Question 1

What is CDM, and does it apply to domestic projects?

Accepted Answer

The **Construction (Design and Management) Regulations**, governing health and safety in construction — and **yes, they apply to domestic projects**, which surprises almost every homeowner having work done.

**What the regulations require.** Duties are placed on everyone involved in a construction project, to plan, manage and monitor the work so it is carried out safely, and to coordinate between designers and contractors so that risks are designed out where possible rather than managed on site.

**The roles:**

**Client** — has duties to make suitable arrangements, allow adequate time and resource, and provide information.

**Principal designer** — plans and coordinates health and safety during the **design** phase. Required where there is more than one contractor.

**Principal contractor** — plans and coordinates during construction. Also required where there is more than one contractor.

**Designers and contractors**, each with duties within their own work.

**How it works for domestic clients — this is the part worth knowing.** A domestic client is someone having work done on their own home not in connection with a business. Their **client duties are normally transferred by the regulations**:

**To the contractor**, where there is only one.

**To the principal contractor**, where there is more than one.

**Or to the principal designer**, if there is a written agreement to that effect.

So a homeowner does not personally carry the client duties in most cases — but the **duties still exist and must be discharged by someone**, and the project must have a principal designer and principal contractor appointed where more than one contractor is involved.

**What this means practically:**

**Ask who has been appointed** to these roles on your project. On a domestic extension with a builder, an electrician and a plumber, there is more than one contractor.

**A construction phase plan** is required for every project, however small — it need not be elaborate, and its absence indicates a contractor unfamiliar with the regulations.

**Notification to the HSE** is required for projects above a duration and workforce threshold.

**Why it matters to you.** Construction has among the highest fatality rates of any sector, and the people at risk on your project include your neighbours and your family.

Question 2

How to choose the best home renovation contractor?

Accepted Answer

Choosing the best home renovation contractor involves researching recommendations, checking credentials, reviewing portfolios, obtaining quotes, conducting interviews, and checking references to ensure quality and reliability.

Question 3

What is the difference between an architect, a surveyor and a structural engineer?

Accepted Answer

Different professions with different training, different legal protections and different jobs — and engaging the wrong one wastes money and time. Architect. Designs buildings and spaces, prepares

Question 4

What is building control, and how is it different from planning permission?

Accepted Answer

Two entirely separate approvals that people routinely conflate. Planning permission governs whether a development is acceptable in principle — its appearance, scale and effect on neighbours and the

Question 5

What is permitted development, and what can you build without permission?

Accepted Answer

A set of rights granting planning permission automatically, provided the work stays within defined limits. It removes the need to apply — but it is not a free pass, and the conditions are precise

Question 6

Do I need a written contract for building work at home?

Accepted Answer

You already have a contract — the question is whether its terms are recorded — and for anything beyond a small job, a written agreement is the difference between a manageable dispute and an

Question 7

What is retention in a building contract?

Accepted Answer

A percentage of each payment withheld by the client until the work is demonstrably complete and any defects appearing within an agreed period have been corrected — an incentive for the contractor to

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