Major renovation works
The Scottish Building Standards, Part I. Technical Handbook – Domestic, Appendix A Defined Terms, defines major renovation works as: ‘…works at the end user's location encompassing structural modifications of the entire in-building physical infrastructure, or of a significant part of it.’
Approved document S, Infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles, published in 2021 by HM Government, defines a major renovation as: ‘The renovation of a building where more than 25% of the surface area of the building envelope undergoes renovation.’
This definition is repeated in Approved document L, Conservation of Fuel and Power, Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2021 edition incorporating 2023 amendments, and in Regulation 35 of the building regulations.
Approved document S goes on to state: ‘The surface area of the whole building must be included when assessing whether the works constitute a major renovation, even if the building is mixed use.’
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