Can anyone help a complete novice with some house redesign questions (specifically knocking down walls)?

[minorpanic]

Hi everybody! So, we've bought a new house. And we want to do some work on it, particularly, to knock the kitchen and dining room into one space. The thing is, there is a double height 'extension' out the back which sort of straddles the current kitchen and dining room, and so I think in order to make this all one space on the ground floor, there might be two load bearing walls, which do not align with each other, which would need knocking out in order to do this. We can't afford to do the work yet but I would like to know what might be possible and roughly how much it might cost, so we can start saving. And dreaming. But I have no idea where to start? Do I need to get a structural engineer in first to tell us whether knocking these walls down is possible? Or would a normal builder be OK? Or should I get an architect to do some drawings? I'm a bit lost and I would be so grateful if anyone could give me some advice! Thanks so much! I feel this might be the first of many posts from a house owner virgin.

A good builder should be able to give you an idea of whether it is possible to do, whether the walls are load-bearing and if there are any potential problems that you might not have considered. They could probably be a bale to give you a rough cost.

However a structural engineer would be needed prior to the work being done to do calculations on the steels that would need to go in etc. but a builder should be able to recommend one.

Do you know anyone who could recommend a good builder? eg . friend or neighbour who might have had similar work done?

be able to give you a rough cost

We knocked through between the kitchen and the dining room in our old house although it didn't have the added complication of having an extension above it. We didn't consult a structural engineer, we employed a firm of builders who did the work (including inserting the steel as it was a load bearing wall). We had a radiator moved too and some electrical work (moving plug sockets and light switches) and it was about £1500. You also need to get Building Regulation approval for this type of work unless the guidelines have changed in the last couple of years.