Approved Document M (UK)

Materials and Workmanship
Any building work, which is subject to the requirements imposed by Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations, should, in accordance with regulation 7, be carried out with proper materials and
in a workmanlike manner.
You may show that you have complied with regulation 7 in a number of ways. These include
the appropriate use of a product bearing CE marking ……, or a product complying with an appropriate technical specification (as defined in those Directives), a British Standard, or an alternative national technical specification of any state which is a contracting party to the
European Economic Area, which, in use, is equivalent, or a product covered by a national or European Certificate issued by a European Technical Approval issuing body, and the conditions
of use are in accordance with terms of the certificate.

Duties of Providers of services to the public
From 1 October 2004: The duty to make reasonable adjustments set out in sections 21(2)(a),
(b), and (c) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 comes into force. It applies to all those
who provide services to the public irrespective of their size. It requires service providers to take reasonable steps to remove, alter or provide a reasonable means of avoiding a physical feature
of their premises, which makes it unreasonably difficult or impossible for disabled people to
make use of their services.



This Approved Document, which takes effect on 1May 2004, deals with the requirements of
Part M of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000(as amended by S1 2003/2692).

Provisions
e. the threshold is level or, if a raised threshold is unavoidable, it has a total height of not more than 15mm, a minimum number of upstands and slopes , with any upstands higher than 5mm chamfered or rounded.
g. weather protection is provided at manual non-powered entrance doors.
h. internal floor surfaces adjacent to the threshold are of materials that do not impeded the movement of wheelchairs, e.g. not coir matting, and changes in floor materials do not create a potential trip hazard.

Technical Guidance Document M (Rep. of Irl.)
Access for People with Disabilities (extracts)
Access into a Dwelling - Technical Guidance Document M

1.23 Where the approach to a dwelling entrance is level, or sloped, i.e. free of steps, or, in the case of apartment blocks or the like, is provided with a suitable passenger lift in accordance with par.1.12, and there is at least one habitable room at entry level, the entrance should be suitable for wheelchair access. In this case,

(a) the entrance should be provided with a level entry,
i.e. with maximum threshold height of 15mm,
(b) the minimum clear opening width of the entrance door should be 775 mm.

1.24 Where a level entry is provided, regard should be had to the requirements of the Regulations generally, particularly in relation to resistance to weather and ground moisture.
Guidance on issues involved in the provision of level entry can be found in the publication "Accessible Thresholds in New Housing".

Saddleboards, where provided, should be bevelled with maximum upstand of 10 mm.

Doors to rooms, which can only be accessed by the use of steps or stairs, may have a minimum clear opening width of 750 mm, irrespective of the adjacent unobstructed corridor width.

Accessible Thresholds in New Housing (extracts) - UK
Guidance for housebuilders and designers - Published by the Stationery Office

2.8 The door to the accessible entrance, in conjunction with the sill and frame details, should minimise the risk of water and damp entering the building.

2.9 Preferably, the door and frame should be chosen as a set with appropriate threshold details. Alternatively, proprietary thresholds can be fitted to external doors. These should be suitable for the anticipated exposure to wind driven rain.

Commentary
At the time of preparing this guide no formal test criteria for the weather-proofing aspects of external doors exist, although a Product Assessment Specification is in preparation.
When PAS023 is published, it will deal with general and mechanical performance of doors including weather resistance. Designers will also need to ensure that accessibility is achieved. Traditional vertical waterbars in conjunction with rebated doors are unlikely to meet the objective, since their profile does not comply with 2.6, and their water-tightness performance may not be adequate except in the most sheltered locations.

Detailing beneath the sill

2.10 Proprietary lower threshold units should be fixed and bedded to the sill in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations.

2.11 Detailing beneath the sill, or within the floor construction, should comply with the thermal bridging guidance in Part L, as well as the guidance on soil gas membranes, sub-floor ventilation and damp proofing in Part C of the building regulations.