Long winded..moving walls / conservatory

[t_allington]

Hi,

Please bear with me as this is really long winded. I live in a bog standard 3-bed bay fronted house (to give you an idea). The 2 lounges have been knocked through to one, and it has the world's smallest kitchen. I want a bigger kitchen, but not to compromise the space for a dining table..and I can't afford an extension, so I will explain below what I'm doing and my questions!

I will re-instate a wall between the lounge to create 2 separate rooms, to join the wall of the existing kitchen, rather than where the original wall was (this means that the living room is still a fair size). The existing kitchen will be divided into 2, so I can have a downstairs WC / Utility room (with a separate entrance). The existing wall between the kitchen and the living room will be knocked down to create a larger kitchen. A conservatory will be put on the back of the existing living room (to be used as a dining space). Ultimately, the living room will be at the front of the house, the utility room and kitchen going along the back, and the conservatory in the existing garden.

The house needs to be rewired. Would you rewire before or after the building works?

The existing boiler will be moved into the utility room. It is in the corner of the kitchen, attached to the outside wall and is next to the wall that is being knocked down. Would you recommend moving the boiler first (as this is to be moved anyway)? I would prefer to wait as I can get all the plumbing done together.

Would you put the conservatory up before knocking the existing walls down? I want to open up the existing back door, which has two windows either side, into one large opening to the conservatory. I think it will be easier to knock all walls down together... Is it true that you need to have a door dividing the house and the conservatory? If so, would concertina internal doors be ok rather than external doors?

Do I need planning permission when knocking down the kitchen wall, as I will be putting in an RSJ? I don't think that I will when I knock through the back door and windows because they have lintels... Could you confirm this?


Many thanks for all your help in advance!
Terri

 

[TexMex]

Would you rewire before or after the building works?

I'd do it after.

Would you recommend moving the boiler first (as this is to be moved anyway)?

I'd do it after. It's out the way at the moment, why not leave it there untill it's new home is ready. Also, once the wall has been knocked down, you will have a better idea of it's exact location.

Would you put the conservatory up before knocking the existing walls down?

Probably. The extra space could be handy for temporary storage of furniture, and materials.

Is it true that you need to have a door dividing the house and the conservatory?

It's one of the definitions that local authorities use to define it as a conservatory. Once you remove a door, window, or masonary between the house and the conservatory, it's called an extention. You don't have to leave an external door there, you just have to stop calling it a conservatory if you remove it.

If so, would concertina internal doors be ok rather than external doors?

If you use internal doors, I think that your local building control office would still call it an extention.

There's nothing to say that you can't have an extention instead of a conservatory. You just need to follow different administrative procedures. Talk to your Local BCO.

Do I need planning permission when knocking down the kitchen wall, as I will be putting in an RSJ? I don't think that I will when I knock through the back door and windows because they have lintels... Could you confirm this?

Talk to your local BCO.

 

[t_allington]

Wow TexMex!

Thanks for the super-quick response. All I need now is to start the whips cracking on my other half, in order to get the work done!