Regularisation - any help much appreciated!

[samgum]

Morning all,
Very naively when we bough our first house 5 years ago we had a builder do some works and never even knew about building regs. He did say - you should have really got permission for this so Ill just take some photos so if you ever need them you've got them. Now we want to sell our house and obviously it is a problem!
We knocked down an internal load bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room. We have a few pics of the beam installed - a builder friend came and looked yday and said that the Building Inspector(BI) may have issue with the fact that he hasn't use a padstone and also that he has used a really wide steel beam - the BI might say that as it is wider than the thickness of the original wall it sits on it could tip either way. He did say that the other connection at he external wall end though looks fine and is well sealed in so really the beam wouldn't have any room to tip as is tight in at the other end....
Im not aware of any calculations done at the time so literally would be showing the BI the finished pretty work and the pics that we have. The work was done 5 years ago and there are no signs of any movement.
We are planning on waiting until pushed by the buyers to get the regularisation but cant see them accepting indemnity insurance and don't want to lose the sale but also don't want to end up having to redo all the work.
In addition the chimney breast runs through the centre of the house and he knocked a big opening into that for us to have a stove put in - also no regs for this and no pics
Ive tried to attach the pics that we do have.
Any help please??????

 

[Nakajo]

I don't want to download some dodgy zip file thanks.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

First thing please upload your photos to your thread.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Make your mind up, if a buyer won’t accept an indemnity and you want to avoid scuppering the sale you’ll have to get regularisation and accept all that that entails. Your beam won’t tip over. The chimney probably just needed a lintel was one fitted?

 

[samgum]

ok apologies - I couldn't work out how to upload the pics individually hopefully you can see them now.
I was more looking for advice if you felt that the Building inspector might sign off based on what he can see or if you felt that the beam size and lack of padstow and calculations would likely be enough for him to reject. I realise that if he does reject that we will have to do any necessary works were just trying to work out whether to go down that route or if it is likely he will reject to just refuse to get the regularisation and see if they do pull out.

Pic of internal edge from one side

Internal connecting edge from other side

pic of external edge

pic of overall beam

 

[Nakajo]

?? Why not ask the Building Inspector ??

 

[samgum]

Because if we make it known to them that we have done works without permission there is no half way house - if they don't approve then we have to do the rectifications and meet any other requirements that they may set...

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

?? Why not ask the Building Inspector ??

Because as soon as he does that an indemnity won't be an option.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The beam looks pretty big but you've not said what's the span is or what its supporting. Very hard to say if the photos provide enough evidence of what's been carried out. I don't quite understand about the chimney bit tbh and presumably there are no photos of that, as previously asked was a lintel fitted where you chopped up the chimney?

 

[samgum]

Thankyou - unfortunately have no idea on anything building related so literally I can look at the pics and look at the pretty finished product and that's it! I don't even know what its supporting - I guess the upstairs of the house but that's a really basic guess as I say with no building knowledge whatsoever.
The chimney breast was a solid wall between the lounge and dining room and we have knocked a big open square into it and fitted a stove. I think he did put a lintel so im hoping that if we just take the plasterboard off the hole he will be able to see up it and be happy with that as we have no pics of any work on this.

this is the finished work - the wall was originally separating the two rooms with just a normal sized door in it.

This is the finished chimney hole!

 

[samgum]

floor plan - might help understand where wall used to be

 

[micric]

Is it a problem yet or are you being proactive ?

 

[tony1851]

That is a 203 x 203 x 47 column section - a massive beam for a span a little over 3m.
It will easily support whatever is upstairs plus half the neighbourhood as well, but chances are your BCO will ask for calculations. It's not just the
beam, though; their checking engineer will want figures for the supporting brickwork, and also the relatively small length of wall between the
window and patio doors.
If you decide to apply for a regularization, be prepared for not much change from £7-800.

 

[noseall]

If you decide to apply for a regularization, be prepared for not much change from £7-800.

Plus what it costs to dig up and prove the foundations and all the remedial work. OUCH!

 

[noseall]

Morning all,
Very naively when we bough our first house 5 years ago we had a builder do some works and never even knew about building regs.

Did you live in a cave before then?