M&E drawings in London

Ventilation extract rates we draw to

Approved Document F sets the extract rates that fans must reach. In a kitchen with a hood venting outside the intermittent rate is 30 l/s, and where there is no hood or the air recirculates it is 60 l/s. Utility rooms need 30 l/s and bathrooms 15 l/s. A separate toilet needs only 6 l/s.

Where ventilation runs continuously, the high-rate figures are lower per room, such as 13 l/s in a kitchen and 8 l/s in a bathroom. The drawing states which system each room uses, because the two methods have different rates.

Whole-dwelling figures set the minimum for the house: a two-bedroom home needs 25 l/s and a four-bedroom one 37 l/s. We note every figure on the plan next to its fan.

Electrical work that must be notified

Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical safety in dwellings, and the notifiable work is listed in the guidance: new circuit; consumer unit replacement; additions or alterations to circuits in a special location. The adopted edition is the 2013 edition; takes effect 6 Apr 2013.

Notification is normally handled by a registered electrician, who then has 30 days to certify the work. Our drawings do not replace that certificate. They give the electrician the circuit layout and the special locations in advance, which makes a notification quicker to prepare.

Lighting is regulated as well. Fixed lighting must reach 75 lumens per circuit watt under the current edition of Approved Document L, rising to 105 in the later edition. The schedule on our sheet names the fittings against that figure.

Carbon monoxide alarms and charge points

Approved Document J requires an alarm in the room where a new or replaced appliance is fitted. For solid fuel the trigger is new or replacement fixed solid fuel appliance in a dwelling (AD J para 2.34), and for gas it is new or replacement fixed gas appliance, excluding gas used solely for cooking (AD J para 3.43). The alarm standard is BS EN 50291-1:2018, and we mark each alarm position on the plan.

Parking brings a charge point duty for new dwellings: a nominal output of at least 7 kW. The M&E drawing shows its position, the cable route and the spare way in the consumer unit. More on the power side is on our electrical design drawings page.

Price, scope and what we do not draw

There is no published starting price for M&E drawings, because the number of rooms and the type of system change the work so much. We run a free constraints check, agree what is needed and give a fixed quote.

We draw layouts, schedules and schematics. We do not certify installations, and we do not replace the installer's design calculations where a specialist system needs them. If your project needs plant that sits beyond a domestic scope, we tell you at the quote stage and agree who covers it.

How M&E drawings fit the rest of the set

Existing buildings need a short survey of the services first. We record where the consumer unit, meter and any ducts or flues already are, because an M&E layout that ignores them will not work on site. Where something cannot be seen, the drawing says so, and the installer confirms it before pricing.

M&E sheets follow the architectural layout, so we issue them after the plans are frozen and before the construction package closes. Each sheet is checked by a second technologist, and the set is cross-checked against the architectural drawings so a socket never lands behind a cupboard door.

They then join the building regulations drawings that go to building control, and the same sheets help your contractor price. If you also need drainage and hot water layouts, our building services design page describes the full package.

M&E drawings by borough

The regulations are national, but the houses are local. A terraced house in a conservation area leaves little space for a visible duct, while a modern semi has more freedom. Our council pages show the local designations that restrict external services such as flues and vents. See architectural drawings in Camden, or all places under architectural drawings by area.