Building Regulations

If your cabin does not need planning permission (see Planning Permission ) and is less than than 30 square metres in area, then it does not need building regulation approval. If planning permission is required, or the building is larger than 30 square metres, then you will need building regulation approval.

This is not as onerous as it sounds as Scandinavian Log Cabins have a partnering agreement with 'Local Authority Building Control' who carry out most of the UK building regulation inspections and who are already familiar with our designs and can 'fast track' your application with your local inspecting authority. Ask your representative for further details.

Note: Our houses are designed to Swedish Building Standards which are often higher than the United Kingdom's (ask your building inspector what a 'Snow Zone' is!).

As a rough guide to what is involved here are the areas of regulation and how a house supplied by us relates to them:

A Structure

1. The foundations for any building depend so much on ground type and need to be approved by a qualified structural engineer. Although a timber house weighs a lot less than an equivalent brick built one, there may still be a requirement for the foundations to go at least 750mm below ground level to avoid movement through frost.

   Wind loadings need to be taken account of in the foundation design. Wind anchors are available for all our cabins. It is a little known fact that the flatter the roof, the more prone to wind damage the roof is.

2. The dimensioning of roof and floor beams needs to be approved as well. In a disgraceful piece of indirect taxation, the standards to which designs must legally comply are only available for purchase from the BSI. Fortunately for you we have already calculated these using freely available European Standards.
3. Disproportionate collapse is unheard of in solid timber houses - the corner joints conferring a great deal of strength on the whole structure. There are tales of unanchored log cabins being uplifted and blown by the wind for hundreds of metres during hurricanes with little apparent damage save from a different orientation.

B Fire safety

1. That there should be means of warning and escape is not very onerous in a single storey building. Our houses all have two doors and most windows open to allow further emergency access. In two storey buildings the situation is little different though the stairs do need to be kept clear.
2. The internal fire spread of flame depends more on the type of finish than the wood itself, and care should be taken not to use inflammable coatings for decorating. Wood itself performs surprisingly well in combustion tests as it forms a protective 'char' that confers additional fire resistance. The best surface in this respect though is plasterboard and internal claddings can be specified in this if fire is a concern.
3. Structurally the timbers used are protected in the main by layers of non combustible insulation material giving plenty of time to evacuate the building before structural failure. The main purlins are made of glue laminated timber which also has additional fire resistance.
4. Externally the main structural timbers are on the outside of the building and provide over 60 minute fire resistance, so are regarded as protected for the purpose of these regulations. A range of fireproof paints is available to further enhance this performance.
5. Access and facilities for the fire service are a requirement of the site layout and are not a function of building design so are not covered here.

C Site preparation and resistance to moisture

1. The ground to be covered should be reasonably free of vegetable matter - a weed suppressing membrane is the simplest way to achieve this.
2. Dangerous and offensive substances again are a feature of the site and are not covered here.
3. Precautions to be taken to ensure moisture is not passed to the interior of the building include:
   • (i) Using a damp proof course as supplied
   • (ii) Ensuring adequate clearance from the ground to the trimmer joists
   • (iii) Ensuring adequate ventilation into the under floor void
4. The walls floor and roof of the building shall resist the passage of moisture to the rest of the building. This is achieved through:
   • (i) Use of the damp proof course supplied to prevent water rising from the ground.
   • (ii) Waterproofing the walls with a minimum 3 coats of preservative immediately after construction, recoated every 5 years or as required
   • (iii) The installation of the mineral felt roof supplied.

D Toxic substances

None of our buildings are supplied with UF foam insulation.

E Resistance to the passage of sound

1. All houses are sold as detached units and this regulation does not apply.
2. Internal walls are made of stud partition construction supplemented by sound insulation as required. As the majority of our houses are single storey the requirement for floor isolation is minimal.
3. Reverberation - Again there are no common areas associated with our designs.
4. Our buildings are suitable for school use.

F Ventilation

1. Each room is provided with an opening window for ventilation. Where no windows are available a mechanical extraction unit must be fitted by the person responsible for erection.
2. Condensation in the roof space is prevented by an impermeable barrier between the ceiling and the insulation. Any moisture that does enter the space is removed by cross ventilation from the eaves. Ventilation holes are protected from the entry of vermin by wire mesh.

