Putting double doors into a living room

[SirGalahad]

Looking at making an open plan living area by putting double doors between two rooms.

The wall is a supporting downstairs wall.

Does this require planning permissionand if so what is the best way to about this? Who has to inform the council? The builder or myself?

 

[tony1851]

Doesn't need planning permission - just Building Regs approval (because its a structural alteration).

You can use the council's own Building Control service, (costs usually around £200) or use a private approved inspector - the latter are usually a little more expensive.
The inspector will want to see the beam and its bearings, and will require suitable fire-resisting plasterboard to finish.

They are entitled to ask for structural calculations for the beam (more £££s for an engineer) but if its only a two-door span and your builder installs a suitably-sized beam, most sensible inspectors would know what's right without demanding calcs.

Ultimately, you are responsible for sorting this out. Sometimes builders have their own retained inspectors. Be wary of any builder who says you don't need any approvals - they say that just to get in and out quickly and get paid.