We just bought our first house, so go easy on me as I’m not an experienced DIY’er. I have read the documentation available on planningportal.gov.uk, but am still very confused.
We’re hoping to remove 2 walls to open up the space downstairs and maybe in a year or so put in a bigger kitchen. The problem is that I have no idea as to what process I should follow to achieve this. The first wall we’re hoping to remove is part of the old external wall (now an internal wall due to the extension), which has the first floor and the roof on top of it. The other wall is an internal wall, with only a flat roof above.
I guess I need a structural engineer to do some calculations and I guess I might have to apply for something with the council as well? Apart from that, I guess I need someone experienced to do the work.
Could anyone provide me with a preferably hierarchical list of tasks I should be doing/considering to get this done? Any tips to save money (without compromising on safety) are welcomed as well. I’m happy to do some of the work myself.
Not sure if it is relevant, but we live in a small end of terrace house in the South of England, near Portsmouth. We're not planning on touching the party wall.
Added a mock-up, hoping it will help.
Best Answer
Seeing as you're in the UK (lots of well-enforced building regulations) and you're wanting to remove at least one load-bearing wall (the old external wall), you absolutely need to bring in the pros and start dealing with all the hassles of permitted renovation. I'm not sure if you'll be allowed to do any of the work yourself, but if you are, it will undoubtedly be under the supervision of someone with very comprehensive liability insurance. :)