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  1. Welcome to Planning Portal
  2. Do you need permission?
  3. Common projects
  4. External walls
  5. Building Regulations: Weather Resistance

External walls

Building Regulations: Weather Resistance
  1. Planning Permission
  2. Is building regulations approval needed for work to external walls?
  3. Building Regulations: Decoration and renovation
  4. Building Regulations: Fire Protection
  5. Building Regulations: Thermal resistance and changes to 'thermal elements'
  6. Building Regulations: Weather Resistance
  7. Building Regulations: Weight (Loading)
  8. Case Study
  9. Getting your job done safely
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Building Regulations: Weather Resistance

In this respect, there are two broad functions a wall needs to perform:

  1. It should resist moisture from the ground and therefore would normally need damp proof courses to do so
  2. It should be able to adequately resist the penetration of weather from the outside to the inside of the building.

Brickwork generally gives good weather resistance on its own.

However blockwork will normally require rendering to the outside, the thickness will vary depending on the type of block used, but the minimum thickness is about 16mm.



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      Disclaimer

      This is an introductory guide and is not a definitive source of legal information. Guidance is based on national rules, but additional local rules may also affect what permissions are needed. You should check if this is the case before applying or starting work.
      Guidance here relates to the planning regime for England, the policy in Wales may differ. If in doubt contact your local planning authority. Please note, local authorities may charge a fee for pre-application advice.
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        The Planning Portal is delivered by PortalPlanQuest Limited which is a joint venture between TerraQuest Solutions Limited and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). All content © 2025 Planning Portal.