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BUILDING REGULATIONS FOR HUTS
The information in the section of this site that you find through the Hut Construction tab above is taken from the book, 'The Good Practice Guide to Hut Construction', written by Bernard Planterose of North Woods Design and Peter Caunt of Quercus Rural Building Design on behalf of the 1000 Huts campaign.
This guide was written to help hutters understand which building regulations are mandatory for huts, and what is good practice throughout the construction process. It includes sections on Site Choice, Construction, Services, Health & Safety, plus construction diagrams for a Post & Beam hut and a Stud Frame hut. You can download the full guide here.
WHICH PART OF THE BUILDING REGULATIONS REFERS TO HUTS?
Huts fall within the definition of building Type 23A. This is a new type defined only as "a detached single-storey building used for shelter or sleeping in connection with recreation” and buildings within this type must comply fully with the requirements of Standards 1.1, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19, 3.20, 3.21, 3.22 and 4.4 of Schedule 5 to Regulation 9.
To avoid the requirement for a Building Warrant, your hut MUST meet with the conditions and exceptions set out in new building Type 23A of Schedule 3 of Regulation 5 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, as amended.
Type 23A also includes conditions (“exceptions”) to the above definition that would trigger a requirement for a Building Warrant. In other words, if any of the following conditions apply then you MUST apply to your local authority for a Building Warrant.
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For example, if the building is:
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A Dwelling
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A building having an internal floor area area exceeding 30m2
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A building ancillary to another building
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A building within 6 metres of a boundary or of another building
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Any wastewater disposal system serving a building of this type
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A building containing a gallery or galleries unless the total gallery area occupies a space not more than (a) 8m2 or (b) one half of the area of the room or space, whichever is the lesser.
WHEN IS A BUILDING WARRANT REQUIRED?
It is the intention of this document to show how to design a hut that meets the regulations without the need for a Building Warrant, and without needing to refer to building control officers at your local authority. We have summarized the information here, however these regulations are available free on line www. scotland.gov.uk/bsd and you would be well advised to consult them for the finer detail of the regulations or if you wish to explore the wider context.
In order for your hut to comply with the regulations and gain exemption from the requirement for a Building Warrant, you must first check the list of exceptions in which part refers to huts above. If any of those conditions apply to your building you WILL have to apply for a Building Warrant before beginning construction.
If your building does NOT come under any of the exceptions listed above, you should be able to proceed without a building warrant, as long as you adhere to the guidance detailed in the MANDATORY Sections of this Guide.
The MANDATORY sections of this Guide include:
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Remember that some aspects of hut construction are NOT exempt from the requirement for Building Warrant under any circumstance. One such aspect is wastewater disposal. So, for example, if you wanted to put a flushing toilet in a hut, that aspect of the construction would always require a Building Warrant. Other exceptions are detailed in which part refers to huts above.
Whilst the above “Exceptions” to the Type 23A are concisely defined and should therefore be readily understood, compliance with Standards 1.1, 3.17-3.22 and 4.4 of Schedule 5 is more complicated and this guide seeks to explain in detail how this can be achieved.
In order to gain exemption from Building Warrant there are certain mandatory requirements. The mandatory Sections of this Guide are structural stability and heating along with parts of the fundamentals, parts of decks (pedestrian protective barriers and height of decks off ground) and parts of waste water systems. You will find that they are clearly marked in the text.