Hey guys,
I'm in a bit of a rut & was hoping I could please get some help here. Apologies in advance for the long post but I wanted to provide as many details as possible for the sake of clarity.
I live & own a 4th floor flat in the city of London within tower hamlets & want to make some modifications within my flat. I want to remove the door (fire door) & a small section of non-load bearing wall in my kitchen & also remove the door (fire door) from the hallway to the living room, thus having a more “open plan” kitchen allowing some natural light in (it’s a windowless kitchen). In light of this, I have paid a lot of money to a surveyor & then to a structural engineer, both of whom were sent by the freeholder & both of whom said that I would be OK to make the change from their perspective. Then I contacted the tower hamlets building control who bluntly told me that my plan would adversely affect fire safety. After a few emails it got a bit confusing as I wasn't sure whether he was saying that I could or couldn't do it & I don’t think the guy was sure either.
My question is as follows – How can I get a straight answer as to whether I can or can’t go ahead with the changes?
&
If I can’t go ahead with my proposal then I have a second proposal & was hoping that you guys could help me out with the feasibility – Can I knock down the fire door to the kitchen & the adjoining plasterboard non-loading bearing wall & replace the larger opening with a folding door? Is there such a thing as a “folding fire door?”
Any ideas/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance & I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Ducky
I'm in a bit of a rut & was hoping I could please get some help here. Apologies in advance for the long post but I wanted to provide as many details as possible for the sake of clarity.
I live & own a 4th floor flat in the city of London within tower hamlets & want to make some modifications within my flat. I want to remove the door (fire door) & a small section of non-load bearing wall in my kitchen & also remove the door (fire door) from the hallway to the living room, thus having a more “open plan” kitchen allowing some natural light in (it’s a windowless kitchen). In light of this, I have paid a lot of money to a surveyor & then to a structural engineer, both of whom were sent by the freeholder & both of whom said that I would be OK to make the change from their perspective. Then I contacted the tower hamlets building control who bluntly told me that my plan would adversely affect fire safety. After a few emails it got a bit confusing as I wasn't sure whether he was saying that I could or couldn't do it & I don’t think the guy was sure either.
My question is as follows – How can I get a straight answer as to whether I can or can’t go ahead with the changes?
&
If I can’t go ahead with my proposal then I have a second proposal & was hoping that you guys could help me out with the feasibility – Can I knock down the fire door to the kitchen & the adjoining plasterboard non-loading bearing wall & replace the larger opening with a folding door? Is there such a thing as a “folding fire door?”
Any ideas/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance & I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Ducky