Creating an open plan room
Turn two rooms into one, or a small space into a large one: creating an opening in a wall lets you design your home exactly how you want it. But should you just grab a sledgehammer and get started? We'll show you what to look out for, what costs to expect.
Knocking through a wall checklist
- Building plan for your home
- A structural survey
- Planning permission
You can get the building plan from your local planning authority. This will show you which walls are load-bearing, where pipes and wiring run.
- the opening affects a load-bearing wall,
- it involves an external wall,
- the building is a listed building.
Load-bearing vs. non-load-bearing walls – how to tell the difference
Only a structural engineer can tell you for sure what type of wall you're dealing with. So contact a structural engineer and get a full report before going forward. It gets more complicated with older buildings, so getting expert advice is especially important here.
You can often identify non-load-bearing walls by their sound: if a wall sounds hollow when you knock on it, it’s probably a plasterboard wall, which you can generally remove – as long as there are no pipes or wiring in the way!
Calculating the Costs Correctly
How much it will cost to knock through a wall depends on many factors. There are various ways to calculate the cost, from contractor costs to building surveyor costs. On top of this, you have labour costs for tradespeople, as well as call-out fees, costs for rerouting pipes or wires, etc. Get a quote from a local professional and compare the offers. When you do, don't just look at the final price, but pay close attention to the scope of services included!
