Hi guys,
After searching through previous posts, I cant find anything which directly helps with my query so I was hoping you'll be able to answer it.
I own a 3-bedroom, semi-detached house (built around 1950s) and want to knock through the wall which is currently separating the Living Room and Dining Room. It is a load bearing wall which has the wall separating two bedrooms resting on it. I've filled in a building notice form and submitted a cheque.
Now, I don' t know how to go about it. When I first contacted building reg's, they said that I needed to submit the form along with calculations from a structural engineer, as well as 2 or 3 quotes of how much it will all cost. However, I'm surprised all this is necessary as I remember several neighbours who have had the same wall removed around 15 years ago and I dont think they even went through building reg's etc. So, I again put forward my query to another member of the building reg's team who just insisted that I fill the form in with the correct fee.
Do you think I need to call in a structural engineer to work out any calculations or can I just call in someone to knock through the wall and then get the building inspector to check it as needed?
Also, who can you call to knock through a wall (I dont want to do it myself) as a lot of builders I'm looking at mostly build extensions etc, so wont this job be too small for them?
Finally, what is the overall procedure that I should practically be following in order to go about completing a task such as this i.e. would you call a structural engineer, how long does it take to complete etc?
I'm grateful for your help and suggestions
After searching through previous posts, I cant find anything which directly helps with my query so I was hoping you'll be able to answer it.
I own a 3-bedroom, semi-detached house (built around 1950s) and want to knock through the wall which is currently separating the Living Room and Dining Room. It is a load bearing wall which has the wall separating two bedrooms resting on it. I've filled in a building notice form and submitted a cheque.
Now, I don' t know how to go about it. When I first contacted building reg's, they said that I needed to submit the form along with calculations from a structural engineer, as well as 2 or 3 quotes of how much it will all cost. However, I'm surprised all this is necessary as I remember several neighbours who have had the same wall removed around 15 years ago and I dont think they even went through building reg's etc. So, I again put forward my query to another member of the building reg's team who just insisted that I fill the form in with the correct fee.
Do you think I need to call in a structural engineer to work out any calculations or can I just call in someone to knock through the wall and then get the building inspector to check it as needed?
Also, who can you call to knock through a wall (I dont want to do it myself) as a lot of builders I'm looking at mostly build extensions etc, so wont this job be too small for them?
Finally, what is the overall procedure that I should practically be following in order to go about completing a task such as this i.e. would you call a structural engineer, how long does it take to complete etc?
I'm grateful for your help and suggestions