Permission is not required if no material change of use occurs, but it will probably be needed if the home will no longer be used mainly as a private residence, if the business causes a marked rise in traffic or callers, if it involves activities unusual in a residential area, or if it disturbs neighbours at unreasonable hours or creates nuisance such as noise or smells. Where there is doubt, the route is a Certificate of Lawful Use for the proposed activity, or an application to change the use. The page also notes that converting a box room, loft room or garage should be checked for natural light, desk space and connectivity, and points to the outbuildings rules for a garden office.

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17. very strong RN-RR0BKS

    Scottish Government

    The Scottish rules that fix how small a kitchen may lawfully be, which have no direct English equivalent. Standard 3.11 requires a kitchen to have space for a gas, electric or oil cooker, or a solid fuel cooker designed for continuous burning, plus kitchen storage of at least 1 cubic metre. Manoeuvring space within the kitchen must be a 1.5 m by 1.5 m square or an ellipse of 1.4 m by 1.8 m, with a clear entry space 1.1 m long by 800 mm wide and access at least 800 mm wide to controls. Activity spaces need at least 1.8 m headroom. An enhanced apartment must be at least 12 square metres with both length and width at least 3.0 m. Drying provision is 1.7 m of outdoor clothes line per bedroom where reasonably practicable, or an indoor space of at least 1 cubic metre with no dimension less than 700 mm. Sanitary fittings themselves are counted under standard 3.12, not here.

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18. very strong RN-O31MAS

    Scottish Government

    The 714-page handbook that carries Scotland's own numbers, which differ from England's. Table 4.3 sets private stair geometry at minimum rise 100 mm, maximum rise 220 mm, minimum going 225 mm, tread not less than the going and maximum pitch 42 degrees; Table 4.4 sets any other stair at maximum rise 170 mm, minimum going 250 mm and maximum pitch 34 degrees; going plus twice the rise must be between 550 mm and 700 mm, tapered treads at least 50 mm at the narrow end, a flight generally 3 to 16 rises. Table 4.5 puts effective width at 900 mm for a private stair, 800 mm where a continuous handrail is on both sides, 600 mm where it serves only sanitary accommodation or one room, and 1.0 m for any other stair, with stringer or newel projection no more than 30 mm. Clause 4.3.15 sets handrail height at 840 mm to 1.0 m above the pitch line, 4.3.16 headroom at 2.0 m, and 4.3.17 points spiral and helical stairs to BS 5395-2:1984. Table 5.1 sets separating element performance at 56 dB DnT,w airborne and 56 dB L'nT,w impact for new build, relaxed to 53 dB and 58 dB for conversions of traditional buildings.

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19. very strong RN-8T0SVC

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    Scotland's equivalent of the Approved Documents, and the reason a note that quotes only English rules is wrong for a fifth of the UK. This edition is in force from 6 April 2026 and applies to building warrants submitted on or after that date and to work not requiring a warrant commenced from that date. It gives guidance on achieving the standards set in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, arranged in sections rather than parts: section 3 environment (ventilation, drainage, condensation), section 4 safety (electrical safety and installations, glazing and danger from accidents, including clause 4.13 which invokes PAS 24 for security), section 6 energy (U-values for windows and doors) and section 7 sustainability. Scotland uses a building warrant and a completion certificate rather than a building notice, and has no Part P competent person scheme equivalent, so electrical work is covered by the warrant system instead.

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20. very strong RN-N71WWH

    Scottish Government Building Standards Division

    Scotland's own conservatory guidance, published 25 November 2015 as a 41 page PDF, giving guidance on meeting the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 as amended for simple conservatories built onto existing houses. A note that quotes the English 30 square metre building regulations exemption should flag that Scotland runs a separate warrant regime with its own conservatory rules, and point readers here. Issued by the Building Standards Division, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Livingston, telephone 0131 244 6511.

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21. very strong RN-9WXESB

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The private route that lets an individual go to the magistrates' court directly, without waiting for the council, when aggrieved by a statutory nuisance; in Scotland the equivalent is a summary application to the sheriff. If satisfied the nuisance exists, or that though abated it is likely to recur, the court must make an order requiring the defendant to abate it within a specified time and to execute any works necessary, or prohibiting recurrence, and may also impose a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale. Section 82(3) allows the court, where the nuisance makes premises unfit for human habitation, to prohibit their use for habitation until they are made fit. Section 82(4) fixes who is sued: normally the person responsible, but (b) where the nuisance arises from any defect of a structural character it is the owner of the premises, and (c) where the person responsible cannot be found, the owner or occupier. Section 82(5) makes each of several responsible persons liable even where their own contribution would not by itself be a nuisance.

