knocking a wall down - what do I need to know/ask

[muddleduck]

I think that I want to have the wall between our kitchen and dining room knocked down. (There isn't even a door at the moment.)

I'm going to get a couple of builders round. What do I need to know? I'm guessing it is a supporting wall so will be reasonably expensive.

If it's a supporting wall they may not be able to take it all the way back. It will need a steel beam to support whatever is
above and these need to be bedded into the walls at each end.

Just remember that you will lose space to put things against....

It is truly a filthy and noisy job so be prepared, but it will be worth it1

thanks.

I am worried about losing the wall space.
No idea where the piano will go
Still I think it will be worth it to have the kitchen integrated into the rest of the house.

Also Buildings Regulations approval will be requied from your local council (unless things are very different where you live) which will involve submitting calculations showing what you plan to do and demonstrating that the beam you are going to put in will be strong enough to support whatever is above. There are various ways to get this done but the most cost effective (in my experience anyway) is to use a surveyor rather than an architect or structural engineer. Start by calling the Building Control department of your local council, generally they will have a duty officer who will help you through the process. This is probably going to add a couple of hundred pounds to your bill but it's something you probably can't avoid.

Assuming building regs approval is required you then find a surveyor who will do the work for you (ask around, find friends who have had work done...) and hopefully he will get it done speedily and recommend a couple of builders to talk to if you don't already have someone in mind.

(Give me a clue what part of the country you live in so that I can recommend someone if it turns out you live nearby. I'm in West Berkshire.)

hi
thanks for all that.
I had no idea that a surveyor would be necessary. My friend's builder is coming round to have a look. I'll see what he says and then give Building Control a call.
thanks.

(We live nowhere near you unfortunately)

It's just that someone has to work out what size beam to put in. A decent builder would probably get it right first time anyway, but councils are increasingly interfering in what can be done without their approval and round here, at least, as soon as the word "structural" is mentioned they want to see calculations.

It's all very easy to arrange (usually!) so don't let it put you off.

thanks.

any tips on containing the mess?

I still shudder at the memory of my dad knocking down our kitchen wall without covering anything or closing a single door in the whole house!

Masses of plastic sheeting taped to walls, ceilings and floors and sheets of plywood or similar on the floor to stop the rubble damaging whatever it is down there. Better to contain the dirt and have a bit of paint touching up to do than to fill the house with dust imo.

thanks.

very helpful.

(for a 46 year old bloke )

Maybe i've found my place on here.

If you have young boys and want advice on Cub Scouts I can do that also.

ooh. yes please.
the boys are 3 and 5 and someone told me that I should have put them down for beavers ages ago.

Depends on your local group, some have waiting lists but many don't. You can join Beavers in the three months before you're six and stay there until you're between 7½ and 8½. And you don't have to join at the beginning, if they are full right now your eldest could probably join part way through. I never heard of a three year long waiting list so I think you can relax about your youngest!

Many groups like to have parents come into help with Beavers on a rota basis to make sure there's plenty of adult support with craft-type activities so you might want to think about whether you'd be interested in that, not that it would ever be a condition of your sons joining.

Heaps of info here: scouts.org.uk/beavers/

just put them on the list for our nearest group.
thanks.

anything else you can help me with?

Why did I skin read that as "should have put them down years ago"

Hmm. Do you keep chickens or pigs?

Cleggy can I ask why you think its cheaper to use a surveyor to do the calculations rather than s structural engineer, is it simply a matter of lower fees?
Thanks

if you aren't on the list by 2yo you don't get a place at out local beavers

you might be able to get away with a building notice - telling the council that you are doing it and they come out and inspect at stages, rather than building regulations approval - where they approve the plans in advance.

We have just had a small extension, which involved knocking down an outside wall - which obviously needed a supporting steel. And we just did a building notice on it and the builder sorted everything.

Pannacotta - yes, structural engineers go through way more training than chartered surveyors and this is reflected in their fees but you don't need their expertise for a job like muddleduck's. (Unless he has an extraordinarily large kitchen wall )

ChasingSquirrels - blimey I am stunned by that waiting list. What a nightmare. I wonder if it eases off by the time they moving into Cubs or if that's just as bad?? And you're right - a building notice would be easier. I don't think our local council would let you do it that way, but either the builder (or Building Control) would let you know. And if you can get away without paying a surveyor that's money saved - sorry if I panicked you for nothing, muddleduck.

Oops. I didn't put he deliberately...

I think the cubs is pretty busy, but guess they get more drop outs by then.
ds2 has just started cubs last week (went to beavers in local town and has started in cubs in our village - is next village that has the massive waiting list). Hopefully he will enjoy it as much as he enjoyed beavers.

I didn't think about all councils being different, suggest that you check out their website as it will probably have all the relevant info on.