A Beginners Guide to Knocking Down a Wall

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  Knocking down walls to open up or create extra room takes skill and may necessitate the use of heavy-duty equipment. You can do it yourself but you may be best served if you bring in the professionals – an engineer or architect to carry out a survey and a reliable builder to handle the job.

Whichever way you choose, gaining an understanding of the process and possible knock-on effects is useful.

Opening up or removing a wall completely is one of the best ways of creating a bigger living area and improving the quality of natural light that gets into your home. It is advisable to consult a qualified tradesman irrespective of the type of wall you hope to take down.

All You Need to Know About Walls

There are three major types of walls:

1. Stud Partition is a non-supporting wall made of lath and plaster or timber frames and plasterboard. They are easily removed and the surrounding area can be restructured easily.
2. Partition walls are usually four inches thick of brick or block internal walls. Although they are relatively easy to remove, it can be dirty work. You will have to re-apply plaster and renovate the floor afterwards. Partition walls can act as supporting walls on some occasions therefore, one should check to be sure.
3. External/main supporting walls are load-bearing or bearing walls generally made of nine-inch-thick block or brick. Load-bearing walls are active structural elements in the building which holds the weight of other elements above it by directing the weight to the foundational structure below. A load-bearing wall is a feature of the earliest system of construction.  It requires a professional and specialist equipment to knock them down. A rolled steel joist, built to a structural engineer or architect’s specification is needed. 

What Will It Cost to Remove a Wall?

Ascertaining how much to knock a wall down is dependent on the type of wall in question. A load-bearing wall will cost around £1,200 to £1,750 though quotes may change based on location and class of the building company handling the job. For instance, you may be charged up to £2,500 in London.

Removing walls may lead to additional expenses that are not included in the estimates above. Such things as installing an additional radiator which may cost around £65 to £300, moving an additional radiator which may cost £150 to £300, and changing the location of light switches or sockets which may cost between £85 to £150.

Those who live in terraced homes or semi-detached properties share a wall with their neighbors which means they need to get a party wall agreement before they can tear down a load-bearing wall. This increases costs.

There are numerous reasons and different kinds of walls that can be removed from a house but the most common walls people remove are the walls between the kitchen, dining room, and the living room.

Another wall people commonly remove from the home is the stud wall underneath the staircase. Unlike the other walls mentioned above, the stud wall is not a load-bearing wall which makes it cheaper and easier to remove. One can even undertake the removal without the aid of an expert.

Planning Permission and Building Regulations

You do not really require planning permission to remove a load-bearing wall because it falls under permitted development rights except when yours is a listed building. People living in listed buildings have to apply for permission at about £200.

Before you tear down a load-bearing wall, you must apply for a building notice through your local authority, this will cost you around £650 alongside an inspection for all projects under 10 square meters. Successful applicants receive a notice that allows them to commence wall removal with the aid of a structural engineer. Even though you are not bound by law to use a structural engineer, it is the best practice as it guarantees a job that conforms to all building regulations.

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