Q & A: “What’s changed with the new NHBC Standards 2016?”
Each month we answer your product and industry questions. This month you asked:
“What’s changed with the new NHBC Standards 2016?”
Effective as of 1 January 2016, this year’s new NHBC Standards have, particularly in relation to acceptable forms of weathering materials, remained largely the same.
However, as the go-to source for trusted technical guidance for the house building sector, the NHBC Standards have been consistently developed, reviewed and revised for more than 80 years – and this year there have been some changes.
The biggest change has to be a completely new design, which sees the standards easier to understand and navigate. There’s also enhanced guidance on a number of topics compared to last year’s, and there’s even a new NHBC 3D Viewer app, which has been introduced so that illustrations can be viewed as interactive 3D models.
While these changes are all new for 2016, what hasn’t changed is NHBC’s acceptance of appropriate materials for weathering, with Midland Lead’s machine cast lead remaining acceptable.
As with last year’s standards, the updated edition identifies a range of suitable materials for flashings. – which are available to view at www.nhbc.co.uk, page 18 of section 7.2. Where no definitive standard exists or is referenced, NHBC requires alternative proprietary products to meet Technical Requirement R3, meaning it must have a valid third party technical accreditation from an appropriate approvals body.
For Midland Lead’s machine cast lead – which can never qualify for BSEN12588 as it is only applicable to lead manufactured through a milling process – this comes in the form of a British Board of Agrément (BBA) certificate. BBA is one of the UK’s leading notified bodies offering approval, certification and test services to manufacturers of products and systems supplying the construction industry.
If you have any queries or comments about the new NHBC Standards 2016, see our overview here or get in touch on +44(0)1283 224 555.
