Owain wrote:
hansen wrote:
However the following two information sources don't add up:
http://www.fmb.org.uk/publications/m.../july03/30.asp
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/br/brj-11.asp (parts E1/E2)
(Sigh, if "Masterbuilders" and the Building Regulations can't agree
what hope is it for people like me ;-) ? )
Without looking, I suspect Masterbuilder is referring to the ENGLISH
Building Regulatiosn whereas scotland.gov.uk is referring to the
SCOTTISH regulations. Are you in England or Scotland?
I'm in Scotland, I know the BRs are different with regards to the
required U-value for roofs etc. but I would have thought the formula
for how to arrive at a target U-value of 0.20 W/mē.K with a given
conductivity would yield the same result whether one is north or
south of the border ;-) ?
... What confuses me a bit is the BR that appear to stipulate a 30min
fire resistance, and the BR example of 9.5mm plasterboard plus 60mm
mineral wool plus 12.5mm chipboard that might achieve this. My ex
2002-built Barratt house did not incorporate the 60mm mineral wool
between the floors, only the plasterboard and wonky chipboard, so I
wonder how Barratt homes stand up compared to the BR ;-)
Your Barrat house was probably two-storey. Additional fire precautions
come into effect when you go three-storey, as you are finding out.
Ouch, it's worse actually - it was four stories, identical to the
following:
http://tinyurl.com/6c3ph
Barratt broke the BRs with regards to the amount of thermal insulation
between my garage and first floor livingroom, 25mm mineral wool instead
of the 50mm required by the BR (and the Architect had actually specified
150mm!!!) After freezing through the first winter and reading through
the BRs, and a stream of letters to Barratt, the Architect, NHBC and
Edinburgh Council Building Control, I finally managed to get Barratt to
tear down the ceiling in the garage and replace the insulation.
Oh, a moron from NHBC came aroud, but refused to get up on the ladder
to check the thickness of the insulation, just stating "well there's
wool there, you have to realise that insulation settles over time"...
So basically Barratt appears to have broken the BRs with regards to
fire regulations as well, what a surprise ;-) ...