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22. very strong RN-2Z6CJF

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    SI 1988/1324, the flammability regime that applies to the soft furnishings and any loose upholstered elements a fitted-furniture project buys in. It revoked the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations 1980 and its 1983 amendment and imposes requirements on new domestic furniture, including garden furniture that may be used indoors and furniture for use in caravans, subject to exceptions for certain furniture. Some requirements also apply to second-hand furniture, and the regulations do not apply to goods for export. The point for a note is that these regulations bite on furniture supplied in the course of a business, not on the building fabric.

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23. very strong RN-I5NTO7

    UK Health Security Agency

    UKHSA's cold weather health guidance, first published 2 November 2012 and last updated 28 April 2026, applying to England, reference GOV-15292. Establishes the alerting framework a heating or insulation note can anchor to: the UKHSA Cold-Health Alerting system is operated by the Met Office and runs from 1 November to 31 March each year, and this guidance forms the cold weather part of UKHSA's Adverse Weather and Health Plan, whose aim is to protect health and reduce harm from adverse cold weather. Issued in several formats including an HTML main version, an easy read PDF of 8 pages, a British Sign Language video, a two-page print version of top tips, and a poster, with easy-read translations added on 28 April 2026 in Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Kutchi, Punjabi, Portuguese, Somali, Tamil and Urdu.

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24. very strong RN-6PQK9U

    UK Health Security Agency (UKradon)

    UKHSA recommends that radon levels be reduced in homes where the average exceeds 200 becquerels per cubic metre, the Action Level, and states that this recommendation is endorsed by Government. The Action Level refers to the annual average concentration, so a valid measurement uses two detectors, one in a bedroom and one in a living room, left in place for three months to average out short-term fluctuations. Separately defines a Target Level of 100 Bq per cubic metre as the ideal outcome of remediation in existing buildings and of protective measures in new buildings, and advises that where a result falls between the Target and Action Levels action to reduce the level should still be considered, especially where a smoker or ex-smoker lives in the home. Radon is described as a colourless, odourless radioactive gas formed by decay of naturally occurring uranium in rocks and soils.

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25. very strong RN-B3IMK7

    UK Health Security Agency (UKradon)

    UKHSA's routing page into radon guidance written for the four audiences a renovation note serves, and the place to send a builder who needs the building regulations position on radon protective measures in a new floor. It separates guidance for householders, covering radon and house sales, health risks and how to measure; for employers, covering the health and safety duty to test a workplace; for professionals, explicitly including builders who need building regulations guidance and solicitors handling property transactions; and for local authorities and housing associations, including how to check whether housing stock sits in a radon Affected Area. It also carries the address search and the domestic and workplace measurement packs.

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26. very strong RN-Y8BXXY

    UK Health Security Agency and Centre for Climate and Health Security

    UKHSA guidance published 7 August 2025, applying to England, on the allergens and irritants in indoor air, useful for any note that claims a renovation improves or harms air quality. States that indoor bioaerosols can contribute up to 34 per cent of indoor air pollution, and that people in Western countries spend the majority of their time indoors. Identifies the protein-based allergens as mould spores, which thrive in damp poorly ventilated spaces such as bathrooms and arise from leaks, condensation, poor heating or inadequate ventilation; house dust mites, which thrive in warm humid environments in bedding, carpets and upholstered furniture; and pet dander from skin flakes, urine and saliva. Separately names non-protein respiratory irritants: volatile organic compounds emitted by paints, cleaning agents and air fresheners, and particulate matter from cooking, smoking and open solid-fuel fireplaces. Warns that energy efficiency and adaptation measures can have unintended consequences for indoor environmental quality, and that poorly installed mechanical ventilation can worsen air quality.

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27. very strong RN-L7ESTP

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh route to funded adaptations, which differs from England in having a second scheme alongside the Disabled Facilities Grant. A Welsh applicant can apply for support from one or more of the ENABLE support for living independently scheme and the Disabled Facilities Grant, whereas an English applicant has the Disabled Facilities Grant alone. The listed adaptations are widening doors and installing ramps, improving access to rooms and facilities such as stair lifts or a downstairs bathroom, providing a heating system suitable for the applicant's needs, and adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use. Part of the Welsh Government's Home safety, repairs and adaptation collection, with parallel guides for social housing tenants and for adapting a home before returning from hospital.

