Building regulations drawings for £629 in total
Planning permission lets you build. Building regulations decide how. We draw the foundations, structure, insulation, fire safety and drainage so a building control body can approve it and a builder can price it: £479 plus the £150 survey.
- £479 drawings + £150 survey (£629 total)
- Full-plans ready
- Free redraws until approval
What do building regulations drawings cost?
Our fee is £479 for the technical drawings and £150 for the measured survey, £629 in total, with no VAT to add. If we have already surveyed your house for planning drawings, the survey is not charged again and the set is £479. The building control body’s own charge is paid to it, and the structural engineer’s calculations are priced as a separate service.
The £629 technical set
- A measured survey, or the survey we already hold if we drew the planning set
- Construction plans, sections and details to the Approved Documents: foundations, walls, floors, roof, stair and openings
- Insulation build-ups and a thermal specification for the energy rules in Approved Document L
- Fire safety layout: escape routes, alarms, fire doors and protected stair where needed
- Drainage layout and ventilation locations
- The specification notes your builder prices from, and the application to your chosen building control body
- Free redraws until approval
Who needs building regulations approval?
Almost every extension, loft conversion, garage conversion and structural alteration does. The Building Regulations 2010 cover the construction and extension of buildings, and many alterations too, such as a bathroom with new plumbing or replacement windows (gov.uk). A project can be exempt from planning and still need this approval, as with most permitted lofts.
The penalty for skipping it falls on the person doing the work, who can be prosecuted and fined, and the council can make you pay to fix faulty work. A missing completion certificate also surfaces when you sell.
Full plans or building notice?
Full plans is the thorough route: you submit drawings and a specification, and the body approves them before work starts. A building notice lets work begin two days after you send it, but you get no formal approval, unlike full plans (how to apply).
We prepare full-plans sets as standard, because a builder can price a drawn set accurately and a building notice cannot give them one. We also draw the structural openings so the engineer’s structural calculations fit the same sheet.
What do we draw that planning drawings do not?
Planning drawings show shape and position. Building regulations drawings show construction: how thick the insulation is, where the steel bears, what keeps a loft stair protected from a fire below. Each element is tied to a numbered requirement, such as structure in Part A, fire safety in Part B and energy in Part L (Approved Documents).
If you order both sets from us, the survey is charged once. Planning plus building regulations for the same house comes to £1,108, and see householder planning drawings for the first of the two. A loft usually follows with loft conversion drawings.
How building control works, in figures
- 5 weeks
- The decision period for a full-plans application, or 2 months with your consent. gov.uk, Building regulations approval: how to apply
- 2 days
- A building notice lets work start 2 days after it is submitted, but it gives no formal approval, so it suits only small jobs. gov.uk, Building regulations approval: how to apply
- 8 weeks
- The time within which you will usually receive a completion certificate after the work is finished, as long as it complies. gov.uk, Building regulations approval: how to apply
- Local or private
- You may choose your local authority’s building control department or a private registered building control approver. gov.uk, Building regulations approval
- Approved Document A
- Structure is Part A of the Approved Documents, the part that governs beams, foundations and loadbearing walls. gov.uk, Approved Documents collection
- Approved Document B
- Fire safety, Part B, was last updated on 16 September 2026 and covers escape routes and fire separation. gov.uk, Approved Documents collection
- Approved Document L
- Conservation of fuel and power, Part L, sets the energy rules for new work and was last issued on 2 February 2023. gov.uk, Approved Documents collection
- 2 months
- A party structure notice must be served at least two months before the work starts, so it sits alongside building control in your programme. Party Wall etc. Act 1996, s.3
Building regulations questions
Do I need building regulations drawings if my extension is permitted development?
Yes. Permitted development removes the need for planning permission only. The building itself must still meet the Building Regulations 2010 and be inspected.
Should I use the council or a private approver?
Both are lawful choices. The council charges by cost, floor area and inspections, while a private approver negotiates a fee with you. We draw to the Approved Documents, so the same set suits either.
Can I get building regulations approval for work that is already built?
Sometimes. Regularisation gives retrospective approval, only from a local authority, and only for work carried out after 11 November 1985. Parts may need opening up first. See our regularisation drawings service.
Does the £629 include the structural engineer?
No. We coordinate with the engineer and draw the openings to suit, but the calculations are a separate fixed-fee service from £379.
Is the survey charged again if you drew my planning set?
No. It is charged once per property visit, so the second set shows its drawings fee alone.
Other services people book with this one
Get your technical set priced
Tell us the address and the work. If we have already surveyed the house, we say so and quote the drawings fee alone.