Dave Jones wrote:

"Mark Spice" wrote in message
...

My wife has been in a discussion on a web forum about access for the
disabled in new homes. One of the people on this forum is claiming that
the
majority of house builders are not complying with Part M of the building
regs, that they are saving huge piles of cash and getting away with it.

Does this seem likely to you guys? I believe that new houses with an NHBC
warranty are not inspected by the BCO but by an NHBC inspector. Is this
the
case and do you think this is likely to have a bearing on the issue?

Just wondering really and this seemed like the best informed group
available
(*)

Cheers

Mark

(*) well it was uk.diy or uk.legal and as this doesn't involve Blunkett or
speed cameras I didn't thnk there would be many takers on UKL :-)




I don't believe Part M covers new builds, and it wouldn't work if it did,
you couldn't expect every new house to cater for every type of disability,

You couldn't but Nu Laber can and does.

and most disabled people have the houses modified to suit their individual
needs as do non disabled people.

Heresy!


I'm sure if a person bought a plot off a developer, he would design that
house to suit that person.

Most of the regs have a section on disabled accessibility, which covers most
general needs.

Yweah. It goes like this.

- wheel chair users dictate the access to your house TOTALlY.
- rooms are constrcted on teh assumptio that only elderly sick and
wheelchair bound will ever use teh lectrcs
- windows must not be able to be fallen out of by the able bodied
- windows must be jumpable out of buy the able bodied.
- but we can let the wheel chair users suffocate and burn.
- all user acessible parts of electrical stuff must be in reach of
children, dwarves, cripples, and the terminally senile, as these are the
people we expect to be cutting their toenails with an angle grinder.
Trailing cables MUST star at LEAST 450mm above floor level so teh above
can trip over them and kill themselves.

Except in the kitchen, wher obviously no one but teh young and foirt
ever go.

- except light bulbs, which must remain forever beyond their reach..




Dave Jones