Local Authorities have teamed up with Haynes Publishing in a bid to provide
better guidance to the nation's loft converters and home extenders.
Haynes Manuals, well known to generations of car and bike enthusiasts, have
received positive approval from Local Authority Building Control (LABC) - the
people charged with checking that our homes are structurally safe and energy-
efficient.
Building Control Business Development Director Phil Hammond says:-
"One of the key points in the DCLG* consultation document released late March
was the need for local authorities to communicate better and provide clear
guidance for all our customers. Haynes manuals are excellent examples of how
this can be achieved by working with publishers".
Currently, the bestselling Haynes title on Amazon is the Home Extension Manual,
and there are high hopes that the new Loft Conversion Manual - freshly endorsed
with the LABC logo, will also top the charts when it's published on 21 May 2008.
To comply with the law, new buildings must be built in accordance with the
Building Regulations. The problem is, these key documents, published by
Government, are written in distinctly non-builder-friendly language. So in
reality the 'Building Regs' are rarely read by anyone actually doing the job.
On site, it's up to Building Control Officers to enforce the rules, but telling
builders what to do is not an easy task. Now, suitably equipped with a Haynes
Manual, the hope is that UK loft converters and home extenders will know exactly
what's involved before shimming up the scaffolding, thereby preventing costly
and dangerous errors.
Author, chartered surveyor Ian Rock says: "We were very lucky to have the
tremendous input from Building Control with these books, and it's a real
accolade to have received LABC's technical endorsement The Haynes Loft
Conversion Manual ".
Technical editor of the Loft Conversion Manual is Basil Parylo, Building Control
Officer with Leeds City Council.
Author Ian Rock continues "Our aim was to make the subject of lofts and
extensions interesting and enjoyable. To help achieve this, we've included more
than a thousand colour photos showing real projects being built"
"TV Property Shows have a lot to answer for. There's a lot more to building
extensions or converting lofts than you might glean from watching 30 minutes of
Phil & Kirsty".
The Haynes Loft Conversion Manual will be published on May 21st 2008, Priced
£19.99, Hardback, ISBN: 9 781844 254460. Visit www.haynes.co.uk
