Kitchen reno inc knocking down a loadbearing wall

[rhu1986]

Hi
Really do not know where to begin with this and appreciate your advice!

Have been saving for kitchen reno for several years. Old house but not listed. Reno would hopefully include knocking down a loadbearing wall to open up kitchen/ diner area and installing a new kitchen. I know we will need a structural engineer re: steels etc.

But do we need an architect first as drawing up plans is not in our skill set??

Also, what about finding a builder and building control etc?

Lastly, how do we project manage it all so the knocking down of said wall/ subsequent kitchen reno all happens as seamlessly as possible?

Please can you advise where to start as we are both clueless! Would really appreciate your advice if you have done similar or if anyone works in the field.

Rhu

I would assume if you're just removing a wall rather than extending, you'd probably need a kitchen designer rather than an architect. I'd get the SE in first, so you know what you're dealing with support-wise, then go from there.

I was having an extension so had an architect involved, but it isn't essential. Suggest going onto your local council website. There should be a section for building control and that will tell you what steps to take regarding the removal of the wall, as this will definitely need to be signed off by them. Then, as PP suggests, a structural engineer to do the drawing and recommendation regarding appropriate support beam.

As regards the design, I'd suggest taking measurements of the space you will have available, then do a rough scale drawing and use cut-out shapes for units and appliances so you can play around with the layout to get some basic ideas. Most kitchen suppliers will do the formal design for you though, so it doesn't have to be totally accurate, and they will make suggestions. I'm using Howdens, and they're really good, although you have to find a builder first.

You might find that the SE can recommend local builders to remove the wall, and the same builder might be able to fit the kitchen (depending on their range of services). The council's trading standards department may also have a list if they have a 'buy with confidence' scheme or similar.

We did this recently so worth it. We got a structural engineer to write a report (300 quid), got our builder to fit 2 steel beams (not as expensive as it seems then got building control to inspect it. I think the whole thing came to £1500