knock through kitchen

[chicksville]

Can anyboby help us?


We would like to knock our kitchen through to our conservatory. I understand that we would need permission to do this as the wall is an outside wall. It has the window and back door in this wall. The kitchen looks out to the back garden and we have just had the conservatory built on the back, we have decided to have a new kitchen and it would look so much better if we knocked the wall down. We would keep the sink where it is (by the window) and this would be made into an island type area.

We do not have heating in the conservatory but if it is needed to gain permission we will have it installed.

Can anyone give us some advice as to how to go about this. We will be employing a builder at some stage but it's the regulations I need to get straight in my head before I even think about doing it.

 

[Static]

Well the new opening will need a steel beam of heavy duty lintel to support whatever is above the opening..

Bear in mind that if you do not put an external door filling this opening then the conservatory is considered an extension and will require planning/building regs for that.. and most conservatories do not even coming close to complying.. so put a sliding/folding door in.. or rebuild the conservatory as a proper extension..

Course this was before the 2008 planning reform so things may have changed.. someone will correct me im sure.

 

[simonjay]

Can anyboby help us?


We would like to knock our kitchen through to our conservatory. I understand that we would need permission to do this as the wall is an outside wall. It has the window and back door in this wall. The kitchen looks out to the back garden and we have just had the conservatory built on the back, we have decided to have a new kitchen and it would look so much better if we knocked the wall down. We would keep the sink where it is (by the window) and this would be made into an island type area.

We do not have heating in the conservatory but if it is needed to gain permission we will have it installed.

Can anyone give us some advice as to how to go about this. We will be employing a builder at some stage but it's the regulations I need to get straight in my head before I even think about doing it.

You need to be aware that if you knock the wall down, you no longer have a "conservatory" according to the regs, you have an extension. This has much stricter insulation requirements and will be unlikely to pass. Many folks take out an external door, but this is easy to put back when selling the place. I know they do this sort of thing all the time on makeover shows - not sure how they get away with it.
You could fit external bifold doors to fullfill the regs and keep them open most of the time. Of course its up to you whether you comply with the regs or not.

Also regs apply to any structural changes required to support whatever is above the wall you remove.

If you have heating in a conservatory it must be on a separately controllable zone, but this is a separate issue.

Simon.

 

[Richard C]

Forget it, it's a non starter for the reasons simonjay states & a few more. A cons is about as thermally efficient as a green house & it's impossible to make it meet current building regulations for an extension which is what it will become if you knowck through; if you need to extend your kitchen, knock the cons. down & build a BR compliant extension.

If you’re tempted to just do it anyway & keep quiet, consider that we’ve had at least two instances of problems & potential house sales stalling over this very issue in the last nine months. It will get picked up on survey & as unauthorised building work & you will effectively have a non-compliant/no kitchen. You will in all probability have to reduce your sale price by a significant amount in order that it can be made compliant, which is effectively a rebuild; that’s if your potential purchases bank/building society will actually advance the cash.