Many of us want to save money on wood burning stoves, and many of us want to free up funds in order to get a stove which may cost them a little bit extra. But where exactly do we stand when it comes to doing so? Well, it’s complicated. Rest assured though, while the way to do so is rather complex, our guide hopes to assist you with all of the red tape.
If you’re living in Scotland, you’ll be more than happy to know that you can indeed fit our own stove without any applications, regulations, or say so from anyone other than yourself. If you’re living in England or Wales though, it is slightly different – even if you’re simply relining your stove or fitting a flue or a chimney, and ignoring the restrictions means that you will be in breach of building regulations.
First, you’ll want to contact building control. Find the website of your local authority, and look for the downloadable form on said website for the building notice and full plans application. No doubt you’ll notice that this form is indeed quite a hefty one, but rest assured - You’ll only ever need the building notice section, and not the full plans.
Essentially, you fill in the form and provide the fee which is asked for. The fee varies from council to council of course, so there may be some disparity between what you will pay and what you have read is the going rate. Unfortunately, the council gets to decide what exactly is to be charged.
When your form is complete and sent away, you’ll have someone from building control which will attempt to contact you. With that considered, it is time to demonstrate to said official that you are a competent fitter. You absolutely don’t have to be a professional, a wizard or a guru in order to display competence, and essentially the building control officer, depending on how he or she feels about the job that is to be done, may request photos of the work in progress, or ask to inspect your stove after the work is done.
It’s worth remembering in addition that building control is absolutely not there to catch you out. Essentially, their job is to promote safety, and ensure that the job is done to regulation and most of all that your stove is entirely and completely safe. Fitting a stove isn’t hard, and it absolutely is nothing like rocket science. Don’t be nervous, you’re well on the way to having the perfect home environment you always wanted, and even better – you’ve done it yourself!
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