Remodelling first floor of a semi

[MagicHammer]

Hi,
I'm in the process of buying a 1930s semi in London and I am considering the idea of remodelling the first floor.

At the moment, there are two good sized double bedrooms, one fairly tiny box room and a decent sized bathroom. Looking at the dimensions, I think it would be possibly to create one good size double, two good sized singles, an office and a slightly smaller bathroom. That layout would be much better for our current and future needs.

I've absolutely no building experience, but have knocked on all of the internal first floor walls, and they sound "hollow" to me. I wonder if that means that they could all be non-load bearing.

If that is the case, would it be a fairly simple job to have the rooms remodelled?

I wouldn't be able to do any construction, but if I could get confirmation that they aren't load bearing, would I be able to knock them all down in one go, and then have somebody come in and build the new walls? If so, I'm wondering how long would that take, and how much would it might cost.

I'm happy to do any work that I can, but I'm assuming that with zero experience, the only thing I'd be good for is knocking things down.

If anybody could help me with any of the above, it would be very much appreciated.

 

[RonnyRaygun]

Does the spine wall sound like it's hollow? It's quite possible that the spine wall is stud, but is still load bearing, carrying the load from the ceiling joists and possibly some roof load too. They are often braced to which aids lateral stability. If so, it's still possible to move it, but more work will be required.

The other walls may or may not be load bearing. Ideally you would double up the joists below a non-load bearing stud wall, but in reality you shouldn't have any problems if you move them.

Get a builder in to give you his opinion. Or get up in the attic yourself and look to see if the walls are carrying ceiling joists.

 

[IJWS15]

I would be surprised if the walls don't support the ceiling joists.

30s was before trussed roof construction.

Suggest some photos of the loft space with the insulation moved to one side.

 

[RonnyRaygun]

I would be surprised if the walls don't support the ceiling joists.

30s was before trussed roof construction.

Suggest some photos of the loft space with the insulation moved to one side.

Yes, the spine wall will almost certainly be load bearing. My point was that it's reasonably common for the spine wall at first floor to be stud yet still load bearing.
The other walls often don't carry anything other than their own weight.