buzzword bingo

Building Control Certification 

As with planning, check your local council’s website to see if you need Building Control Approval. Building Control is there to make sure your home is safe for you to live in. Your designer or builder may manage Building Control for you but at the end you will need a Building Control Certificate so you can live in your home (and if yo u ever want to sell it).  

CDM 2015

CIOB

Chartered Institute of Building

Defect

an issue you find out about when the works are done. You need to tell the builder and then they should come fix it.

Designing Buildings Wiki understand. �

as the name suggests this is the Wikipedia for the construction industry, a useful place to look up any terms or phrases you don't

F10

Freeholder/Management Agent Approval 

If you are a leaseholder or live in managed estate or building, you will probably need to inform your freeholder/managing agent of you plans and may need their permission to do the works. They are responsible for ensuring you don't cause excessive disruption to your neighbours or damage to the building.  You may need to provide them with details of the design, who is doing the works, how the works will be done, insurance, and how risks (primarily fire, water and health & safety) will be managed

HSE (Health and Safety Executive)

the government body responsible for monitoring Health and Safety and enforcing good practice. They also provide guidance on their website, HSE.gov.uk

Handover

the process of the builder giving you back your home and all the information you need to use it.

Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT)� posts etc. �

this is the website for the most frequently used contracts and includes some helpful guidance on which contract to use, general blog

MEP/MEPH

Mechanical, Electrical, Public Healthy. All things pipes, wires and ductwork.

Main Contractor

the lead builder, responsible for coordinating all the Sub-Contractors. This is the company you will sign a contract with.

NCR (Non- Compliance Report)

a contractual process for tracking big issues with the building works. The process lets you withhold money from the builder (so even if you should pay them because the work is done, you don't have to because the work is done so badly). Your project manager/designer should manage this for you but an issue should only be accepted� if you agree to it.�

O&Ms (Operations and Maintenance Manuals)

the how to guide for everything in your house

Party Wall Award 

Party Wall Awards are a way of protecting your neighbours if your works cause damage to their house. There is a lot of online guidance on whether you need one, but your designer should be able to help or put you in touch with a Party Wall Advisor. If you cause damage, such as through removing a structural wall which also supported their home, and you don’t have an agreement you could face a lengthy and costly legal battle in addition to having to pay to fix the damage. 

Planning Permission 

To work out if you need planning permission before doing your works check your council’s website and speak to your designer. While you don’t want to make an application if you don’t need to, you REALLY don’t want to proceed without an application as you may have to pay fines or undo all your work. Planning Approvals often come with conditions which will either require you to submit additional information (such as samples of the materials you will be using externally) or compliance conditions which just require you to adhere to them (such as noise restrictions at certain times).   

Practical Completion

the point at which the project has been finished enough that it can be used for its intended purpose, even if there are some snags that need to be fixed.

Programme

the plan showing what works are being done when

Provisional Sums

an agreed cost for defined piece of work (e.g. adding a cupboard for £500 but which you are unsure about doing. The builder should tell you a deadline for say yes or no. If you haven't defined what you want then any number a builder gives you is meaningless.

RIBA

Royal Institute of British Architects

RIBA Plan of Works

a high level overview of what should be completed at each stage. This is used across the industry from everything from bathroom remodels to full town developments and is therefore slightly overcomplicated for most people. See XXX for more information. �

RICS

Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

Rights of Light Agreement  

If you are extending out or up, you may impact upon your neighbours’ Rights of Light by blocking light getting into a window. Your designer should be able to identify if this will be an issue but you may want legal advice as well if you aren’t certain.  

Snag

minor issues or damage, such as scratches or marks on a wall.

Sub-contractor

builders that are only doing part of the works (e.g. plumbing)

Tree Protection Order 

Tree Protection Orders protect old or special trees. Sometimes these are listed online or notice will be sent to you when the order was made. The consequences of harming a tree which is protected can include substantial fines. If there is a Tree Protection Order on a tree near your building project you may need a specialist designer (an Arboriculturist) to advise on how to avoid causing damage to the tree and its roots, both during and after construction.