Blue Tree Acoustics Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) #16

Question

Who selects which buildings to Air Tightness test and when?

Answer

It is the responsibility of Building Control to randomly select which units of each type to test.

The random selection prevents the developer from fixing a few properties and having these tested.

Approved Document L encourages the testing of dwellings as early in the construction process as possible. This allows any problems identified to be corrected, thus the remainder of the build should be corrected.

Clearly there is conflict between these two conditions. In reality, it is very difficult to randomly test, as not all units are ready for testing at the same time.

In addition, costs will increase if only one dwelling is tester per visit. It is much cheaper to undertake all the required testing in one site visit.