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28. very strong RN-ZHZCV2

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh fire safety guidance that governs fire doors, protected stairways and open plan layouts in Wales. First published 27 August 2015 and last updated 19 June 2025, it is issued as two PDFs, Approved Document B dwellinghouses at 5 MB and buildings other than dwellinghouses at 6 MB, and must be read with four amendment slips, the most recent applicable from 20 December 2025. A note that says an FD30 door is needed at the head or foot of a loft stair, or that an open plan ground floor triggers a sprinkler or an escape window, should cite the Welsh document for a Welsh reader.

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29. very strong RN-U1RMCM

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh ventilation guidance, which sets the extract rates a new utility room, boot room, en suite or downstairs WC has to meet in Wales. First published 3 April 2017 and last updated 7 April 2026, the page carries Approved Document F volume 1 for dwellings as a 910 KB PDF and volume 2 at 488 KB, plus the September 2013 amendment slip. Critically for date-sensitive notes, it also carries a new Approved Document F volume 1 for dwellings that takes effect on 4 March 2027, which is a different commencement date from the English 2026 edition, so a UK-wide note must not treat the two nations as switching over together.

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30. very strong RN-GB8FSC

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh guidance covering sanitary provision, hot water safety and water efficiency, the part that governs adding a WC, basin, shower or en suite. First published 5 April 2017 and last updated 10 May 2023, issued as a single 1 MB PDF and to be read with the September 2013 amendment slip. A note that quotes the English water efficiency calculation or hot water safety requirements for a new bathroom should check the Welsh document separately, because Wales sets its own water efficiency standard for new dwellings.

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31. very strong RN-UHBO2G

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh energy efficiency guidance, first published 14 June 2016 and last updated 7 April 2026. It carries volume 1 for dwellings and volume 2 for other buildings as current PDFs, and a new Approved Document L volume 1 for dwellings that takes effect on 4 March 2027. Any note quoting fabric U-value targets for a floor, wall, roof or a conservatory's thermal separation should state which nation the figure belongs to, since Wales publishes its own Part L with its own commencement dates rather than adopting the English edition.

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32. very strong RN-HCKL9C

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh Part M, and the document that decides whether a downstairs WC may be removed in a renovation. Section 10 sets the objective as a WC in the entrance storey located so that no stair need be negotiated to reach it from the habitable rooms in that storey; where the entrance storey has no habitable rooms, a WC in either the entrance storey or the principal storey is reasonable. Paragraph 10.3 says requirement M4 is satisfied if a WC is provided on that basis, the door to the WC compartment opens outwards and is positioned to let a wheelchair user reach the WC with a clear opening width per Table 4, and the compartment gives clear space for wheelchair access with the washbasin positioned so it does not impede access, per Diagrams 31 and 32. It also states plainly that it will not always be practical for the wheelchair to be fully accommodated inside the compartment. Crucially, the guidance on material alterations gives the worked example: removing a WC in the entrance storey of a dwelling is a material alteration if it is the only WC in that storey and the storey contains habitable rooms, and it must not be removed or made less compliant unless another WC no less compliant is provided in that storey.

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33. strong RN-2RQT3P

    BSI

    BS 6465-1:2006+A1:2009, in effect from 31 March 2006 with Amendment 1 in 2009, prepared by Technical Committee B/503 Sanitary appliances, ISBN 978 0 580 67116 6, current. It is the code of practice for designing sanitary facilities and setting the scale of provision of sanitary and associated appliances, and it supersedes BS 6465-1:2006. It sits in a suite of four standards: Part 1 scales of provision, Part 2 space recommendations, Part 3 selection, installation and maintenance, Part 4 provision of public toilets. It traces back to CP 305-1 first published July 1952, with the third edition issued as BS 6465-1 in February 1984 and the fifth in March 2006. Use it to establish how many WCs and basins a dwelling should have.

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34. strong RN-ATZB5V

    BSI

    The standard behind internal noise level targets quoted for bedrooms and living rooms, published 28 February 2014 and current. BS 8233 gives guidance on the control of noise in and around buildings and applies to the design of new buildings and to refurbished buildings undergoing a change of use. It expressly does not cover assessing the effect of changes in external noise on occupants of an existing building, specialist applications such as auditoria and cinemas, which fall to BS ISO 9568, vibration control except where it appears as radiated sound, or noise breaking out of a building to external receptors. A note about soundproofing an existing room should therefore treat it as a design reference, not as a compliance test.

