Cold weather working: protect newly laid masonry
When air temperature is at or below 3°C and falling, stop laying unless the work can be protected and kept above freezing until the mortar has set. Never use frozen materials, never build off frost-damaged work, and hessian or insulated quilt with a covering that sheds water is preferred to polythene alone. Rebuild rather than repoint any wall that has been frost damaged — the bond is lost through the joint, not just at the face.
Part A, clause 2C
Approved Document A — Structure
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Version 1 · effective from 20 August 2026
Close-up alert: inspect and photograph every cavity before it is closed
Once a cavity is closed there is no cheap way back into it. Before the wall is built past a tray, a lintel or a floor zone, record photographic evidence of a clear cavity base, correct tie spacing and drip, tray upstand and stop ends, weep holes, and insulation tight against the inner leaf. Treat the photograph as the release for the next lift rather than an audit trail collected afterwards.
Part C, clause 5.9
Approved Document C — Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture
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Fire stopping must have a single named owner per plot
Compartmentation defects are almost always ownership defects: several trades penetrate the same line and none of them reinstate it. Name one contractor responsible for fire stopping on each plot, keep a penetration register, and inspect the full compartment line before plasterboard. Use tested systems appropriate to the substrate and record the product used at each penetration.
Part B, clause 7
Approved Document B — Fire safety
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Test and record drainage before the trench is backfilled
An air or water test carried out and recorded while the trench is open costs minutes. The same test failed after backfill, driveways and landscaping costs days. Record bedding, side fill, cover depth and the test result per run, with photographs, before any trench is closed.
Part H, clause 2
Approved Document H — Drainage and waste disposal
Read the sourceChecked against the live source on 20 August 2026
Version 1 · effective from 20 August 2026