G Hygiene

1. Sanitary conveniences and washing facilities are not included in the delivery but fitted by the person responsible for erection. The number and location of facilities shown in the layout drawings are not intended to represent a compliant installation and are for indicative purposes only.
2. Bathrooms are similarly not included. It should be noted that the use of showers instead of baths is generally promoted to reduce the demand for water of the building.
3. Hot water systems are again not included as their design does tend to depend on the primary heat source. Room for storage tanks should be dimensioned during the design stage, particularly if any additional heating methods are to be incorporated.

H Drainage and waste disposal

1. Sanitary pipework and drainage are the responsibility of the groundwork contractor
2. Cesspools and tanks ditto
3. Rainwater drainage is provided by suitably dimensioned guttered supplied with the house. A suitable soakaway for the discharge needs to be provided by the groundwork contractor. No guttering is provided for cabins.
4. A suitable storage area for dustbins is required outside the property, often by in an outbuilding. We can supply a number of garages & summerhouses with integrated solid waste storage.

J Chimneys and flues

As with documents G & H, we do not supply heating appliances. It is the buyers responsibility to ensure they are installed by a competent engineer. All houses are approved for use with most heating appliances fitted with a suitable chimney/flue arrangement.

K Protection from falling, collision & impact

1. Stairs, ladders and ramps meet the requirements for rise and going including the alternating tread stairs.
2. Stairs and balconies are fitted with adequate rails to prevent falls
3. There are no areas or loading bays within the buildings with vehicular access requiring barriers.
4. Collision with open windows is normally prevented with travel limiters or marked by a surface eg garden plants where this is not possible.
5. Jorntra do not use lifting doors or powered doors in their designs.

L1 Conservation of fuel and power

Insulation to the following U values are provided

Product Range
Tallbo 15-33
Tallbo 35-60
Mobo
Tallhus/Jarven/Talltoppen
Walls 
0.32
0.32
0.32
0.32
Walls (enhanced)
0.237
0.237

0.237
Windows Double glazed 15mm LE Glass
1.6
1.6
1.6

Windows Triple glazed 12mm+12mm



1.0
Entrance Door
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.0
Terrace door

1.81
1.81
1.3
Roof
0.32
0.2
0.2
0.14
Floor
0.32
0.24
0.24
0.22

_{The enhanced wall insulation is fitted as standard to the larger houses and is an option elsewhere.}

The heating system is not included in the delivery and is the responsibility of the installer. Our homes are suitable for most types of heating methods. Whilst we do not make specific recommendations, generally the heat requirement of one of our cabins is so low that an alternative method of heating to gas or electricity could be considered, such as a wood burning stove

The electrical system including lighting is not included in the delivery and is the responsibility of the installer.
All information on the building construction is provided in the instruction manual to which the water, heating & electrical systems should be appended. A calculation of the SAP rating is provided together with the carbon index, but as this varies with the heat source used figures cannot be given here. Generally wooden houses have a Breeam rating of 'Very good' to 'Excellent' depending on heat source and other factors.

L2 Conservation of fuel and Power - Commercial

Similar to L1 with additional requirements for limiting of solar heating and air conditioning installations.

M Access to and use of buildings

This can be the most contentious of all the regulations as it incorporates all the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, the contents of which are often open to interpretation. Currently it is only a requirement for commercial buildings, but many of the necessary features are already available for disabled home owners during the design phase. If you have a particular requirement in this area we would be delighted to hear from you.

N Glazing

1. Glazing is of toughened glass where it is likely to come into contact with people moving around the area. This includes, but is not restricted to, all glass doors, full length windows and windows either side of a doorway.
2. In commercial buildings glass shall have manifestation to limit accidental collision.
3. Handles are provided that are safe to reach whilst making adjustments
4. In commercial buildings provision should be made for cleaning the windows safely.

P Electrical safety

1. Electrical systems are not included in the delivery. Use only responsible qualified engineers for the design, installation, inspection and testing of any electrical installation. Do not be tempted to do this work yourself as heavy fines can be incurred by unqualified persons
2. Information on the supplied equipment should be provided by the installer.

Regulation 7 Materials and workmanship

This is a catch-all requirement that all materials are adequate, appropriate and applied in a workmanlike manner. Certainly all materials supplied by us are, but care should be taken when providing your own materials. Always read instructions for use and make sure only certified suppliers are used. If in doubt contact our support line for further information. Where using builders, make sure they are approved for the type of work they will be carrying out. This includes erection where use of unapproved erectors may also invalidate your guarantee.

To read the full building regulations click
England and Wales Building Regulations
Scottish Building Regulations