There is nothing stopping you from replacing a bathroom suite, sink, tap or toilet, but if you have to alter the drainage, deal with electrics, either lighting or appliances you will need to meet building regulations.
If you're replacing mains pipes, hot water tanks or altering drainage the work may need to meet Water Fitting Regulations that prevent misuse, waste and contamination of drinking water. For more details contact the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme www.wras.co.uk.
As for working with gas, by law if you're a competent DIYer you can work with gas on your own property. But by 'competent' they mean 'qualified', so in almost every situation it's safer and easier to use a CORGI-registered engineer.
With the exception of removing a gas appliance such as a hob or cooker that already has a self-sealing valve, call in the professionals.
The gas engineer must be registered for Part P, so they can self-certify or at least organise an inspector to check any electrical work. You'll also need to consider Part L as almost all new boilers have to be energy-efficient. Your CORGI engineer will be able to assess the house and recommend the correct boiler to install.
Finally, any dealings with combustion appliances such as ovens or boilers will need to meet Part J to ensure they're installed safely. Again, a CORGI engineer can certify their own work, or will organise a Building Regulation officer to do it for you.
You are responsible for the work meeting the building regulations, but if you use CORGI (www.corgi-gas-safety.com) they are responsible for the quality of their work. Go with an unregistered gas engineer and you're breaking the law, not to mention building regs.
Part A - structural safety Part B - fire safety Part C - site preparation Part D - toxic substances Part E - sound insulation Part F - ventilation Part G - hygiene Part H - drainage and waste disposal Part J - combustion appliances Part K - protection from falling and impact Park L - energy efficiency Part M - access to and use of land Part N - glazing Part P - electrical safety
Check out the mortgage calculator, loans, credit cards & savings comparison tools
Your Comments
Post your comment
Please note: In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in to Channel 4:
Sign In Here or Register Here
Comments closed
Comments are closed at the present time
Comments
Thank you for your comment!
Your message will be reviewed and the best ones will be published below.
If you intended to make an official comment to Channel 4 please contact us.