Basements

Building regulations apply to works on a basement. They cover areas such as fire escape routes, ventilation, ceiling height, damp proofing, electrical wiring and water supplies.

General guidance on the performance expected of materials and building work in order to comply with the building regulations and practical examples and solutions on how to achieve compliance for some of the more common building situations can be found in the approved documents section.

Approved documents ^{(https://www.planningportal.co.uk/applications/building-control-applications/building-control/approved-documents)}

Underpinning and foundation work may also be needed.

You must also consider the Party Wall Act 1996 if other properties adjoin yours and you share walls.

The 'basements for dwellings' guidance was removed from the list of approved documents on 1st October 2010. The Basement Information Centre has developed updated guidance on this topic. 

Further details can be found on their website¹.

1. https://www.basements.org.uk/TBIC/Building-Legislation/Building-Regulations.aspx