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35. strong RN-N6ZC3R

    BSI

    BS EN 520:2004+A1:2009, published 22 November 2004 with Amendment 1 in 2009, committee B/544, under review. Clause 1 specifies the characteristics and performance of gypsum plasterboards for building construction, including boards intended for secondary manufacturing operations and boards designed to receive either direct surface decoration or gypsum plaster. The product performance characteristics it covers are reaction to fire, water vapour permeability, flexural strength (breaking load), impact resistance and thermal resistance. It separates out the characteristics that belong to the assembled system rather than the board alone, and are measured on assemblies simulating end use conditions: shear strength, fire resistance, impact resistance, direct airborne sound insulation and acoustic absorption. It also covers additional technical characteristics important for the use and acceptance of the product by the construction industry, the reference tests for them, and evaluation of conformity. This is the standard that defines the plasterboard type letters a merchant lists, so cite it for fire-resistant, moisture-resistant and higher-density board claims.

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36. strong RN-2N8PYB

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 29 October 2025, a very recent change. BS 5266-1:2016 was published 31 May 2016 and gave the code of practice for the design, installation and wiring of electrical emergency lighting, covering three purposes: assisting occupants to leave a building in an emergency, protecting those who remain inside, and allowing operations to continue if normal lighting fails, including recommendations for areas with fixed seating. Its scope covers common access routes in blocks of flats but EXCLUDES single family dwellings, a distinction a note should keep when it tells a homeowner that emergency lighting is required. Because it was withdrawn in October 2025, any note citing BS 5266-1:2016 needs checking against the current edition. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name the replacement.

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37. strong RN-I3E8M9

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: CURRENT. BS 6222-2:2009+A1:2017 (base edition published 31 January 2009, amended 2017) specifies the performance requirements and test methods for the strength and durability of the structure of domestic and residential fitted kitchen units, peninsular units, island units and breakfast bars. It EXCLUDES free standing units and storage furniture for other applications, and it does not cover worktop or storage unit safety, which sit in BS EN 14749:2016+A1:2022, Furniture. Domestic and kitchen storage units and kitchen worktops. Safety requirements and test methods. Together with BS EN 1116:2018 for coordinating sizes this is the pair a kitchen note should cite: BS EN 1116 for whether a unit fits, BS 6222-2 for whether its carcass will survive use. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the tests are paywalled.

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38. strong RN-TG59SM

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 31 October 2015, superseded by BS 9991:2015 (and since by a further revision). BS 9991:2011 was published 31 December 2011 and itself superseded BS 5588-1:1990. It gave the code of practice for fire safety in residential buildings, covering dwellings, residential accommodation blocks for up to six people and sheltered and extra care housing, applying to new design and to material alterations, extensions and changes of use, across ten sections covering means of escape, stairs, firefighting access, active fire protection, construction, mechanical systems, ancillary accommodation and management. It excludes hotels, caravans, hospitals, care homes, detention facilities, hostels and houses in multiple occupation. This is the standard a loft conversion note reaches for when discussing protected stairs and escape windows, so citing the 2011 edition is citing a withdrawn one. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date, supersession and scope.

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39. strong RN-XT8DUF

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: CURRENT. BS 9999:2017 was published 31 January 2017 and supersedes BS 9999:2008, which is withdrawn. It gives the code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings, aimed at life safety for occupants and firefighters with property and business protection as secondary objectives. The 2017 revision added a design process flowchart, brought in watermist suppression systems, revised smoke and heat control guidance, added recommendations for fire curtain barriers and updated the shopping complex provisions. Crucially for a home renovation note, it EXCLUDES individual dwellinghouses, and has limited application to specialist buildings such as hospitals and places of lawful detention, so it is the wrong standard to cite for a house: use Approved Document B Volume 1 for dwellings and BS 9991 for residential buildings. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope.

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40. strong RN-1PGUPY

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 1116:2018 was published 28 February 2018, is identical to EN 1116:2018, ISBN 978 0 580 94536 6, and supersedes BS EN 1116:2004. It specifies coordinating sizes for kitchen units, worktops, recess panelling, furniture fronts and decorative panels, and for kitchen appliances (white goods and ovens) and further installation elements such as sinks, giving the height, width and depth dimensions and the space needed to integrate an appliance into a unit. This is the standard behind the 600 mm module and standard carcass depths that make an integrated appliance fit a run of units, and it is what a note should cite when explaining why a replacement dishwasher or oven fits an existing housing. It does not cover commercial kitchens in hotels or restaurants. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, ISBN and scope; the dimension tables are paywalled.

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