CAWS content updates for alteration, refurbishment and retrofit work

In 2024, over 50,000 refurbishment projects were undertaken in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (see the breakdown of sectors below). This constitutes around a third of all projects in these regions. In response to this, NBS has made some significant improvements to the CAWS content set, with a view to supporting specifiers in alteration and refurbishment work.

 Source: Construction sales leads and industry insight | Glenigan

Refurbishment work can range from simple alterations of existing installations to complex retrofits of almost every facet of a building:

• Removing parts of existing buildings, e.g. services, fittings and finishes; forming openings.
• Making good, e.g. repairing remaining fabric; walling up or covering over existing openings; refixing or reusing removed materials or components.
• New work, e.g. inserting new windows, doors, rooflights, etc. in the existing fabric; inserting tie beams, tie rods, etc.; applying new replacement finishes.
• Retrofitting, e.g. upgrading existing buildings to improve performance.

In our CAWS content, the existing C sections are dedicated to demolition, alteration and renovation. These sections have been updated to meet the industry demand identified by the statistical data. As more energy-efficient and sustainable solutions are required to meet the UK Government’s net zero strategy, we have recognized the need to cover topics such as retrofit and provide specification content for work of this nature. See the NBS article 'The retrofit standards framework' for further information on retrofit.

Additionally, two new survey sections have been added, which provide detailed content for specific survey requirements.

Section C13 'Building surveys': used for surveys undertaken to establish construction, condition, dimensions or performance. It also deals with surveys that identify the type, extent and location of deleterious materials.

Section C14 'Building services surveys': covers building services surveys in buildings to establish their nature, locations, condition and capacity. This includes, where appropriate, taking samples and performing field tests to provide information about a system.

These new sections provide more detailed content for specific survey requirements, and can be coordinated by the use of section C90 ‘Alterations’. Refer to the full list of the CAWS C section updates below.

We have developed the content in section C90 to incorporate clause content focused on all aspects of alteration work, from initial requirements for survey reports through to verification of the completed tasks and work.

C90 includes an array of clauses for the specification of alteration work. For example, clause 150 ‘Repair/ replace/ refinish’ can be used to detail the ‘refurbishment’ by means of actions, e.g. repairing a windowsill; replacing door hardware; refinishing cabinetry. Doing so provides a simple but effective means of communicating the requirements of this work within a specification. Future updates will allow cross-referral of any alteration work within relevant work sections. The aim is to provide a physical link within the specification that advises the reader of any required alteration work from the outset. As with all NBS specification content, comprehensive guidance, suggestions and examples are provided to help the designer build their specification effectively.

This update has introduced a framework for users to coordinate alteration work. As with all CAWS content, we have retained flexibility to allow specifiers to use the content in the way that suits the specific needs of the project. For example, a window refurbishment could be specified via a combination of L10 windows, cross-referring to C51 timber repairs, and coordinated in C90. This could be useful where there is a mixture of both repair and new work on the same project. Specifiers may prefer not to use section C90 for less complex work and may use the proposed ‘Alterations’ clauses in the CAWS work sections that are specifically relevant if preferred.

With this new content, we are providing opportunities to specify alterations, retrofit and refurbishment works better. This framework of clauses and new sections allows for more detailed specification, and coordination of this work within the project. 

We continue to develop our content as a response to project and industry requirements, supporting the construction industry to deliver successful projects.

Refer to the links below for some examples of the many ways in which designers could use the updated C sections in their specifications.