Laurie wrote:

Hi again, another question:

My builder is telling me that building regs now states that socket and
switch heights should be greater than 450mm and less than 1200mm from the
finished floor level.

Is this true? the switches look so low!


Yes, he is correct.

This is so people in wheelchairs can plug in their SDS drills and rewire
their houses.

Starngely, they haven't required us to put teh light fittings at 120mm
or less, so they wheelchair bound can change their lightbulbs.

And now of course, with wires streched tight on vacuum cleaners not at
floor level, but just below knee height, the chances of the frail and
elderly tripping over them is vastly increased.

In general building regulations are sane and wekll thougfht out - this
one comes straight from teh 'one size fits all' politically correcft
diabled lobby, and is, in my opinion a complete load of ********.

My wheelchair/crutch bound friend knows that he esssentially has to make
over any place he lives in to get things where he can reach them -
irrespective of where the sockets start, they always seem to be moved to
suit him.

My buildiing inspector muttered that all the money spent on making each
and every house 'disabled friendly' would be better as a tax on new
builds, to go into a pot to be distributed as payments to the disabled
to make their houses suit their particular disability.


It is now illegal for eaxmple to make a house with steps up to the front
door and steps down to the back, At least one entrance HAS to be
suitable for wheelchair access. Never mind that any wheelchair user is
going to simply not buy that house in the first place if it has stupid
access suitable only for the able bodied.

flame off

But it is so effin stupid.









Laurie