Cost update: June 2004 | Features

Indicative costs of new Part M (buildings other than dwellings)
Level approaches
Level approaches from the site boundary and car parking spaces must have a surface width of 1500 mm with passing places or 1800 mm without the need for passing places. This approved provision has been increased from 1200 mm in the 1999 edition.
New footpaths:	£40-50 per m² (bitumen macadam)
	£90-100 per m² (brick paviors)
Cost of widening existing footpaths:	£50-60 per m² (bitumen macadam)
	£90-110 per m² (brick paviors)
Ramped access
If site constraints necessitate an approach of 1 in 20 or steeper, ramped access needs to be provided. Ramped access that satisfies the requirements now requires a reduced gradient, 1:15 maximum gradient for a 5 m going, compared to 1:12 previously. Surface width must be at least 1.5 m, compared with 1.2 m previously.
Single ramp with single landing, low rise, reinforced concrete	£150-250 per m²
Access into buildings
Powered entrance doors must have a sliding, swinging or folding action controlled manually by push pad, card swipe, coded entry or remote control or automatically by a motion sensor or other proximity sensor.
Automatic sliding double doors, aluminium,
clear laminated glass, 1800 x 2400 m	£7000-8500
Glass entrance doors should have manifestation on the glass at two levels.
Cost of manifestation: 50 mm high continuous bands:
Access within buildings
Effective clear width through single leaf doors has been increased from 750 mm to 800 mm for new buildings.
1010 mm doorset, painted softwood panelled	£600-700 each
New developments should have a passenger lift serving all storeys. If site constraints preclude a passenger lift, a lifting platform may be allowed.
Hydraulic lift serving two storeys, eight-person	£25,000-30,000
Vertical platform lift with prefabricated enclosure, 3 m lift	£15,000-20,000
Facilities in buildings
A new section in the 2004 Approved Document covers “facilities in buildings other than dwellings”, covering audience and spectator facilities, refreshment facilities, sleeping accommodation and switches, outlets and controls.
In sleeping accommodation, all bedrooms are required to have a visual alarm signal:
installed to an existing fire alarm system	£200-300 each
Sanitary accommodation
Any bath or wash basin tap should be controlled automatically or be capable of being operated using a closed fist e.g. by lever action.
Wash basin pillar taps: extra for lever action	£15-30 each
A pricing document entitled Access Audit Price Guide was published by BCIS in 2002 providing advice on the cost of a range of typical building work required to comply with the DDA and Approved Document M 1999.

Materical prices
Key indicators	% change over last 12 months (Apr 2003 to Apr 2004)
Consumer prices
Consumer Prices Index (CPI)	+1.2
Retail Prices Index (RPI)	+2.5
All items excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX)	+2.0
All items excluding mortgage interest payments and indirect taxes (RPIY)	+1.8
Industry generally
Materials and fuels purchased by manufacturing industry	+3.4
of which materials	+3.0
fuel	+7.1
Materials and fuels purchased by manufacturing industry excluding food, beverages, tobacco and petroleum industries	-0.1
Output prices of manufactured products	+1.8
Output prices of manufactured products excluding food, beverages, tobacco and petroleum	+1.3
Construction industry
Construction materials	+2.2
Housebuilding materials	+2.3
Machinery and equipment (UK manufacture)	+1.2
Electrical machinery and apparatus (UK manufacture)	+0.8
Source: Office for National Statistics (April 2004 figures provisional)
1 March 2003 to March 2004 (DTI figures)
Commodities
Metals (three-month seller prices)
Primary aluminium	+29.5
Copper	+76.8
Lead	+67.8
Zinc	+35.5
(Source: London Metal Exchange)

Construction materials
ONS identifies the following specific materials price changes in the past 12 months since April 2003
	% change
Carpets	+3.3
Wood, sawn planed or impregnated	+6.6
Timber windows, doors and frames	+9.7
Oil-based paints	-2.8
Plastic sanitary ware	+3.0
Plastic doors and windows	+2.9
Glass	-5.3
Clay bricks and tiles	+4.4
Concrete tiles, flagstones & bricks	+3.3
Ready mixed concrete	-2.6
Mortars	+6.0
Bituminous mixtures	+4.3
Steel tubes and fittings	+4.1
Lead, zinc and tin products	+31.0
Copper tubes and fittings	+27.0
Insulated wires and cables	+4.0
Kitchen furniture	+3.5
Veneers, plywood etc (imported)	+5.5

BUILDING CRAFT AND GENERAL OPERATIVES
All-in hourly rates calculated over a year from 28 June 2004
			Craft operative		General operative
	Wks	£ weekly	£ annual	£ per week	£ annual
Wages at standard basic rate
productive time	44.3	320.58	14201.69	241.02	10677.19
Lost-time allowance	0.9	320.58	288.52	241.02	216.92
Overtime	5.8	480.87	2789.05	361.53	2096.87
			17279.26		12990.98
Holiday Pay (incl. overtime allowance)
Annual holidays	4.2	382.28	1605.60	287.41	1207.13
Public holidays	1.6	382.28	611.66	287.41	459.86
National Insurance
(average weekly payment)	48	34.43	1652.64	22.99	1103.52
Employer’s contribution to
Easybuild stakeholder pension	52	7.50	390.00	7.50	390.00
CITB Allowance (0.50% of payroll)			97.48		73.29
			21636.64		16224.77
Severance pay and sundry costs	Plus	1.5%	324.55	1.5%	243.37
			21961.19		16468.14
Employer’s liability and third-party insurance	Plus	2%	439.22	2%	329.36
Total cost per annum			22400.41		16797.50
Total cost per hour			11.47		8.60
No additional rates for skill or responsibility have been included in the calculations above.
Assunptions within above calculation:
Five days’ sickness allowed
Time lost for inclement weather: 2%
Number of productive hours per year: 1954
National Insurance at not contracted-out standard rate
Minimum employer contribution to the Easybuild pension scheme is £2.50 per week but can rise to £10 per week to match an employee’s contribution: A contribution of £7.50 is allowed in the calculation above.

Wage agreement summary
Operatives	Agreement body	Wage rates effective since	Details in	Date of next review
Builders and Civil Engineering operatives	Construction Industry	30 June 2003	Cost Update 6 June 2003	28 June 2004
	Joint Council		Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book 2004	See above
	Building & Allied TradesJoint	9 June 2003	Cost Update 6 June 2004	7 June 2003
	Industrial Council(BATJIC)		Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book 2004	See above
Plumbers	The Joint Industry Board for Plumbing	January 2004	Cost Update 5 March 2004	3 January 2005
	Mechanical Engineering Services in England and Wales
	Scottish and Northern Ireland Joint Industry	22 March 2004	See below	30 May 2005
	Board for the Plumbing Industry
H&V operatives	Joint Conciliation Committee of the Heating,	3 November 2003	Cost Update 5 December 2003	4 October 2004
	Ventilating and Domestic Engineering Industry
Electricians	The Joint Industry Board forthe Electrical	5 January 2004	Cost Update 5 March 2004	Likely to be January 2005
	Contracting Industry		Spon’s Mechanical and Electrical Services Price Book 2004
	Scottish Joint IndustryBoard for the Electrical Contracting Industry	5 January 2004	Cost Update 5 March 2004	Likely to be January 2005