Balancing Building Regulations with Creative Designs
Turning a concept into a building is hard. There’s increased scrutiny over planning and approval, stricter net-zero regulations, and ever-changing building regulations. Coupled with government pressure to speed up construction while adhering to specific building styles in conservation zones, realising a building project can sometimes feel like a real challenge.
But difficult as it might seem, realising a unique building design is worth it, and there’s plenty of help available. Our team is on hand to help you remain compliant and safety-focused while choosing the best systems and products for your project. Find out more by reading our guide.
The state of the building industry
While most changes in the industry have been positive and designed to improve safety and construction standards, they can increase project costs and the administrative burden on developers.
HS2 is a famous example of a well-funded infrastructure project that’s been dramatically scaled back and exceeded its budget.
Recent and forthcoming regulatory developments include:
- The Building Safety Levy: from 1st October 2026, certain new residential developments and purpose-built student accommodation in England may be subject to a levy charge through the building-control process.
- Building Safety Regulator was established as an independent statutory regulator to regulate higher-risk buildings and raise safety standards.
- Clients, designers and contractors have statutory duties to plan, manage and monitor work so that it complies with Building Regulations.
- Evacuation planning: requirements for escape, compartmentation and fire systems must be met. From 30th September 2026, Approved Document B introduces second-stair provisions for new blocks of flats with a storey 18 metres or more in height, subject to transitional arrangements.
Resources for keeping up to date with building regulations:
Common design and compliance challenges we can help with
Complying with building regulations is a legal requirement and helps keep those living in and using buildings safe. We provide effective solutions to many common design and compliance challenges.
Flooding requirements
Property Flood Resilience (PFR) may not be classified as a legal obligation, but flood resistance and resilience are taken into account during the planning process and flood risk assessments and can be driven by insurer requirements.
With a changing climate and higher incidences of flooding, integrating flood protection into homes is going to be more and more important.
The Flood Hub is an information service designed to support households and businesses in the North West in becoming flood resilient, and its booklet on flood resilience has lots of useful information on how to make your building flood resilient.
PFR is broken down into two approaches:
Flood resistance
Flood resistance involves stopping water from entering a property. We provide solutions like:
Wall sealants
- MicroShield ULTRA - high-performance masonry waterproofing cream
Renders & Tanking System:
- PermaSEAL Tanking Slurry - cementitious water-impermeable tanking slurry
- PermaSEAL Flexible Tanking Slurry - an alternative option to standard slurry
- PermaSEAL Fillet Seal
- Limelite Easy Bond - breathable primer
- PermaSEAL Renovating Plaster
- Limelite High impact finishing plaster
DPC
Flood resilience
Flood resilience is about mitigating damage when water enters a property, with flood-resilience protection applied up to 0.6 metres. Our solutions include:
- PermaSEAL Renovating Plaster
- Limelite High impact finishing plaster
- MicroShield ULTRA
- PermaSEAL Liquid DPM
- PermaPROTECT Anti-Mould Paint
Net zero and stormwater attenuation
There’s greater pressure to adhere to net zero and green building standards, like Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), Local Urban Greening Factors (UGF) and Sustainable Drainage (SuDS). On larger developments, adherence is expected or even mandatory.
A green roof can help support several of these objectives. Whether a green roof requires planning permission depends on the property, the scope of the works and any local restrictions, with additional considerations for listed buildings and conservation areas.
The underlying structure needs to be able to support the saturated weight of the green roof. The roof system also needs to meet relevant fire-safety and drainage requirements.
Permagard supplies a range of green roof systems that are suitable for a wide range of projects, including:
- Green roof trays - self-contained trays containing all the elements of a green roof. Simply place them on an appropriate primary waterproofing layer to create an instant green roof.
- Green roof membranes - We supply membranes suitable for large-scale intensive green roofs and small, DIY setups. We’re always happy to help you choose the right membrane for your project.
Retrofitting waterproofing
In many older buildings, damp proof courses either aren’t present or older technologies like slate DPCs have been bridged or failed over time. Structures that are being converted into living or working spaces also generally don’t have adequate waterproofing. For below-ground structures, the waterproofing design needs to address the moisture-resistance requirements of Part C of the Building Regulations, with Approved Document C providing guidance, alongside relevant best-practice guidance such as BS 8102:2022.
Another issue with older or bespoke buildings is non-standard design. Things like vaulted ceilings or arches can make the application difficult. Restrictions on altering the visual character may also mean that an internal waterproofing system is preferable or necessary.
In a project converting disused railway arches into high-end workspaces, a PermaSEAL Type C waterproofing system was used to create a waterproof barrier for the internal structure and safely discharge any water ingress to a safe discharge point.
The project used highly flexible PermaSEAL 8 Cavity Drain Membrane that delivers high-performance water management, as well as being easy to bend and form around windows, doors and structures and cut with scissors - highly useful for difficult applications.
Water ingress was handled by the PermaSEAL Drainage Channel System - an easy-to-install set of channel pieces that can be combined to channel water to a suitable discharge point.
Retrofitting waterproofing is likely to be different for each project, and we stock a huge range of products and components that can help you waterproof almost any space.
Minimising disruption during structural repair
It’s very important that structural alterations and repairs are carried out safely, as repercussions for their failure can be severe. Approved Document A provides guidance on meeting the Building Regulations requirements for structure.
Our structural repair range includes specialist products designed to provide reliable, effective repairs across a range of structural applications.
Repairing cracks
As buildings age and shift, cracks are a common issue. These should always be investigated to ensure they don’t pose a significant structural risk or are evidence of a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Where crack stitching is appropriate, it can be used to reinforce and stabilise masonry once the underlying cause of the cracking has been identified and addressed.
Permagard Helical Bars are easy to work with and provide a permanent repair - restoring structural stability. They can be cut to any length on site and can be easily bent around corners and courses.
They’re available in 6mm x 1m, 3m and 7m, and 8mm x 1m and 3m sizes. They’re also available in both standard and heavy-duty crack stitching kits.
Fixing bowing or bulging walls
Bowing and bulging walls can happen for many reasons, including failed or missing wall ties, structural movement or other damage.
Some solutions, including historic techniques like pattress plates, can cause significant upheaval and require intensive building works. Using lateral restraints is a much less obtrusive solution. They can be fitted from outside the property with little disturbance and solve issues of bulging brickwork by restraining the brick outer structure of the wall to the internal floor joists.
Permagard: top quality materials for building projects
Our top-quality materials and products are designed to support your building projects, and with 35+ years in the industry, we’ve built our range to offer exceptional value and quality. If you need any help or advice about using our products for a project you’re working on, we’re always happy to help. You can call us on 0117 982 3282, email us at [email protected] or pop into our Trade Counter in Avonmouth and speak directly to our technical advisors.
