RE: Re:In wall touch panel heights to comply with building regs

["Gary Tall" <gtcs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We had to go through all this and I was dead against it, one year on I
don't have a problem with the position of the light switches. The
sockets at 450mm are a pain though when it even gets extended to speaker
points.

As Mike has said many of the rules have been dreamed up by lunatics,
like the one that says the downstairs bathroom door must open outward in
case a disabled person falls off the toilet. We pointed out that in our
case that meant you had a door that would open directly into the path of
someone exiting the building which was stupid. After a short debate I
told them that I was not going to put in place something that was
dangerous to the people who were actually going to live in the house,
they did not like it but did sign if off.

Now where's my sledgehammer, I really must break up that disabled access
ramp they made me put on a Victorian barn. They did not specify the
method of manufacturer so the weak mix concrete over a core of roof
insulation foam should not be too hard to break up:-)

Regards
Gary



-----Original Message-----
From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Mike Griffiths
Sent: 01 June 2008 19:03
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Re:In wall touch panel heights to comply with
building regs

Not quite true Tracey
Some lunatic in government thought they could save money - by making all
houses with switches in the new positions they reasoned they could save
money on grants for the disabled

Don't get too attached to your stairs, I've heard they are also
considering all new builds or extensions to have lifts installed instead
;-)

Personally I just fit all my fittings where I want them, it's my house!

The planning guy didn't understand all of the automation in the house so
didn't even question it
Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com
[mailto:ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com] On
Behalf
Of Tracey Gardner
Sent: 01 June 2008 17:43
To: ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Re:In wall touch panel heights to comply with
building regs

Hello Ian

Part M has been around for some time now and calls for light switches to
be
no higher than 1200mm and sockets to be no lower than 450mm.
Don't forget that 1500mm may seem nice to an able bodied person like
you,
but these changes were all intended to make life easier for wheelchair
bound
people.

Tracey

> Wow, is this some new regulation? Our switches are all at 1500mm,
which
> seems like a nice height to me. There is also some regulation that new
> sockets need to be half way up the wall rather than in the skirting
> board as is traditional.
>
> If this madness continues, sockets will be where switches were and
we'll
> all have to work switches with our feet!
>

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