Modification to load bearing wall

madeinireland_2

I have a gap between kitchen and diner in the house and I want to increase the gap. I believe it's a load bearing wall and I will need to get a structural engineer in to do the calculations for a new steel beam.

It has been suggested that once I have that done I can go ahead with the work without involving building control and the local council.

Now I know this is not the route that we are supposed to take but the argument was that I could save the cost of involving them (approx £400 apparently). The idea being that if I went on the sell the house in the future and any issue was brought up then I could then apply retrospectively to have it sorted - apparently would get sorted in 48 hours and the council can't refuse if I have followed the guidance of the structural engineer.

I suppose the objective here is to save a bit of money on the expectation that I would either not sell the place in the future anyway or if I did no one would notice the modification or indeed care.

Thoughts appreciated?

Thanks...

Grenage

Do it through building control and save yourself the future headache ;the structural engineer's opinion is irrelevant unless it's been through building control.

I imagine that for retrospective building control, you'd be ripping plaster off the walls to prove what you'd done, or paying for an indemnity policy.

phil24_7

Building control will need to see the works (including the size of the steel) before they will sign it off so they would need to strip stuff back at a later date. Much easier to involve them now and have them sign off on the work as it is done.

madeinireland_2

I get it that it's better to involve them now but that will cost me money.

Under what circumstances would it be an issue in the future and how would anyone know a change has been made - apart from the obvious collapse.

Assuming engineer is competent then I presume not an issue.

In reality I probably will pay up and involve them as I'm generally risk adverse but I thought I'd ask just in case you all came back and said don't worry - happens all the time - no one really gives a hoot.

Thanks...

phill99

You have been given really stupid advice. If this advice is fro someone you intend using for the work, shoot him.


This will cause major grief in the future. How will Building Control know if its been done to the engineers spec if you enclose the steel in plasterboard?


Respectfully, you are stupid for even thinking about this.

Doozergirl

Did you want your house to be insured against structural problems?

Any builder that agreed to do it without building control is not worth their salt, either. There are enough restrictions on my contracts insurance without avoiding the building control officer.

It will cost you money later to uncover the work to display it has been done correctly. So you'll have to undo it again. Ridiculous.

Do it once, do it properly.

madeinireland_2

Ok thanks - this is precisely why I am asking on this forum.

phil24_7

It sounds like you or your builder is trying to get around building control as perhaps no one will ask about these structural works as there is already a beam there?

It is true, you may well get away with this and it may well not get picked up in any future house sale. Building control, however, is there for your benefit too. Unless you are savvy, any builder you use may well cut corners (smaller RSJ to save money, poor pads for the RSJ, insufficient support for the RSJ) or may even make a mistake. Building control will pick this up and make sure everything is as it should be.

Regards
Phil

madeinireland_2

Yes thanks - I won't be using the person concerned but I was interested to find out if this something that happens all the time.

Mocha61

A builder did some work at my daughters house which included putting a steel beam up, he put incorrect size up which would have failed to support the wall, (he incorrectly said they didnt need to contact building control) the council have since prosectuted him and he was fined. The steel beams also need fireproof plasterboard to boxing them in.

Davesnave

phil24_7 wrote: »

It is true, you may well get away with this and it may well not get picked up in any future house sale.

It's now more likely it will be picked-up, because Rightmove, Zoopla etc make sold data freely accessible, including EA's interior pictures.