Building regs guide · England & Wales
Building regulations drawings show how your project will actually be built — the construction detail your builder works to and building control signs off. They are different from planning drawings, and almost every extension or structural job needs them. Here is what they cover and how we produce yours at a fixed price.
Most building work needs two separate approvals. Planning decides whether you can build and how it looks; building regulations govern how it is built — structure, insulation, drainage, fire safety and ventilation. Building regulations drawings are the technical package that proves your project meets those standards.
You will almost certainly need them for a rear, side or two-storey extension, a loft or garage conversion, a new build, or any work that removes or alters a load-bearing wall. They go to building control, guide your builder on site, and underpin the completion certificate you will want when you sell.
A building regulations package is a set of technical drawings and notes. Here is what is in it, and the kinds of project that require it.
We are an online architectural design service — the practical alternative to a traditional high-street architect. Our qualified design team produces your building regulations drawings, coordinates the structural calculations and submits everything to building control on your behalf.
Planning drawings show what the project will look like and where it goes, for the planning decision. Building regulations drawings show how it will be built — construction, structure, insulation, drainage and fire safety — for building control. Most projects need both.
For almost all structural work, yes — extensions, loft and garage conversions, removing load-bearing walls and new openings all need them, whether or not planning permission was required. Only very minor work is exempt.
A full plans application submits the drawings to building control for checking before work starts, giving you approval in advance. A building notice lets simpler work start with less paperwork but no approved plans. For extensions we normally recommend full plans, so issues are caught on paper, not on site.
Building control — either your local authority or a Registered Building Control Approver — checks the drawings and inspects the work on site against them.
Usually, yes. Any project that removes a wall, adds a beam or forms a large opening needs structural calculations from an engineer alongside the drawings. We coordinate the two.
With Arkiplan, your drawings are typically ready within three to six weeks of your design call, depending on the complexity of the project.
No call required, no card required — just a tight, fixed-price range tailored to your project, with the drawings and calculations you need confirmed up front.
This guide is general information, not formal advice; building regulations and building control procedures change and depend on your specific project, property and local authority. We confirm the current position for your project as part of every job.