Reconstruct a load bearing wall.

Posted by Shilpi Khatun, on Thu 07 Nov 2013 03:23pm

Hi I am in the process of buying a semi detached house and have been advised the vendor has removed two load bearing ground floor walls without planning permission. One of the load bearing wall is between the kitchen and dining room which is about 4 meter’s and the other possibly a 5 meter wall opening up the living room. The Vendor advised he got a reputable builder to remove the walls but my understanding is any reputable builder should have known planning permission is required. Please advise on the likely process I need to go through in reconstructing the wall, the cos involved and if it is safe for now as the vendor advised the wall was removed 10 years ago and it all seems ok for now. . Thank you in advance for your time.

Chris Plastow

Thu 07 Nov 2013 03:44pm

This is a tricky one . If the removal was done ten years ago and there are no signs of stress to the structure then it was most probably done correctly . The only way to find out is to remove part of the ceiling and look for a RSJ. ( rolled steel joist) this support is specified by an engineer to exact specifications . A mortgage company may refuse a loan based on what you have told me , your future insurance company may refuse to insure the house if they know ! You could be stepping into big trouble on this one . Get the vendor to employ a structural engineer to pass the work or you may end up doing it again at your own cost . Be very careful about buying this house .

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Craig Young

Thu 14 Nov 2013 01:37pm

Hello Sal, It's not usually the case that Planning Permission is required. Unless your house is listed it shouldn't need it. A Building Warrant however would definitely be required. This is to ensure the work carried out was carried out correctly. It can be applied for retrospectively so I would suggest that you ask the vendor to get the correct paperwork in place before you finalise. Cheers Craig Spruce Garden Services Edinburgh & Lothians

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Karl Ginifer

Fri 08 Nov 2013 05:36am

you do not need planning permission to remove a load bearing wall doing it through building regs is ok if there is an rsj in place everything should be fine to re construct these walls is a simple job and you would be looking to pay around £1500 to get the work done

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Reconstruct a load bearing wall.

Chris Plastow

Craig Young

Karl Ginifer

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