What do you need to sign a house off??

dlambirl

We've our house built and almost ready to move into. (planning granted in 2004) We need to get a couple of toilets and handsinks and a shower plumbed in to get moved in and our stove connected into the tank. Of course our plumber wont come back until he gets more money..

We've got the last stage of our mortgage through and its sitting in the solicitors ready to be collected once we give in a Declaration of Identity, our Compliance of Planning and Compliance of Building Regs to the solicitor.

We've asked our engineer for this but he says we need to get a site specific report for the waste water treatment system as well and wont be able to do the rest of the stuff until he gets this. The company that supplied us with the tank will do the report no problem but need a site characteristics form and we dont know if this would of been included with our planning...all the way back in 2004. Does anyone know if this would of been supplied by the architect with our planning. I know it is included nowadays but would it of been included in 2004??

We've been met with one nasty surprise after another. If we got this final stage payment of the mortgage we'd be able to move in.

archtech

There should be some site suitability report, otherwise, you would not have been granted permission and secondly it would not have been possible to construct the percolation area correctly without knowing the ground conditions. A good place to start would be to look at your planning file and see what's on that. The Planning Authority may themselves have undertaken the site suitability test, some of them do or did.

dlambirl

I'll ring the architects that done our planning and see if they can go through my file and see if its on it.

If not i'll have to go to the county council offices. Will they let me photocopy something thats in my file??

muffler

Go to the planning dept and check your file to see if there is anything in it. Did you have a site assessment carried out at the time?

In any event the company that supplied the treatment system should have had this info prior to installation. How else could they determine what type of system you needed - thats the question to ask them.

RKQ

dlambirl wrote: »

If not i'll have to go to the county council offices. Will they let me photocopy something thats in my file??

The Council will charge a small fee circa 20 cent per A4 sheet. It may be available on line - many Council have planning files available on there web site.

Poor Uncle Tom

muffler wrote: »

.....the company that supplied the treatment system should have had this info prior to installation. How else could they determine what type of system you needed.....

This is the point.

Also remember this information may not be all that is needed by the engineer to sign off works as s/he is signing off compliance with planning permission and building regulations. The treatment system certification is only to comply with one condition of the planning.

You mention being able to connect up toilets, etc., this implies that second fix plumbing hasn't been carried out yet. Has second fix electrics been carried out? have finishs been completed? If not the house can not be signed off as being completed.

A word with the plumber that the stage payment is with the solicitor is usually enough to get them (or any trade) working again.

dlambirl

The second fixing is complete - both plumbing and electrics. The ESB has been turned on this 3 months and we have running water.

There was no site inspection done by the company we got the tank off. We rang them for a specific type of tank, paid them and it was delivered and installed. I've contacted my architect and i'm faxing the information over to the tank company for them to do up the report. The tank is in since November.

What all is required for the engineer to sign off the house for mortgage purposes??
Compliance with Planning and Compliance with Building Regs - what does this all entail?

Thanks again

Slig

The house has to be finished, not necessarily furnished but all building work finished. Is there plastering left to be done? why do you need the plumber if the plumbing is finished? Are the footpaths and driveways in?
Are toilets, wash hand basins sinks, baths and showers etc. in place?

tell us what is left to be done to the house and we can give you an idea of what is necessary.

ballystephen

Lets hope you have one of those "drive by" engineers. We got signed off and i was worrying about everything but in the end he was happy. If I was him I would NOT have signed it off. I am not moaning though. We got the final mortgage payment.

dlambirl

Slig wrote: »

The house has to be finished, not necessarily furnished but all building work finished. Is there plastering left to be done? why do you need the plumber if the plumbing is finished? Are the footpaths and driveways in?
Are toilets, wash hand basins sinks, baths and showers etc. in place?

tell us what is left to be done to the house and we can give you an idea of what is necessary.

We have all our plastering done. The plumber has to come back to connect up our solid fuel stove to the tank and put toilets and wash hand basins in place. We have everything sitting in the house waiting - toilets, hand basins, and shower doors (shower trays are in).

Footpaths arent in cant do that this time of year!!! :eek:

Whats left to be done in the house:
stairs to go in - but we've 2 bedrooms downstairs so will be using them.
soild fuel stove to be connected into chimney and tank in hotpress
worktop got for kitchen units
kitchen appliances - cooker, fridge & washing machine.
toilets and handbasins and shower to be plumbed in (all are there)

We've sofas there, dining table and chairs, and beds so we arent far off moving in. All we need the money for is to pay the plumber and electrician and to pay the plumbing supplier.

Poor Uncle Tom

Without the footpaths in place it will not be possible to comply with Part M of the regulations (ramp access). I would consider the stairs to be an integral part of the structure, as would the connection of the bathroom/wc suites.

Therefore you could get a qualified Certificate of Compliance, some financial instutions will use these to allow the final drawdown, provided the items called up are relatively minor or inexpensive.

You could also talk to the plumber, etc., letting them know how close to final drawdown you are and explain that with their help the monies will be available quicker.

Good Luck.

RKQ

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Without the footpaths in place it will not be possible to comply with Part M of the regulations (ramp access). I would consider the stairs to be an integral part of the structure, as would the connection of the bathroom/wc suites.

A stairs is part of the structure of a Dormer or Two Storey! Surely you do not expect your Engineer to sign an affidavit to the Bank, (Certificates)stating the house is fully complete and compliant - when it has no stairs, no completed wc, and no disabled access!

That would be like trying to get an NCT on a car with no engine:)

As fair as I'm aware Banks expect all toilets, a staircase and all kitchen unit installed before the final stage payment is drawn down.

muffler

bennybronko, I have deleted your post but if you want to post again then please stay on topic.

Cheers

bennybronko

muffler wrote: »

bennybronko, I have deleted your post but if you want to post again then please stay on topic.

Cheers

Cant see why you deleted my message and would ask for it to be reinstated.
Topic is simply about ways around getting my house certified because I don't presently have the money to pay the tradesmen.

muffler

bennybronko wrote: »

Cant see why you deleted my message and would ask for it to be reinstated.
Topic is simply about ways around getting my house certified because I don't presently have the money to pay the tradesmen.

You are way wide of the mark with both the post above and the original un-edited version of it. I havent got time to molly cuddle you. Go away and read the rules of boards.ie that you agreed to when you signed up and also read our forum charter.

Thats it. No more.

bennybronko

muffler wrote: »

You are way wide of the mark with both the post above and the original un-edited version of it. I havent got time to molly cuddle you. Go away and read the rules of boards.ie that you agreed to when you signed up and also read our forum charter.

Thats it. No more.

Agree to disagree, don't be so condescending of my opinion.

Slig

The simple answer is that an engineer wont sign off a building as compliant with building regulations if it isnt. The building isnt complete.
If your engineer signs it off as complete, you pay your tradesmen and they decide not to come back and finish the job then who lands in the hot water?

Sure you can chase the builders but you'll probably get nowhere. Next is the engineer.